BUYERS · AVAILABLE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
Nine programs. Most people use two.
Everything a first-time buyer in Ontario can access, in plain language. What each one is worth, who qualifies, and which ones stack together.
Put free money in your pocket.
Key details before you begin
These programs come from three levels of government, and they mostly stack rather than compete — because they address different costs. Some help you save. Some cut the purchase price. Some reduce what you pay at closing.
Most of these have the same eligibility test. You generally can't have owned a home you lived in — anywhere in the world, in some cases — in the current year or the previous four. Rules vary slightly by program.
Who you buy with matters enormously. If a co-buyer doesn't meet the first-time buyer definition, several of these are reduced or lost entirely. Check before anyone goes on title with you.
New construction unlocks the big ones. The GST and HST rebates simply don't exist for resale. That's the main reason a new build can be more accessible to a first-time buyer today than it was two years ago.
PURCHASES ACROSS CANADA
Federal
Four programs and two mortgage rules. The GST rebate is new as of March 2026 and is the biggest single item for new-build buyers.
FIRST-TIME BUYER’S GST REBATE
$50,000
MAXIMUM REFUND
Removes the GST entirely on a new home priced at $1 million or less. Phases out between $1M and $1.5M, and disappears above that. Usually credited by the builder at closing rather than claimed later.
New construction only. Agreements signed on or after March 20, 2025.
FIRST HOME SAVINGS ACCOUNG (FHSA)
$40,000
LIFETIME CONTRIBUTION ROOM
The best account in the country for this - open one early! Contributions are tax-deductible like an RRSP, and withdrawals for a first home are tax-free like a TFSA. Nothing to repay. Up to $8,000 a year.
New construction or resale. Room accumulates from the year you open it, not the year you buy.
RRSP HOME BUYERS’ PLAN
$60,000
MAXIMUM WITHDRAWAL (PER PERSON)
Withdraw from your own RRSP tax-free toward a first home. Effectively an interest-free loan from yourself. Repaid over up to 15 years, starting the second year after withdrawal.
New construction or resale. Stacks with the FHSA — up to $100,000 for one buyer, $200,000 for a couple.
HOME BUYERS’ AMOUNT
$1,500
TAX CREDIT
A non-refundable credit claimed on your tax return for the year you buy. Small, but it costs nothing to claim and plenty of people forget.
New construction or resale. Can be split between partners.
One program that no longer exists
FIRST TIME HOME BUYER INCENTIVE
This shared-equity program where CMHC took a stake in your home was discontinued on March 31, 2024. People still search for it and some older articles still list it. It's gone.
PROVINCIAL PURCHASES
Province of Ontario
Two programs. One is small and automatic; the other is potentially enormous but only applies to new construction.
ONTARIO NEW HOUSING REBATE
$130,000
MAXIMUM REFUND
An enhanced rebate on the provincial portion of HST for new homes, announced in March 2026. Full relief below $1 million, sliding down to $1.85 million. Stacks with the federal GST rebate, since they cover different halves of the HST.
New construction only. Not limited to first-time buyers. Newer program — confirm details with your lawyer. Ends March 31, 2027.
PROVINCIAL LAND TRANSFER TAX REBATE
$4,000
MAXIMUM REFUND
Wipes out the provincial land transfer tax on roughly the first $368,000 of a home's value. Your lawyer applies it at closing, so you often never pay it in the first place.
New construction or resale. Reduced proportionally if you buy with someone who isn't a first-time buyer.
TORONTO PURCHASES ONLY
City of Toronto
Toronto is the only city in Ontario with its own land transfer tax — so it's the only one with a second rebate. Most buyers don't realize it exists.
MUNICIPAL LAND TRANSFER TAX REBATE
$4,475
MAXIMUM REFUND
Toronto charges its own land transfer tax on top of the provincial one, and offers a matching first-time buyer rebate. Combined with the provincial refund, that's up to $8,475 off your closing costs.
Resale or New Construction. Toronto only. Same eligibility rules as the provincial refund.
Disclaimer: This is general information, current as of 2026. Program rules, thresholds and dates are subject to change without notice, and the Ontario HST enhancement in particular is new enough that exact implementation details are still unknown. This is not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm your eligibility and the current figures with a licensed mortgage professional, an accountant and/or a real estate lawyer before relying on them.
Which ones apply to you?
It depends on what you're buying, where, and who's on title. Fifteen minutes usually sorts it out.
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