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First-Time Home Buyer Programs in Canada: Federal and Provincial

Updated

This page lists the programs for first-time home buyers in Canada: the four federal ones, and each province’s main relief for first-time buyers, from land transfer tax exemptions to Saskatchewan’s tax credit and Newfoundland and Labrador’s down payment loan. The province guides linked below cover how buying works in each province.

Federal programs

ProgramWhat it gives youWho qualifies
First Home Savings Account (FHSA)Deductible contributions of up to $8,000 a year, $40,000 in total; a qualifying withdrawal (including growth) is tax-free and never repaidYou can open an FHSA if, when you open it, you are a resident of Canada, at least 18 (19 where that is the age to enter a contract) and no older than 71 on December 31 of that year, and a first-time home buyer: you didn't live, this year or in the previous 4 calendar years, in a home that you or your current spouse or common-law partner owned as your principal residence.
Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP)Up to $60,000 from your RRSPs without tax, repaid over 15 yearsFirst-time buyers (same 4-year test) with a written agreement to buy or build
Home buyers’ amountA $10,000 non-refundable credit claim on line 31270First-time buyers of a qualifying home (same 4-year test)
First-Time Home Buyers’ GST/HST rebateRelief on the GST (or federal part of the HST) on a new or substantially renovated homeFirst-time buyers of a new home they’ll live in

You can use the FHSA and the HBP for the same home, up to $100,000 per person or $200,000 for a couple, plus FHSA growth; see using both.

Provincial programs

ProvinceFirst-time buyer relief
OntarioLand transfer tax refund of up to $4,000; Toronto adds a municipal rebate
British ColumbiaNo property transfer tax on the first $500,000 of value, for homes up to $835,000 (partial to $860,000)
QuebecRefundable tax credit on the welcome tax (transfer duties). The credit is the first $5,000 of duties plus 25% of the rest, up to $5,875. It's reduced by 2.35% of the home's value above $750,000 and is nil at $1,000,000 or more.
Prince Edward IslandExemption from the real property transfer tax for qualifying first-time buyers
Nova ScotiaNo deed transfer tax relief. On a newly built home: The rebate is part of the provincial portion of the HST, up to $3,000.
AlbertaNo land transfer tax (only land titles fees), so no rebate
SaskatchewanNo land transfer tax (only land titles fees), so no rebate on it. Saskatchewan's First-time Homebuyers' Tax Credit is a non-refundable provincial income tax credit of 10.5% on the first $15,000 of a qualifying home bought from January 1, 2025, up to $1,575, claimed on Form SK428 with the Saskatchewan return for the year of purchase. It follows the federal first-time buyer rules, and can be shared with a spouse or common-law partner.
Manitoba, New BrunswickNo first-time buyer relief on the transfer tax or registration fees
Newfoundland and LabradorNo first-time buyer relief on the registration fees. Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation's First-time Homebuyers Program gives eligible first-time buyers who are pre-approved for a mortgage a repayable loan of up to 5% of the price toward the down payment, plus a grant of 50% of the legal closing costs up to $1,500, on homes up to $350,000 in the St. John's area and Labrador, $300,000 in the regional centres and $250,000 elsewhere. Household income must be under $85,000 for the full loan, with a reduced loan up to $95,000. Funding is first come, first served.

Each land transfer tax calculator page shows the tax, and any first-time relief, for a given price.

Which definition of “first-time buyer” applies

The three federal programs look back 4 calendar years, but each adds its own rules about spouses and partners. Provincial land transfer tax relief is often stricter: Ontario’s refund, for example, requires never having owned a home anywhere in the world. Check each program’s conditions before you count on it.

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Sources

The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between August 29, 2026 and September 29, 2026. How we check facts.