Calculator
First-time home buyer incentive calculator (2026)
The FHSA and the Home Buyers' Plan give you about $100,000 per person of tax-advantaged down payment, and you can use both. This calculator adds up everything you qualify for and puts a dollar figure on it.
Your numbers
Every per-person limit doubles with a second qualifying buyer.
Neither you nor your spouse owned a home you lived in during the current calendar year or the previous 4. If you turn this off, the calculator still runs and shows which programs you lose and why.
Edmonton's average residential price is $470,000.
Sets the land transfer tax. Alberta doesn't have one.
Edmonton shows the City's First Place Program. Toronto has its own municipal tax and rebate.
Required for the federal First-Time Home Buyers' GST Rebate (by far the largest number on this page) and the 30-year insured amortization.
Your savings and tax position(7)
First Home Savings Account
$40,000 lifetime limit per person.
$8,000 of room a year, per qualifying buyer.
Home Buyers' Plan
$60,000 per person, repayable to your RRSP over 15 years.
Anything outside an FHSA or an RRSP.
Used to value the FHSA deduction. In Alberta, it's about 30.5% at $100,000 of income.
Edmonton First Place check
Optional. Enter these and we'll check them against the City's published limits.
Excluding RRSPs, your primary vehicle and your down payment.
Rate taken from the RateLens published table, current as of September 21, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. MT. Rules, premium tiers and fee schedules current as of September 16, 2026.
Total value of the incentives you qualify for
$24,900
Alberta has no land transfer tax to rebate. The $40,000 of FHSA room and $60,000 of Home Buyers’ Plan room each of you can build goes straight into the purchase. An Ontario buyer at this price still pays $1,875 in land transfer tax after their first-time buyer rebate. You pay nothing, and there’s nothing to apply for.
- Tax-advantaged down payment
- $0FHSA plus Home Buyers' Plan
- Down payment needed
- $23,500The statutory minimum on $470,000
- Still to find
- $3,500Keep contributing, or look at a lower price
- GST rebate on a new build
- $23,500The largest single amount here
Alberta charges no land transfer tax, so there’s nothing to rebate
On a $470,000 purchase you pay $0 in land transfer tax and $0 in municipal land transfer tax. Instead, you pay $1,035 in Land Titles registration fees, on the transfer and again on the mortgage.
The same purchase in Ontario would cost $1,875 in provincial tax after the first-time buyer rebate, and in Toronto $3,275 with the municipal tax on top.
- FHSA
- $8,000/yr · $40,000 lifetime
- Home Buyers' Plan
- $60,000 per person
- Marginal rate
- 35.0%
- 30-year amortization
- Eligible
- Program parameters as of
- September 16, 2026
Your down payment by source
Your FHSA and Home Buyers' Plan money, plus whatever else you've saved.
| FHSA$8,000/yr, $40,000 lifetime per qualifying buyer | $0 |
|---|---|
| Home Buyers' Plan$60,000 per person, repayable over 15 years | $0 |
| Tax-advantaged capacity | $0 |
| Other savings | $20,000 |
| Total down payment available | $20,000 |
What the incentives are worth
Each incentive in dollars. A $0 line shows the reason it's $0.
| First-Time Home Buyers' GST Rebate100% of the federal GST is rebated up to $1,000,000. | $23,500 |
|---|---|
| FHSA deduction, at your marginal rate$0 × 35.0% | $0 |
| Home Buyers' Tax CreditNormally up to $1,400 per home: a non-refundable credit on a $10,000 claim, shared by co-buyers | $1,400 |
| Land transfer tax rebateNo tax is charged here, so there's nothing to rebate (see below) | $0 |
| Total value of the incentives | $24,900 |
Land transfer tax on this purchase in 4 places
Land transfer tax after first-time buyer rebates. Where a province charges a registration fee instead of a tax, the fee is shown in its own column and isn't added to the tax.
| Where | Land transfer tax | Registration fees | Total at closing |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlbertaYour province | $0 (none charged) | $1,035 | $1,035 |
| Ontario (outside Toronto) | $1,875 | — | $1,875 |
| Toronto | $3,275 | — | $3,275 |
| British Columbia | $0 | — | $0 |
Alberta’s Land Titles fee is $50 plus $5 per $5,000 of value, charged on the property transfer and again on the mortgage registration, effective 20 October 2024. Rebate limits and eligibility conditions differ by jurisdiction. Confirm with the provincial or municipal authority.
Eligibility for each program
If a program doesn't apply, we show the reason.
Eligible: First-time buyer (no home you lived in owned by you or your spouse in the current or previous four calendar years)
Eligible: First Home Savings Account
$8,000/yr, $40,000 lifetime, per qualifying buyer.
