Judge

Not a job you apply for out of school. Lawyers (and in Quebec, notaries) with 10 or more years of practice apply, and a committee decides.

Typical pay: $387,000a year
Time to qualify: 17 to 25 yearsafter high school
Demand: Limited
Licence needed: Yesregulated job

Click through it

Start

Download PDFDownload the one-pagerPDF

Pay, the path, pros and cons and the facts on one printable page. Counsellors: send it to a student from your own email in one click.

Compare where to study thisUniversities across Canada and Ontario colleges side by side for social sciences Compare with other careersPay, time, cost, the path in and the pros and cons, side by side

Or jump to a part

Quick answers

How much does a judge make in Canada?

The median pay is about $387,000 a year. Across everyone in the job it runs from about $310,000 at the lower end to about $415,000 at the upper end. The source is listed under Sources at the end of this page.

How long does it take to become a judge in Canada?

17 to 25 years after high school, on the usual route.

What does it cost to become a judge?

$62,500 to $157,000 all in for tuition, fees, exams and kit. Living costs are not counted.

Do you need a licence to work as a judge in Canada?

Yes. It is a regulated job, so you need a licence or registration before you can work.

What is the job outlook for a judge in Canada?

Limited demand nationally, from government outlook data. Demand varies by region, so check your area.

Or read the whole thing here

Judge salary in Canada

What you earn and what it costs to get there.

What judges make

Median

$387,000

Lower end

$310,000

Upper end

$415,000

Job Bank gives judges' pay as a yearly figure: a national median of $387,006, with $310,000 at the lower end and $414,900 at the upper end (2024). Newfoundland and Labrador's median is the highest, at $426,900, and Quebec's the lowest, at $310,000. Pay is reviewed by independent commissions, not negotiated. Federally appointed judges' salaries are set in the Judges Act and rise every April 1 with an index of average wages, by at most 7% a year.

Starting pay

Full salary from day one

There is no junior judge. A new judge earns the same as one with 20 years on the bench.

Pay depends on the court, not on years served. Lawyers who earn more in private practice take a pay cut to join the bench.

The judicial pension

Two-thirds of salary

Federally appointed judges with 15 years of service who meet the age rule retire on two-thirds of salary for life

It is set in section 42 of the Judges Act. The age rule: your age plus your years as a judge must add up to at least 80. Mandatory retirement is 75 for federally appointed judges.

What it costs to get there

Degrees and licensing: About $62,500 to $157,000, the same as any lawyer
10 or more years in practice: Required before you can apply
Application: No cost. A long form, references and a committee review.
Judge training: Paid. New judges attend courses run by the National Judicial Institute.

Roughly, all in

$62,500 to $157,000

Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel

A judge is a lawyer first, so the cost to qualify is the cost of a law degree and a licence, paid ten or more years before anyone considers you for the bench. The low end is a cheaper undergraduate degree and a law school outside Ontario, then the licensing fees. The high end is a full four year undergraduate degree and a high tuition law school such as the University of Toronto. Applying to be a judge costs nothing and new judge training is paid for, so the real price is the decade of practice, not a bill.

The real cost is time. You have to build a reputation as a lawyer first.

What comes with the job

Security of tenure
A judge can only be removed for serious misconduct after a formal process. Nobody can fire you for a decision.
Pension
Two-thirds of salary for life for federally appointed judges who qualify, and you cannot be pushed out before it vests.
Independence
The government you rule against cannot cut your pay.
Staff
A judicial assistant, and for appeal judges, law clerks fresh out of law school.

How to become a judge in Canada

The exact path from high school to qualified.

The path to becoming a judge, step by step

Become a lawyer, practise for a decade or two, then apply and wait. In Quebec, notaries can also become Court of Québec judges: tap Quebec route to add it.

1
Become a lawyer
7 to 8 years
Undergrad, the LSAT (law school admission test), a 3-year JD (juris doctor), then licensing.
2
Practise law
10 to 20 years
At least 10 years at the bar is the legal minimum for federal appointments and for most provincial courts. Litigators, Crowns, defence and family lawyers are the usual pool.
3
Build a reputation
Throughout
Committees ask judges and lawyers who know you. Volunteer work, teaching and bar association roles matter.
4
Apply
6 months to years
Provincial court: your province's judicial appointments committee. Superior courts: the federal judicial advisory committees run by the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs. The committee rates you; the government picks from the list.
5
Appointment
Weeks
The provincial cabinet or the federal Minister of Justice appoints you. Swearing-in, then judge training.

High school courses that help you become a judge

English and writing
Judges write the decisions. Clear writing is the core skill.
History, law and civics
Useful background for law school.
Debate
Listening to two sides and deciding is the job.
Anything you actually like
Judges come from every kind of practice. The path is long, so start with what keeps you going.

Time and money, at a glance

Years after high school: 17 to 25
Selection: Competitive. Most applicants are never appointed.
Total tuition: About $57,000 to $148,000 for an undergraduate degree and law school
Paid while training?: Yes. You are a working lawyer the whole time.

