Policy guide · 2026
Every first-time home buyer program in Canada for 2026, stacked
A first-time buyer in 2026 can stack up to nine programs. They include a GST rebate of up to $50,000 on a new home, $40,000 of FHSA room, $60,000 per person from an RRSP, a $1,400 credit, a 30-year insured mortgage and provincial land transfer relief. Here is each one's 2026 figure, who qualifies and where to claim.
Federal programs
First-time home buyers’ GST/HST rebate. New homes only. 100% of the 5% GST on a home worth up to $1,000,000, so up to $50,000, shrinking to zero at $1,500,000. The agreement must be signed on or after March 20, 2025. Ontario adds up to $80,000 for its 8% part. The builder claims it at closing on Form GST190. See the GST rebate guide and the new-home HST rebate calculator.
First Home Savings Account. $8,000 of room a year, $40,000 lifetime, and one unused year carries forward. Contributions are deductible like an RRSP. Withdrawals for a first home are tax-free like a TFSA. Unused money rolls into an RRSP without using RRSP room. See the RRSP vs TFSA vs FHSA comparison.
Home Buyers’ Plan. Withdraw up to $60,000 per person from an RRSP, tax-free, for a first home. Repay over 15 years. For first withdrawals made from 2022 through 2028, repayments start in the fifth year after the withdrawal, a grace the 2026 Spring Economic Update extended past 2025.
Home buyers’ amount. Claim $10,000 on line 31270 in the year you buy. It is worth $1,400 at the 2026 lowest federal rate of 14%. Co-buyers can split it any way they like, up to $10,000 in total. Quebec’s provincial version is also worth $1,400. Saskatchewan’s credit is worth up to $1,575.
Mortgage rules for first-time buyers. Since December 15, 2024, an insured mortgage (under 20% down) can run 30 years instead of 25 for first-time buyers and for anyone buying a newly built home. The insurance premium is 0.20 points higher. The insured price cap is $1,500,000, with 5% down on the first $500,000 and 10% on the rest. The mortgage calculator applies the premium, the cap and the minimum down payment.
Provincial and city relief on land transfer tax
| Where | Relief for a first-time buyer | Worth up to |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Refund of the provincial land transfer tax | $4,000 (covers homes to $368,000) |
| Toronto | Refund of the municipal land transfer tax, on top of Ontario’s | $4,475 |
| British Columbia | Full exemption on homes up to $835,000, partial to $860,000 | $8,000 |
| Quebec | Refundable credit against the welcome tax from 2026. 100% of the first $5,000 plus 25% of the rest, reduced above $750,000, nil at $1,000,000 | $5,875 |
| Prince Edward Island | Full exemption from the 1% real property transfer tax | 1% of the price |
| Nova Scotia | HST rebate of 18.75% of the provincial part on a new home | $3,000 |
| Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the territories | No first-time relief. Alberta, Saskatchewan, NL and the territories charge fees rather than a tax. Manitoba and New Brunswick have no first-time rebate | — |
Ontario and BC use the strict test. You must never have owned a home anywhere in the world, and your spouse must not have owned one while your spouse. Quebec and the federal programs use the four-year test. The land transfer tax calculator applies the right test for your province and city.
Putting it together
Take a couple buying an $850,000 new home in Ontario in late 2026 with 10% down, both first-time buyers. The HST rebates return the full $110,500 of HST, credited at closing. The Ontario and Toronto land transfer refunds are worth up to $8,475. The home buyers’ amount saves $1,400. An FHSA opened in 2023 holds up to $32,000 each of deductible contributions. Each can draw $60,000 from an RRSP, with repayments starting in 2031. The mortgage can run 30 years. The “How to get it” list on each calculator page walks through the order.
Questions people ask
- Can I use both the FHSA and the Home Buyers' Plan for the same home?
- Yes. Since 2023 you can withdraw from an FHSA and make an HBP withdrawal from your RRSP for the same home. A couple could combine $80,000 of FHSA savings with $120,000 of HBP withdrawals, plus the growth in the FHSAs.
- When do HBP repayments start?
- For a first withdrawal made in 2022 through 2025, repayments start in the fifth year after the withdrawal instead of the second. The Spring Economic Update 2026 extended that grace to first withdrawals in 2026, 2027 and 2028. You then repay one-fifteenth a year, and any shortfall is added to your income.
- How is 'first-time buyer' defined?
- It depends on the program. The federal tax credit, the HBP, the FHSA, the GST rebate and the 30-year mortgage rule use a four-year test. You did not live in a home you or your spouse owned in the year and the four years before. Ontario's land transfer refund and BC's exemption are stricter. You can never have owned a home anywhere.
- Is the $1,400 credit the same as the $10,000 Home Buyers' Amount?
- Yes. Line 31270 lets you claim $10,000. A non-refundable credit is worth the lowest federal rate times the amount, so 14% in 2026, or $1,400. Quebec's own $10,000 amount is worth $1,400 provincially. Saskatchewan's credit is worth up to $1,575.
- Is there a federal First-Time Home Buyer Incentive?
- Not any more. The shared-equity incentive stopped taking applications in March 2024.
Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these primary sources, checked on .
- CRA - First-time home buyers' (FTHB) GST/HST rebate
- CRA - First Home Savings Account (FHSA)
- CRA - Home Buyers' Plan (HBP)
- CRA - Line 31270, Home buyers' amount
- Department of Finance Canada - Delivering the boldest mortgage reforms in decades (September 2024)
- Ontario Ministry of Finance - Land transfer tax refunds for first-time homebuyers
- City of Toronto - MLTT rebate opportunities
- Government of British Columbia - First time home buyers' program
- Ministère des Finances du Québec - Information Bulletin 2026-2 (refundable credit for access to homeownership)