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Buying your first home in Ontario

What Ontario’s own government pages say about buying a first home, with the federal accounts and credits that apply in every province. Each item shows the sentence we read and a link to it.

Published . Last checked .

Deadlines and time limits

The federal FHSA and Home Buyers’ Plan have time limits too. See the federal programs.

Land Transfer Tax

Ontario charges land transfer tax when you buy land or an interest in land, and it is paid to the province when the transaction closes. The tax is normally based on the amount paid for the land plus any mortgage or debt assumed as part of the purchase.

First-time buyers

First-time homebuyers of an eligible home may be eligible for a refund of all or part of the tax. For conveyances on or after January 1, 2017, the maximum refund is $4,000, and no land transfer tax would be payable by qualifying first-time purchasers on the first $368,000 of the value of the consideration for eligible homes.

Municipal

If you buy property in the City of Toronto, you may also pay the City of Toronto's own Municipal Land Transfer Tax (MLTT), in addition to the provincial tax. The City of Toronto page lists a first-time home buyer rebate of up to $4,475.00. The City page sets its own conditions for the rebate, including age 18, occupying the home within nine months, never having owned a home anywhere in the world, and being a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

“For conveyances and dispositions of beneficial interest in land of an eligible home and a rebate of up to $4,475.00.”

City of Toronto: Municipal Land Transfer Tax & Municipal Non-Resident Speculation Tax Rebate Opportunities

Source

“When you buy land or an interest in land in Ontario, you pay Ontario's land transfer tax.”

Ontario: Land Transfer Tax

What Ontario lists for first-time buyers

OpenRefund Time limits

Land Transfer Tax Refunds for First-Time Homebuyers

  • $4,000

    maximum refund

  • $368,000

    of value with no land transfer tax for qualifying first-time purchasers

Ontario refunds all or part of the provincial land transfer tax for eligible first-time homebuyers of an eligible home. The refund can be claimed at registration or later from the Ministry of Finance.

Deadlines
  • If you did not claim at registration, apply within 18 months after the registration date
Source

“Beginning January 1, 2017, the maximum amount of the refund is $4,000.”

Ontario: Land Transfer Tax Refunds for First-Time Homebuyers

Amount in full

For conveyances or dispositions on or after January 1, 2017, the maximum refund is $4,000.

No land transfer tax would be payable by qualifying first-time purchasers on the first $368,000 of the value of the consideration for eligible homes.

First-time purchasers of homes greater than $368,000 would receive a maximum refund of $4,000.

The refund is reduced in proportion to the interest acquired by any purchaser who does not qualify.

Who qualifies (7)
  • The purchaser must be at least 18 years old.
  • The purchaser must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada (for agreements of purchase and sale entered into after November 14, 2016). A purchaser who becomes one within 18 months after registration may still apply.
  • The purchaser must occupy the home as their principal residence within nine months of the date of transfer.
  • The purchaser cannot have ever owned an eligible home, or an interest in one, anywhere in the world.
  • If the purchaser has a spouse, the spouse cannot have owned an eligible home anywhere in the world while they were the purchaser's spouse. If they did, no refund is available to either spouse.
  • The page states that a first-time homebuyer cannot re-qualify, and that this may differ from federal programs such as the Home Buyers' Plan.
  • The home must be an eligible home as the page defines it, for example a detached house, semi-detached house, townhouse, condominium unit, or a duplex, triplex or fourplex.
How to claim or apply

Claim at registration through the electronic land transfer tax affidavit statements (or by filing the refund affidavit at the Land Registry Office for paper registration).

If the refund is not claimed at registration, pay the tax and apply to the Ministry of Finance within 18 months after the date of registration, online or by affidavit sent by email, fax or mail.

No interest is paid on the refund.

FHSA and Home Buyers’ Plan in Ontario

Ontario's Taxation Transparency Report, 2023 lists the First Home Savings Account as an Ontario personal income tax provision: a deduction for contributions and non-taxation of investment income. The page does not state a rule for the RRSP Home Buyers' Plan.

“This type of registered plan gives prospective first-time home buyers the ability to save up to $40,000 on a tax-free basis.”

Ontario: 2023 Fall Statement, Taxation Transparency Report, 2023

Federal items that apply in every province

The FHSA, the Home Buyers’ Plan and the home buyers’ amount apply wherever you live. Amounts, conditions, time limits and sources are on one federal page.

What we looked for and did not find

Not listed in the pages we checked:

  • an Ontario down-payment assistance loan or grant limited to first-time buyers. Ontario names the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative, which includes homeownership assistance for low-to-moderate-income renters through local service managers, with no amount or intake dates stated.
  • an Ontario savings account or an income tax credit for first-time buyers, other than the land transfer tax refund. Ontario describes HST relief on new homes on separate pages, which this page does not cover.
  • any statement from the Ontario Ministry of Finance on provincial tax treatment of the RRSP Home Buyers' Plan.
  • income limits or a purchase price cap for the Ontario land transfer tax refund.
  • a first-time buyer relief on the Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax beyond the rebate of up to $4,475.00 described on the City of Toronto page.

Common questions

What tax or fees apply when you buy a home in Ontario?

Ontario charges land transfer tax when you buy land or an interest in land, and it is paid to the province when the transaction closes. The tax is normally based on the amount paid for the land plus any mortgage or debt assumed as part of the purchase. For first-time buyers: First-time homebuyers of an eligible home may be eligible for a refund of all or part of the tax. For conveyances on or after January 1, 2017, the maximum refund is $4,000, and no land transfer tax would be payable by qualifying first-time purchasers on the first $368,000 of the value of the consideration for eligible homes.

What first-time home buyer programs does Ontario list?

Ontario's own pages list Land Transfer Tax Refunds for First-Time Homebuyers. Each one is covered further down the page, with its amount, its conditions and a link to the source.

Can I use the FHSA and the Home Buyers' Plan together?

The CRA says you can withdraw amounts from your RRSPs under the Home Buyers' Plan and make a qualifying withdrawal from your FHSAs for the same qualifying home, as long as you meet all of the conditions at the time of each withdrawal.

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Other provinces and territories

Sources we read

This page is information, not advice. We read these pages on October 14, 2026. Programs, amounts and deadlines change, so confirm with the source before you act.

The federal sources are listed on the federal programs page.