First Time Home Buyer Land Transfer Tax 2024
What is land transfer tax?
When buying a home, many people overlook the significant cost of land transfer tax. Almost always, the land transfer tax forms the largest portion of your closing costs. But if you are a First Time Home Buyer, you may be in luck as certain provinces, like Ontario, Quebec, BC and PEI, offer rebates to help you save money on the purchase of your first home.
Our calculator shows you how much you can expect to pay and why. If you are a first-time home buyer, we show you how much you can expect to save in government-sponsored rebates, reducing the impact of your land transfer fees.
First Time Home Buyer Land Transfer Tax Calculator
Detailed Breakdown
Municipal Land Transfer Tax
Toronto is the only city in Ontario that levies a municipal land transfer tax.
Ontario Land Transfer Tax
Ontario levies a land transfer tax by applying a tax-bracket system to your property’s purchase price. The full breakdown of your provincial land transfer tax is shown below.
Land transfer tax calculation (without any rebate) for $500,000 property in ON
| Tax Bracket | Marginal Tax Rate | Marginal Purchase Price | Marginal Tax | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First $55,00055k | 0.5% | × | $ | 55,00055k | = | $ | 275275 |
| $55,00055k to $250,000250k | 1.0% | × | $ | 195,000195k | = | $ | 1,9501.95k |
| $250,000250k to $400,000400k | 1.5% | × | $ | 150,000150k | = | $ | 2,2502.25k |
| $400,000400k to $2,000,0002.00m | 2.0% | × | $ | 100,000100k | = | $ | 2,0002.00k |
| Over $2,000,0002.00m | 2.5% | × | $ | 00 | = | $ | 00 |
| Total Tax | $ | 6,4756.48k | |||||
Source: Ontario Ministry of Finance
First-Time Home Buyer Land Transfer Tax Rebates by Province
Ontario
Ontario Land Transfer Tax
Ontario levies a land transfer tax by applying a tax-bracket system to your property’s purchase price. The full breakdown of your provincial land transfer tax is shown below.
Land transfer tax calculation (without any rebate) for $500,000 property in ON
| Tax Bracket | Marginal Tax Rate | Marginal Purchase Price | Marginal Tax | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First $55,00055k | 0.5% | × | $ | 55,00055k | = | $ | 275275 |
| $55,00055k to $250,000250k | 1.0% | × | $ | 195,000195k | = | $ | 1,9501.95k |
| $250,000250k to $400,000400k | 1.5% | × | $ | 150,000150k | = | $ | 2,2502.25k |
| $400,000400k to $2,000,0002.00m | 2.0% | × | $ | 100,000100k | = | $ | 2,0002.00k |
| Over $2,000,0002.00m | 2.5% | × | $ | 00 | = | $ | 00 |
| Total Tax | $ | 6,4756.48k | |||||
Source: Ontario Ministry of Finance
Toronto Land Transfer Tax
Toronto levies an additional land transfer tax equal in value to the Ontario land transfer tax. You will also need to pay an administration fee of $86.78 + HST.
Toronto offers a land transfer tax rebate of up to $4,475 for first-time home buyers. You can learn more about the rebate on The City of Toronto page for Municipal Land Transfer Tax Rebate Opportunities.
British Columbia
Ontario Land Transfer Tax
Ontario levies a land transfer tax by applying a tax-bracket system to your property’s purchase price. The full breakdown of your provincial land transfer tax is shown below.
Land transfer tax calculation (without any rebate) for $500,000 property in BC
| Tax Bracket | Marginal Tax Rate | Marginal Purchase Price | Marginal Tax | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First $55,00055k | 0.5% | × | $ | 55,00055k | = | $ | 275275 |
| $55,00055k to $250,000250k | 1.0% | × | $ | 195,000195k | = | $ | 1,9501.95k |
| $250,000250k to $400,000400k | 1.5% | × | $ | 150,000150k | = | $ | 2,2502.25k |
| $400,000400k to $2,000,0002.00m | 2.0% | × | $ | 100,000100k | = | $ | 2,0002.00k |
| Over $2,000,0002.00m | 2.5% | × | $ | 00 | = | $ | 00 |
| Total Tax | $ | 6,4756.48k | |||||
Source: Ontario Ministry of Finance
Québec
Ontario Land Transfer Tax
Ontario levies a land transfer tax by applying a tax-bracket system to your property’s purchase price. The full breakdown of your provincial land transfer tax is shown below.
Land transfer tax calculation (without any rebate) for $500,000 property in QC
| Tax Bracket | Marginal Tax Rate | Marginal Purchase Price | Marginal Tax | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First $55,00055k | 0.5% | × | $ | 55,00055k | = | $ | 275275 |
| $55,00055k to $250,000250k | 1.0% | × | $ | 195,000195k | = | $ | 1,9501.95k |
| $250,000250k to $400,000400k | 1.5% | × | $ | 150,000150k | = | $ | 2,2502.25k |
| $400,000400k to $2,000,0002.00m | 2.0% | × | $ | 100,000100k | = | $ | 2,0002.00k |
| Over $2,000,0002.00m | 2.5% | × | $ | 00 | = | $ | 00 |
| Total Tax | $ | 6,4756.48k | |||||
Source: Ontario Ministry of Finance
Prince Edward Island
The real property transfer tax rate in PEI is 1%. The PEI transfer tax exemption waives the property transfer tax for first-time home buyers. You must have resided in PEI for 183 consecutive days before purchasing your home, or have occupied your newly purchased home for at least 183 consecutive days.
There is no limit on the purchase price for first-time home buyers to receive a refund. Prior to 2016, the purchase price limit to be eligible for the refund was $200,000.
Non-first-time home buyers are also exempt from PEI's real property transfer tax if the cost of the property being transferred is below $30,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Each province has their own definition of a First-Time Home Buyer. Generally:
- You must be at least 18 years of age.
- You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- You must occupy the property as your principal residence.
- You cannot have owned a home, or a stake in a home, anywhere in the world, at any time.
- Your spouse/common-law partner cannot have owned a home while they were your partner.
You may claim an immediate refund (or exemption from the tax) at the time of registration.
Yes. You may have up to an 18 month period after the registration of your new home to apply for a refund.
Yes, in certain cases. After the purchase of a property, you have an 18-month window following registration to obtain a rebate. If you gain citizenship or permanent residency during this period, you can claim the full rebate amount.
The Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST), also known as land speculation tax, is a 25% tax on residential property in Ontario and a 20% tax in B.C. The tax only applies to individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of Canada. However, there’s currently a nation-wide home buying ban for those who aren’t citizens or residents of Canada.
The federal ban supersedes provincial programs, meaning the NRST will be irrelevant while the ban is effective. However, NRST will continue to operate even once the federal ban is lifted and when foreign investors are welcomed again. For more information and to calculate the Non-Resident Speculation Tax amount, visit our Land Transfer Tax Calculator.