Eligible: Home Buyers' Plan
$60,000 per person, repayable over 15 years.
Eligible: First-Time Home Buyers' GST Rebate
100% of the federal GST is rebated up to $1,000,000.
Eligible: 30-year insured amortization
A 30-year insured amortization is available to first-time buyers and purchasers of newly built homes, and carries a 0.20 percentage point premium surcharge.
Eligible: Provincial land transfer tax rebate
Alberta charges no land transfer tax, so there is nothing to rebate.
Add FHSA contributions to see a year-by-year plan
Edmonton only
You may also want to look at Edmonton’s First Place Program
City-owned surplus school sites developed into townhomes by participating builders, with a 5-year deferral of the land-cost portion of the price.
- Looks like a pass: First-time buyer
- We need more information: Household income below the City threshold
- We need more information: Net worth at or below the City threshold, excluding RRSPs, primary vehicle and down payment
- Looks like a pass: Pre-approval with at least the minimum down payment
Why this isn’t in the total above
Eligibility depends on the site and changes with each release the City makes, so we don’t put a dollar figure on it. Talk to us and we’ll tell you whether it’s worth pursuing on your file.
Program terms are a guide only and change with each site release. Confirm current terms with the City.
Timing matters for these programs
FHSA room builds up each calendar year, the GST rebate needs an agreement dated on or after 20 March 2025, and Home Buyers’ Plan withdrawals have to be timed around your closing. Daniel can help you get the order right.
Incentives you qualify for
$24,900
How this is calculated
Every figure on this page comes from one tested calculation engine. Here’s what it does.
FHSA and Home Buyers’ Plan limits
The First Home Savings Account gives each qualifying buyer $8,000 a year of contribution room to a $40,000 lifetime limit. Contributions are tax-deductible and withdrawals are tax-free. It’s the only registered account in Canada that does both.
The Home Buyers’ Plan lets each buyer withdraw $60,000 from an RRSP, repayable over 15 years. Together, 2 first-time buyers can put up to $200,000 of tax-advantaged money toward a down payment.
What each incentive is worth
The Home Buyers’ Tax Credit is a $10,000 claim producing a $1,400 non-refundable credit. It’s per qualifying home, not per buyer, so co-buyers share one credit. The FHSA deduction is worth your contributions multiplied by your marginal tax rate. At 35%, an $8,000 contribution gets you $2,800 back at tax time.
For most Alberta buyers of a new home, the First-Time Home Buyers’ GST Rebate is the largest number on this page. It covers 100% of the federal GST on a new home up to $1,000,000, phases to zero at $1,500,000 and is capped at $50,000. It requires an agreement of purchase and sale dated on or after 20 March 2025, and it became law with Bill C-4, Royal Assent 12 March 2026. In Alberta, the federal 5% GST is the only sales tax on a new home, with no provincial portion on top. On a $470,000 Edmonton new build, the rebate is $23,500.
No land transfer tax in Alberta
Alberta charges no land transfer tax, so there’s no first-time buyer rebate to claim. An Ontario buyer’s $4,000 rebate reduces a tax you don’t pay in Alberta, and Toronto adds a municipal tax on top. The comparison table on this page shows all 4 places at the same price, with the fee arithmetic here.
Where the numbers come from
Every figure on this page comes from a dated rule in our calculation engine. When a federal budget changes a limit, we add the new rule with its effective date, and a scenario you saved earlier still gives the same result. These are program parameters current as at September 16, 2026, not tax advice. Eligibility rules are detailed and personal. Confirm yours with your accountant or with CRA.
Common questions
How much can a first-time buyer get in incentives in Canada in 2026?
About $100,000 per person of tax-advantaged down payment from the FHSA and the Home Buyers’ Plan: $40,000 lifetime in an FHSA and $60,000 from an RRSP.
You also get a $1,400 tax credit per qualifying home and the FHSA deduction at your marginal rate. On a new build, there’s the First-Time Home Buyers’ GST Rebate, which is $23,500 on a $470,000 Edmonton new build. Land transfer tax rebates only apply outside Alberta, because Alberta doesn’t charge the tax.
Can I use the FHSA and the Home Buyers' Plan together?
Yes. Since 2023, you can use both for the same purchase.
Fill the FHSA first. Contributions are tax-deductible, withdrawals are tax-free and there’s nothing to repay. Home Buyers’ Plan withdrawals must be repaid to your RRSP over 15 years, and any year’s shortfall is added to your income.
Is there a first-time home buyer land transfer tax rebate in Alberta?
No, because Alberta charges no land transfer tax. There’s nothing to rebate.
In Alberta, you pay Land Titles registration fees instead: $50 plus $5 per $5,000 of value on the transfer, and the same formula again on the mortgage. That’s a few hundred dollars, compared with thousands in Ontario or BC.
