How to Fill Out and Submit the RBC Direct Investing Margin Agreement Form

The RBC Direct Investing margin agreement form (form 2762) is the paper contract you sign to borrow against securities held in a non-registered account, and there is no online application: download the PDF, complete it by hand along with the Update/Change of Client Information Form, and either mail both to RBC Direct Investing in Toronto or drop them at any RBC Royal Bank branch.¹ RBC uses the two documents together to assess your eligibility.

Who Can Apply

Margin is available only on non-registered accounts. Individual, joint, and corporate accounts qualify because RBC can hold the securities in them as collateral. Registered plans cannot. If a trust governed by an RRSP, TFSA, RESP, or similar plan borrows money, the trust owes tax on any income earned from the borrowed money or from property bought with it, which cancels the tax shelter.²

You must have reached the age of majority in your province or territory: 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, and 19 in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, and the Yukon.³ A valid Canadian address is also required to satisfy anti-money-laundering and know-your-client rules under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act.⁴

If you do not yet hold a non-registered account with RBC Direct Investing, open a cash account first. The margin agreement must attach to an existing account number.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Pull the following together before opening the forms:

Your RBC Direct Investing non-registered account number.
Your employer’s name, the nature of the business, and your job title. RBC uses this to gauge income stability.
Annual gross income, the total value of your liquid assets, and an estimate of your overall net worth. These figures drive how large a margin facility you can receive.
Government-issued ID that matches the name and address on your account.

Download both documents from the forms section of the RBC Direct Investing website: the margin agreement (form 2762) and the Update/Change of Client Information Form.¹

Filling Out the Agreement

Form 2762 is short. It is a contract more than a data-entry form, so the work is reading and understanding what you sign. The main clauses set out:

That margin trading in the account is subject to the rules of the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) and any securities exchange where your trades execute.⁵
That RBC may, at its discretion, open or maintain the account and grant you a margin facility based on the value of the securities held as collateral.
That RBC can reduce, cancel, or refuse to increase your margin facility, and can sell securities in your account to meet margin requirements without prior notice.
That you will pay all indebtedness on demand, including principal, interest, fees, and commissions, and will promptly increase your margin when RBC requires it.
That only CAD- and USD-denominated securities can be held in a margin account; securities in other currencies stay in a cash account, and RBC decides which securities are eligible for margin at its sole discretion.
That securities in the account which are not fully paid or are not excess margin securities may be loaned to RBC or to others, to the extent permitted by regulation.
That you are entirely responsible for all tax consequences of trading on margin.⁵

Every account holder must sign. For corporate or investment-club accounts, authorized officers may also need to sign. Read the whole document before signing, especially the clauses on forced liquidation and securities lending. Both matter in volatile markets.

Where to Send It

Once both forms are complete and signed, there are two ways to submit them:

By mail, to RBC Direct Investing Inc., Royal Bank Plaza, 200 Bay Street, North Tower, P.O. Box 75, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2Z5.⁶
In person at any RBC Royal Bank branch. Staff will forward the paperwork to the brokerage division.¹

RBC Direct Investing lists a fax number for general form submissions, 1 (888) 722-2388, though estate documents are excluded from fax delivery.⁶ Credit-bearing documents sometimes require original ink signatures, so call RBC Direct Investing before faxing the margin agreement if that is the route you want to use.

What Happens After You Submit

RBC’s credit department reviews your application against internal risk parameters. If it is approved, the margin facility appears as an available balance on your online dashboard, and you receive a notification through the secure message centre or email. RBC does not publish a specific processing timeline for margin applications, so expect at least a few business days, and longer if the credit department comes back with questions.

Once the facility is active, trades placed using borrowed funds show up as a debit balance, and interest starts accruing immediately.

The Rate, the Interest Charge, and What a Margin Call Looks Like

RBC Direct Investing publishes its margin rates on its pricing page and can change them without notice. As of mid-2026, the standard Canadian-dollar margin rate is 6.50% per annum, and the U.S.-dollar rate is 9.00%. Clients with Royal Circle status, generally those with larger balances, get lower rates starting at 5.75% (CDN) and 8.50% (USD) on balances of $100,000 or more. Interest is calculated on the average daily balances in the account for the month and charged on the first business day after the 21st. Nothing is charged when the monthly amount comes out to less than $5.⁷ The RBC prime rate sits at 4.45% as of June 2026 for reference, though RBC does not formally tie margin rates to prime.⁸

CIRO sets minimum margin rates, and dealers can impose stricter house requirements. Securities on the quarterly List of Securities Eligible for Reduced Margin (LSERM) qualify for a reduced client margin rate of 30%.⁹ Securities not on the list commonly require 50% for standard equities, and more volatile or thinly traded names require more. RBC reserves the right to review and change its own margin rates at any time.⁵

If the equity in your account falls below the required maintenance level, you face a margin call. You must deposit cash, deposit eligible securities, or sell positions to bring the account back into compliance. The clause that surprises people: under the agreement you signed, RBC can sell securities in your account without contacting you first to cover the deficiency.⁵ You do not choose which positions are sold, proceeds go toward paying down the debit balance, and standard trade commissions apply.

If You Are a U.S. Person

Two additional obligations attach if you are a U.S. citizen, green card holder, or U.S. resident for tax purposes holding an RBC Direct Investing margin account.

First, the FBAR. Any U.S. person with a financial interest in foreign financial accounts whose aggregate value exceeds $10,000 at any point during the calendar year must file FinCEN Form 114.¹⁰ A Canadian brokerage account qualifies. The filing deadline is April 15 following the calendar year, with an automatic extension to October 15 that requires no request.¹¹

Second, interest paid on your margin debit balance may be deductible as investment interest expense on your U.S. return. To claim it you must itemize on Schedule A and file Form 4952. The deduction is limited to net taxable investment income for the year, and any excess carries forward. Interest on margin loans used to buy tax-exempt investments such as municipal bonds does not qualify.

1
RBC Direct Investing. Margin Account
2
Canada Revenue Agency. Income Tax Folio S3-F10-C1, Qualified Investments – RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, FHSAs and TFSAs
3
Department of Justice. Step 2: Determine the Number of Children Requiring Support – The Federal Child Support Guidelines: Step-by-Step
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Justice Laws Website. Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act
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RBC Direct Investing. Margin Agreement
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RBC Direct Investing. Contact Us
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RBC Direct Investing. Cash and Margin Interest Rates
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RBC Royal Bank. Prime and Other Rates
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Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. List of Securities Eligible for Reduced Margin (LSERM)
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FinCEN.gov. Report Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts
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IRS. Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)