A lawyer's licence first, then appointment

There is no separate judge's licence, but you must hold a lawyer's licence to be considered. Provincial court judges are appointed by the provincial government, usually on the advice of an independent committee. Superior court, court of appeal, Federal Court and Supreme Court of Canada judges are appointed by the federal government. Applicants must be lawyers in good standing with a law society (in Quebec, notaries can also be appointed to the Court of Québec), and for federal courts and most provincial courts, must have at least 10 years at the bar. Judges keep their law society membership but cannot practise.

Quebec routeIn Quebec? The route is different. 1 more card.

The path in Quebec

In Quebec, notaries as well as lawyers can become judges of the Court of Québec, and Quebec runs its own selection process for its courts. The Superior Court and Court of Appeal are filled by the federal government.

1
Finish Secondary V
Age 16 or 17
Any stream. Strong French matters, since most legal training in Quebec is in French only.
2
Become a lawyer or a notary
6 years or more
CEGEP (public college), a 3 year law degree, then the bar school and a 6 month internship, or a master's in notarial law for notaries.
3
Practise for at least 10 years
10 to 20 years
The legal minimum for the Court of Québec, as a lawyer or a notary. Federally appointed courts also ask for 10 years at the bar.
4
Apply to a Quebec competition
Months
When a seat opens, a notice goes up on the Justice Québec, Barreau and Chambre des notaires websites. A selection committee reviews candidates and proposes the best 3.
5
Appointment
Weeks
The Minister of Justice recommends a candidate to the Quebec cabinet, which makes the appointment.
6
Or apply to the federal courts
6 months to years
For the Superior Court and Court of Appeal of Quebec, you apply to the federal Judicial Advisory Committees, one for eastern and one for western Quebec.

What helps you get ahead as a judge

Things you don't need, but that help.

Where judges come from

Crown prosecutors and defence lawyers
The bulk of provincial criminal court judges.
Family lawyers
Family courts need judges who know the work.
Civil litigators
Superior courts hear big lawsuits, so trial lawyers are favoured.
Academics and government lawyers
Less common, but represented on appeal courts.

Nice-to-haves

A judicial clerkship after law school
One year working for a judge. Not required, but many judges did it.
Teaching or writing
Bar courses, law school lecturing, published articles.
Bar association and community work
Committees look for service.
Bilingualism
Needed for many appointments in Quebec, New Brunswick, Ottawa and the federal courts.

Side path: justice of the peace

In Ontario and several other provinces, justices of the peace preside over bail hearings, traffic court and search warrant applications. You do not need to be a lawyer or have legal training. Ontario asks for paid or volunteer work equal to at least 10 years full time, then an application to a committee and appointment by the province. It is a full-time salaried position.

What being a judge is really like

Day to day, pros and cons, where you'd work.

What a judge does day to day

Court sits from about 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A provincial court judge might hear 30 bail matters and guilty pleas before lunch and a trial after. A superior court judge sits on one trial for days or weeks. Before and after court: reading briefs, writing reasons, case conferences with lawyers. Circuit judges fly or drive to small communities and sit in a school gym or a band office.

The honest pros and cons of being a judge

The good

Real power over outcomes, and the independence to use it
High pay (a Job Bank median of $387,006 a year), a strong pension and security of tenure
Intellectually rich: every case is a puzzle
Public respect

The hard parts

You cannot get there before your 40s, and most who apply never do
Isolating: judges cannot socialize freely with the lawyers in front of them
Heavy dockets and a backlog of decisions to write
Your rulings are public and criticized, and you cannot answer back

Work life

Typical hours: 45 to 60 a week, court plus writing
Remote work: Some hearings are virtual since 2020. Trials are in person.
Physical demand: Low
Unionized: No. Judges' associations make submissions to pay commissions.

Similar paths

Things nobody tells you about being a judge

Things people don't tell you.

Three of nine must be from Quebec

By law, three of the Supreme Court of Canada's nine judges must come from Quebec, because Quebec uses civil law. By convention the others come from Ontario, the West and Atlantic Canada.

Judges' pay is set by a commission

Every four years an independent commission recommends judges' salaries. Governments can refuse, but must give reasons a court could review. The system exists so a government cannot punish judges by cutting their pay.

Mandatory retirement at 75

Federally appointed judges must retire at 75. It is written into the Constitution. Many first become supernumerary judges, taking a reduced caseload at full pay, once they have 15 years on the bench and their age plus years served reach 80.

Pay depends on where you sit

Job Bank's 2024 median for judges is $426,900 in Newfoundland and Labrador and $310,000 in Quebec. Provinces pay their own court judges, so the figures differ.

How a judge compares

Every list is built from the same numbers shown above, so you can see where this career sits next to the others.

More law and public safety careers in Canada

Courts and legal support first, then the rest of the field. See every career in law and public safety.

Where these numbers come from

Last checked October 2026. Pay figures are typical full-time annual amounts in Canadian dollars, based on Government of Canada Job Bank wage data and published salary grids. They vary by province, employer and experience. Tuition is for domestic students. How every figure on this site is sourced and checked.