Do I qualify for the new-build GST rebate?
It applies to a newly built home where at least one buyer is a first-time buyer and the agreement of purchase and sale is dated on or after 20 March 2025.
It rebates 100% of the federal GST up to a $1,000,000 price, phases to zero at $1,500,000 and is capped at $50,000. It doesn’t apply to a resale home, because there’s no GST on a resale.
What is Edmonton's First Place Program?
The City of Edmonton works with participating builders to put townhomes on surplus school sites, and defers the land-cost portion of the price for 5 years.
To qualify, you need to be a first-time buyer with household income under $130,000 and personal net worth of $25,000 or less (not counting RRSPs, your primary vehicle and your down payment). You also need a pre-approval with at least 5% down, and you have to live in the home full-time for 5 years. Availability depends on which sites the City has released, so this calculator describes the program without putting a dollar value on it.
What counts as a first-time buyer?
Generally, you’re a first-time buyer if neither you nor your spouse or common-law partner owned a home you lived in during the current calendar year or the previous 4.
So if you owned before, you can qualify again once enough time has passed. If only one of 2 buyers qualifies, the per-person limits apply to that buyer alone, and this calculator shows the split.
What to work out next
- Down paymentHow long saving takes, at a return you choose.
- AffordabilityWhat this down payment plus your income will buy.
- 25 vs 30-year amortizationThe 30-year amortization you're probably eligible for.
- CMHC insurance premiumWhat the premium costs at each down payment band.
- Closing costsThe rest of the cash you need on closing day.
- Land transfer taxThe tax Alberta doesn't charge, worked out for other provinces.
This calculator provides estimates only. Results are based on the information you enter and on assumptions that may not reflect your actual qualification, rate or costs. These include semi-annual, not-in-advance compounding for fixed rates, as required under section 6 of the federal Interest Act, and the mortgage default insurance premium tiers published by CMHC, Sagen and Canada Guaranty. It is not mortgage advice, a quote, a rate hold, a pre-approval or an offer of credit, and RateLens does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. Your actual rate, payment, default insurance premium and closing costs will depend on your credit profile, income, the property, the lender’s current rates and policies, and other factors confirmed during a full application.
Program limits for the Home Buyers’ Plan, the FHSA, the first-time home buyers’ tax credit, the federal first-time buyer GST rebate on new construction, and provincial land transfer tax rebates are set by government and change with federal and provincial budgets. Alberta has no provincial first-time buyer rebate, because Alberta charges no land transfer tax to rebate. Confirm eligibility with the Canada Revenue Agency.
The City of Edmonton’s First Place Program is a municipal program with narrow eligibility (first-time buyer, household income under $130,000, personal net worth of $25,000 or less excluding RRSPs, primary vehicle and down payment, 5% minimum down payment pre-approval, and full-time occupancy for the first five years). It applies only to specific city-owned sites developed by participating builders. This tool describes the program; it does not determine your eligibility. Confirm current terms with the City of Edmonton.
Alberta charges no land transfer tax. Alberta purchasers pay Land Titles Office registration fees instead: $50 plus $5 per $5,000 of value (or part thereof), charged separately on the property transfer and on the mortgage registration, effective 20 October 2024. Elsewhere, land transfer tax varies by province and, in some municipalities, by city: Ontario charges provincial land transfer tax and the City of Toronto charges an additional municipal land transfer tax; British Columbia charges Property Transfer Tax. First-time buyer rebates and exemptions differ by jurisdiction and are subject to eligibility conditions. Alberta has none, because it levies no land transfer tax to rebate. Confirm current rates, fees and rebate ceilings with the relevant provincial, territorial or municipal authority.
Rules snapshot: September 16, 2026. Rates shown are calculation assumptions, not confirmed offers. Speak with Daniel De Sousa, Mortgage Associate, for a personalized quote. Indi The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd. o/a Indi Mortgage, a licensed mortgage brokerage licensed by RECA.
Daniel De Sousa, Mortgage Associate, is licensed by the Real Estate Council of Alberta and registered with Indi The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd. o/a Indi Mortgage.
Indi The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd. o/a Indi Mortgage is a mortgage brokerage licensed by the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA). Verify our licence on RECA ProCheck(opens in a new tab)
RateLens is a trade name used by Daniel De Sousa, Mortgage Associate, licensed in Alberta by the Real Estate Council of Alberta and registered with Indi The Independent Mortgage Company Ltd. o/a Indi Mortgage.
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Plan the order with Daniel
FHSA room builds up each calendar year, HBP withdrawals have to be timed around closing, and the GST rebate depends on your agreement date. We'll work out the order with you.
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