Government Programs

The money that is already on the table.

Federal, provincial and municipal programs change what a purchase actually costs, and most of them are claimed by your lawyer or accountant rather than by you. Here is what exists, who it is for, and where the official rules live.

Not yet verified. Nothing on this page has been checked against the current official source by this build. The explanations are written for this site and each links to the official source. Confirm anything you intend to rely on, and take advice from a lawyer or accountant before acting on it.

Programs are grouped by what they are for rather than by which level of government runs them, because that is the order you meet them in. Amounts and thresholds are deliberately not printed here. They move, and a number frozen into a web page is worse than no number at all.

First-Time Buyers

Programs aimed specifically at a first purchase.

01Ontario

Ontario Land Transfer Tax Refund for First-Time Buyers

Refunds provincial land transfer tax up to a maximum. Below a certain purchase price the refund covers the tax entirely; above it, you pay the difference. Your lawyer normally claims it at closing so it reduces the cash you bring, rather than arriving later.

Who it is for
First-time buyers anywhere in Ontario.
What you get
Up to a fixed maximum refund. See the land transfer tax calculator on this site for an estimate on a specific price.
Eligibility
At least 18, must not have owned a home or an interest in one anywhere in the world, and a spouse must not have owned one while your spouse. Must occupy as principal residence within nine months.

Official source: Ontario Ministry of Finance

02Toronto

Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax Rebate

Toronto charges its own land transfer tax on top of the provincial one, and offers its own first-time buyer rebate against it. This is a separate claim from the provincial refund and both can apply to the same purchase.

Who it is for
First-time buyers purchasing inside the City of Toronto.
What you get
Up to a fixed maximum, claimed separately from the provincial refund.
Eligibility
Broadly mirrors the provincial rules. Confirm current criteria with the City of Toronto.

Official source: City of Toronto

Saving for a Home

Accounts and withdrawals designed to build a down payment.

03Federal

First Home Savings Account (FHSA)

A registered account that combines the two tax advantages people usually have to choose between. Contributions are deductible from income the way an RRSP contribution is, and qualifying withdrawals to buy a first home come out tax free the way a TFSA withdrawal does. Unused contribution room carries forward.

Who it is for
First-time buyers saving a down payment.
What you get
Contribution room accrues annually up to a lifetime maximum. Confirm the current annual and lifetime limits, and the account's lifetime, with the CRA.
Eligibility
Canadian resident, at least 18, and a first-time home buyer as the CRA defines it, which looks at whether you lived in a home you or your spouse owned in the current year or the preceding four calendar years.

Official source: Canada Revenue Agency

04Federal

Home Buyers' Plan (HBP)

Lets you withdraw from your RRSP to buy or build a qualifying home without the withdrawal being taxed as income, provided you repay it to your RRSP over a set number of years. Missed repayments are added to your taxable income for that year, so treat the schedule as a real obligation.

Who it is for
First-time buyers with money already in an RRSP.
What you get
A withdrawal limit applies per person, and a couple who both qualify can each withdraw. The limit was increased recently; confirm the current figure and the repayment schedule with the CRA.
Eligibility
Must be a first-time home buyer under the CRA definition, must have a written agreement to buy or build, and must intend to occupy the home as a principal residence within one year. Funds generally must have been in the RRSP for 90 days.

Official source: Canada Revenue Agency

Tax Credits & Rebates

Money back at tax time or on closing.

05Federal

First-Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit

A non-refundable credit claimed on your return for the year you buy. It is claimed once per home and can be split between spouses, but the combined claim cannot exceed the maximum.

Who it is for
First-time buyers, in the tax year of purchase.
What you get
A fixed claim amount produces a credit at the lowest federal tax rate. Confirm the current amount with the CRA.
Eligibility
You or your spouse acquired a qualifying home, and neither lived in a home owned by either of you in the year of purchase or the four preceding years. The first-time requirement does not apply where the purchase is for a person eligible for the disability tax credit.

Official source: Canada Revenue Agency

Renovation & Energy

Support for improving a home you already own.

06Federal

Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit

A refundable credit for building a secondary suite so a qualifying relative can live with you. The unit has to be genuinely self-contained, with its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area.

