Find the program that applies
First-time buyer help changes fast. Start with the program family, then confirm eligibility on the official page before planning around it.
Why this article needs extra caution
Of every topic in this housing series, first-time buyer programs are the one where outdated advice does the most damage. A blog written two years ago may confidently describe a program that has since been cancelled — or miss one worth tens of thousands of dollars that launched last month. Chasing a dead program wastes time; missing a live one wastes money. So this guide does two things most don't: it tells you plainly what's been discontinued, and it flags how new each live program is, because the newest ones are also the least settled.
Separate live money from stale advice
FHSA and HBP
Official sourceHome Buyers' Amount
Official sourceFirst-time buyer GST/HST rebate
Official sourceLand transfer tax rebates
Official sourceClosed programs
Official sourceOne rule governs this entire topic: verify every program on the official government page before you count on it. Amounts, price thresholds, and eligibility rules shift with each federal and provincial budget. Treat the figures here as a current map, not a guarantee.
Federal programs that are live in 2026
Four federal tools are available to first-time buyers across Canada. Two of them — the FHSA and the Home Buyers' Plan — are savings vehicles covered in depth in Saving for a Home, so they're summarized briefly here.
First Home Savings Account (FHSA)
Up to $40,000A registered account for first-time buyers: tax-deductible contributions, tax-free qualifying withdrawals, up to $8,000/year to a $40,000 lifetime limit. No repayment required.[1]
RRSP Home Buyers' Plan (HBP)
Up to $60,000Withdraw up to $60,000 from your RRSP toward a qualifying first home, tax-free if repaid to your RRSP on schedule. Can be combined with an FHSA withdrawal.[2]
Home Buyers' Amount (HBTC)
~$1,500 in taxWhat it is: a non-refundable federal tax credit. You claim up to $10,000 on line 31270 of your tax return for the year you buy a qualifying home; at the lowest federal rate that works out to roughly $1,500 of actual tax savings.[3] How to claim: no application or pre-approval — just the one line on your return. If you buy with another eligible person you can split it, but the combined claim can't exceed $10,000.[4]
GST/HST New Housing Rebate
Up to ~$6,300 federalWhat it is: a long-standing rebate of part of the GST (or the federal part of the HST) when you buy a newly built or substantially renovated home as your primary residence. The federal portion can reach roughly $6,300, with phase-outs by price; some provinces add their own rebate.[5] Resale homes don't qualify. Note this is separate from the brand-new first-time buyer GST rebate below.
The new first-time buyer GST rebate New 2026
This is the most significant recent development, and the one most older guides won't mention. A new First-Time Home Buyers' GST/HST Rebate was introduced through Bill C-4, which received Royal Assent on March 12, 2026.[6]
What it does: for eligible first-time buyers, it eliminates the GST (or the federal part of the HST) on a qualifying new home valued up to $1 million, and reduces the tax on new homes valued between $1 million and $1.5 million.[7] Reported estimates put the potential saving as high as roughly $50,000 on a qualifying new build.[6] It applies to newly built or substantially renovated homes used as your primary residence, and it can be claimed in addition to the existing GST/HST new housing rebate above.[7]
⚠ This one is new — confirm the fine print
Because this rebate is recent, the precise eligibility conditions, dates, and interaction with other rebates are exactly the kind of detail that's still settling and easy to get wrong. The CRA has published eligibility guidance — check it directly, and confirm with your builder and a tax professional whether your specific purchase qualifies before counting the saving into your budget.[7]
Provincial & municipal land transfer tax rebates
Most provinces charge a land transfer tax (LTT) when property changes hands, and several offer first-time buyers a rebate that can wipe out part or all of it. A few of the most valuable, as of 2026:
| Where | First-time buyer relief |
|---|---|
| WhereOntario | First-time buyer reliefLTT rebate up to $4,000 — covers the full provincial LTT on homes up to about $368,000, and the maximum rebate above that.[8] |
| WhereToronto (on top of Ontario) | First-time buyer reliefA separate municipal LTT rebate (around $4,475) — Toronto buyers pay both taxes but can claim both rebates.[9] |
| WhereBritish Columbia | First-time buyer reliefProperty Transfer Tax exemption for eligible first-time buyers (and a separate exemption for qualifying newly built homes), applied at registration.[10] |
| WherePrince Edward Island | First-time buyer reliefA first-time buyer exemption from the provincial real property transfer tax.[10] |
These are usually claimed at closing — your lawyer or notary files them during registration. Ontario allows a late claim within 18 months if it's missed at registration, but the safest approach is to confirm your rebate before closing so it's applied automatically.[8]
One myth worth killing: buying a brand-new home does not exempt you from land transfer tax. LTT is about the transfer of property and is generally payable on new or resale alike — what changes with a new build is the GST/HST treatment and the rebates above, not the LTT.[9]
Programs that no longer exist
Don't chase these — they're gone
✕ First-Time Home Buyer Incentive (FTHBI). The federal shared-equity program, where CMHC contributed 5–10% of a home's price in exchange for a share of its value, was discontinued on March 31, 2024.[11] Many older articles still describe it as active — they're out of date. If a guide tells you the government will chip in 5–10% of your purchase price as a shared-equity loan, stop reading it.