Who it is for
Families creating a self-contained secondary unit for a senior or an adult with a disability.
What you get
A percentage of eligible renovation costs up to a cap, claimable once per qualifying individual over their lifetime.
Eligibility
The qualifying relation must be 65 or older, or eligible for the disability tax credit, and must intend to live in the unit within twelve months of completion.

Official source: Canada Revenue Agency

07Federal

Canada Greener Homes Initiative

Support for retrofits such as insulation, heat pumps, windows and doors, usually requiring an EnerGuide evaluation before and after the work. The grant component and the loan component have had different availability over time, so check which parts are currently open.

Who it is for
Owners making energy efficiency improvements.
What you get
An interest-free loan for eligible retrofits, historically alongside grant funding. Availability has changed; verify what is currently accepting applications.
Eligibility
Homeowner, eligible property type, and a pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation completed before work begins. Starting work early is the most common reason applications fail.

Official source: Natural Resources Canada

New Construction

Rebates and considerations specific to newly built homes.

08Federal and Ontario

GST/HST New Housing Rebate

New construction carries GST/HST that resale housing does not. This rebate returns part of it. On a builder purchase the rebate is often credited into the price so you never see it separately, which also means you should check whether your agreement assumes you qualify. If it assumes wrongly, the builder can charge the amount back to you on closing.

Who it is for
Buyers of a newly built or substantially renovated home.
What you get
A federal portion and an Ontario portion, each with its own formula and cap. The value depends on the price and shrinks as price rises.
Eligibility
Generally requires the home to be your or a relation's primary place of residence. Purchases intended as rentals fall under a different rebate with different rules.

Official source: Canada Revenue Agency

Accessibility

Adapting a home for mobility, ageing or disability.

09Federal

Home Accessibility Tax Credit

A credit for renovations that make a home safer or easier to move around in. Grab bars, ramps, walk-in tubs, widened doorways and similar work. The expense must be enduring and integral to the home, so equipment you could take with you generally does not qualify.

Who it is for
Seniors and people eligible for the disability tax credit, and family members supporting them.
What you get
A percentage credit on eligible expenses up to an annual cap per qualifying individual.
Eligibility
The qualifying individual must be 65 or older by year end, or eligible for the disability tax credit. Eligible dependants may also claim.

Official source: Canada Revenue Agency

Home Ownership

Costs and credits that continue after you own.

10Ontario

Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit

Part of the Ontario Trillium Benefit. It helps with the sales tax on energy and with property tax, and is paid out monthly rather than as a lump sum. It applies to renters as well as owners.

Who it is for
Lower and moderate income Ontario residents who pay rent or property tax.
What you get
An income-tested amount, with a higher maximum for seniors.
Eligibility
Ontario resident who paid rent or property tax on a principal residence in the year. Claimed through your tax return.

Official source: Ontario Ministry of Finance

11Ontario

Non-Resident Speculation Tax

A cost rather than a benefit, included here because it is the single largest surprise for an affected buyer. It applies province-wide on residential purchases by foreign nationals, foreign corporations and taxable trustees, and it sits on top of both land transfer taxes. Rebates exist in narrow circumstances.

Who it is for
Buyers who are not citizens or permanent residents of Canada, and certain corporations and trustees.
What you get
A percentage of the purchase price, payable at closing. Verify the current rate before relying on any figure.
Eligibility
Determined by the status of every purchaser on title. Federal restrictions on residential purchases by non-Canadians may also apply and are a separate matter. Get legal advice before signing.

Official source: Ontario Ministry of Finance

Closed

Listed because people still ask about them and still find them written up elsewhere as though they were open.

12FederalNo longer accepting applications

First-Time Home Buyer Incentive

A shared equity mortgage in which the federal government contributed part of the purchase price and shared in the change in value. It stopped accepting new applications, and is kept here because buyers still encounter references to it in older articles and wonder whether they missed it.

Who it is for
Formerly, first-time buyers seeking a shared equity contribution.
What you get
No longer available to new applicants.
Eligibility
Closed to new applications. Existing participants remain bound by their agreements.

Official source: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Before you rely on any of this

Eligibility for most of these turns on details that a summary cannot settle: how the CRA defines a first-time buyer, whose name is on title, what your spouse owned and when. Confirm your own position with the official source above, and take advice from a lawyer or accountant before acting. Kaylin can tell you which programs are worth investigating for your purchase and can bring in the right professional, and does not give tax or legal advice.