This is the clearest example of why this article exists. A program that was heavily promoted just a couple of years ago is now dead, yet still appears in countless blog posts. Always check the date and the official source.
How the programs stack — and timing
The good news is these tools combine. A first-time buyer can use the FHSA and HBP together for the down payment, claim the Home Buyers' Amount on their tax return, and — on a qualifying new build — claim the GST rebates and any provincial LTT relief. Stacked, the savings and tax-advantaged room can run well into the tens of thousands; for a couple buying a new build, even higher, since each partner has their own FHSA and HBP room.
But the programs are claimed at different moments, and timing is where buyers lose money:
Before you buy
Open and fund your FHSA; build RRSP room for the HBP. These are savings vehicles — the earlier, the better.
At closing (time-sensitive)
Provincial and municipal LTT rebates, and often the GST rebates, are applied at registration by your lawyer/notary or credited by the builder. Miss the window and you may forfeit the money — confirm them before closing.
On your tax return
The Home Buyers' Amount goes on line 31270 for the year you bought. The federal GST rebate can sometimes be claimed directly from the CRA within a set window if not credited at closing.
Your first-time buyer programs checklist
Don't leave money on the table
Every one of these is claimable money — if you catch it at the right moment.
First-time buyer programs are genuinely worth the effort — together they can move real money toward your first home. The discipline they demand is simply currency: confirm each one is live, check the amount on the official page, and claim it at the right moment. Do that, and you'll capture what you're entitled to without chasing what no longer exists. The Home Buying Process, Step by Step shows exactly where these costs and credits land along the way.
Sources & further reading
- Canada Revenue Agency, "First Home Savings Account (FHSA)" — tax-deductible contributions and tax-free qualifying withdrawals; up to $8,000/year to a $40,000 lifetime limit; no repayment required. canada.ca — CRA FHSA
- Canada Revenue Agency, "What is the Home Buyers' Plan (HBP)?" — withdraw up to $60,000 from your RRSP for a qualifying first home, tax-free if repaid on schedule; combinable with an FHSA withdrawal. canada.ca — CRA HBP
- Canada Revenue Agency, "Line 31270 – Home buyers' amount" — a non-refundable federal tax credit; claim up to $10,000 on line 31270 for the year you bought a qualifying home; it reduces federal tax payable (no refund if no tax owing). canada.ca — line 31270
- Canada Revenue Agency, "Line 31270 – Home buyers' amount" — when two or more eligible people buy a qualifying home together, the $10,000 amount can be split between them, but the combined claim cannot exceed $10,000. canada.ca — line 31270 (splitting the claim)
- CRA / industry summaries — the GST/HST New Housing Rebate refunds part of the GST or federal part of the HST on a newly built or substantially renovated primary residence (federal portion up to roughly $6,300, with price-based phase-outs); resale homes don't qualify. Confirm on CRA. canada.ca — GST/HST rebates
- Department of Finance Canada — the First-Time Home Buyers' GST Rebate, legislated through Bill C-4 (Royal Assent March 12, 2026), removes the GST (or the federal part of the HST) for eligible first-time buyers on qualifying new homes valued up to $1 million, with a reduced rebate between $1 million and $1.5 million; see Finance Canada for the measure and its estimated savings. canada.ca — Department of Finance
- Canada Revenue Agency, "First-time home buyers' (FTHB) GST/HST rebate" — eliminates the GST (or federal part of HST) for first-time buyers on a new home valued up to $1 million, reduces it between $1M and $1.5M, and may be claimed in addition to the existing GST/HST new housing rebate; see "Who can apply" for eligibility. canada.ca — FTHB GST/HST rebate
- Government of Ontario, "Land transfer tax" — first-time homebuyers may qualify for a refund of the provincial land transfer tax up to $4,000, covering the full LTT on homes up to roughly $368,000; claimed at registration or within 18 months through the Ministry of Finance. ontario.ca — land transfer tax
- City of Toronto / industry guides — Toronto levies a municipal land transfer tax in addition to Ontario's, with a separate first-time buyer rebate (around $4,475); buying new does not exempt you from LTT. Confirm current Toronto MLTT schedule (updated effective April 1, 2026) with the City and your lawyer. toronto.ca — MLTT
- Government of British Columbia, "First Time Home Buyers' Program" (Property Transfer Tax exemption), and Prince Edward Island first-time buyer real property transfer tax exemption — eligibility and amounts vary; confirm on each provincial site. www2.gov.bc.ca — first-time buyers' program
- CMHC — the federal First-Time Home Buyer Incentive (a shared-equity loan of 5–10% of a home's price) stopped accepting new applications in 2024 and is discontinued; it is no longer available, though older guides may still reference it. cmhc-schl.gc.ca — first-time home buyer incentive
