About this calculator
There is no single Canadian land transfer tax. Ontario, BC and Quebec each run their own banded tax on the purchase price, Manitoba runs a gentler banded tax of its own, Nova Scotia lets each municipality set its deed transfer tax (up to 1.5%), PEI takes a flat 1% and New Brunswick takes a flat 1%, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador and Yukon charge only registration fees — and Toronto adds a full second municipal tax on top of Ontario’s, so a Toronto buyer pays the province and the city for the same transaction. First-time buyer relief differs just as much: Ontario refunds up to $4,000 (and Toronto up to $4,475), BC exempts the tax on the first $8,000 for qualifying homes, PEI exempts first-timers completely, and Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick offer nothing. Two jurisdictions are deliberately not listed: the Northwest Territories publishes no fee figures on its official Land Titles page (and third-party figures contradict each other), and Nunavut’s official tariff consolidation is out of date — so no NT or NU figure is shown rather than a guessed one.
Like income tax, these are marginal bands: the top rate applies only to the slice of the price above the threshold, which the breakdown table shows line by line. The effective rate on an $800,000 Ontario home is about 1.6% — in Toronto, about 3.1%.
How to use it
- Pick the province, and tick Toronto or Montreal if the property is inside those cities.
- Enter the price and tick first-time buyer if every buyer qualifies.
- Read the total, the provincial/city split, and the band-by-band table.
The formula
Toronto’s municipal tax mirrors Ontario’s bands and adds luxury tiers from April 2026 (up to 8.6% on the slice above $20m). First-time buyer refunds are subtracted after the band tax is computed: up to $4,000 provincially and $4,475 municipally.
Worked example
An $800,000 home: Ontario tax is $12,475. Inside Toronto the city charges the same again — $12,475 — for a total of $24,950 before rebates; a Toronto first-time buyer nets $16,475 after both refunds ($4,000 provincial + $4,475 municipal). In BC the same price costs $14,000 in property transfer tax; in Quebec outside Montreal, $10,110.50; in Manitoba, $13,650; in Halifax, $12,000 at the 1.5% municipal rate; on PEI, $8,000 (or $0 for a first-time buyer); in Saskatchewan, $3,725 of ISC fees on a $640,000 mortgage; in Alberta, just an $850 title registration fee.
Sources: Ontario, Toronto, BC, Quebec and Manitoba band schedules, Nova Scotia municipal deed transfer tax rates, PEI transfer tax, and Saskatchewan and Alberta registration fees, current October 2026, including first-time buyer refunds and exemptions. Last updated: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Toronto’s land transfer tax double?
Toronto is the only Ontario municipality with its own land transfer tax, charged on top of the provincial one at very similar rates. A Toronto purchase therefore pays both governments. First-time buyers get two separate refunds — up to $4,000 from Ontario and $4,475 from Toronto.
How much is land transfer tax on an $800,000 home in Ontario?
$12,475 for a standard buyer — $24,950 in total if the home is in Toronto. A first-time buyer pays $8,475 provincially after the $4,000 refund (and can reduce the Toronto portion by up to $4,475 as well).
Which province has the lowest land transfer tax?
Alberta, by a wide margin: there is no transfer tax at all, only registration fees of $50 plus $5 per $5,000 of value (about $850 on an $800,000 title, plus a similar fee to register the mortgage). PEI and Saskatchewan are also low, but among the large provinces Alberta stands alone.
Do first-time buyers pay land transfer tax in BC?
BC’s first-time buyer program fully exempts the tax on homes at or under $835,000 (an $8,000 benefit), phasing out between $835,000 and $860,000, provided the buyer and property meet the program conditions. Above that, the standard property transfer tax applies.
How does Toronto’s double tax work out on a real purchase?
Take an $800,000 Toronto home. Ontario charges its banded tax: $12,475. The City of Toronto then charges its own, at the same bands on homes under $3M: another $12,475. Total $24,950. A first-time buyer claims two refunds — $4,000 from Ontario and $4,475 from Toronto — and nets $16,475. This page stacks both schedules line by line when you select Ontario and tick "Inside Toronto"; the down payment calculator nets the same stack into your closing cash automatically.
How much is Manitoba’s land transfer tax, and is there a rebate?
Manitoba charges 0% on the first $30,000, 0.5% to $90,000, 1.0% to $150,000, 1.5% to $200,000 and 2.0% above that — $5,650 on a $400,000 home, $13,650 on $800,000. There is no first-time buyer rebate; Manitoba is one of three taxing provinces (with Quebec and Nova Scotia) that give first-timers nothing on the transfer tax itself.
Who sets the deed transfer tax in Nova Scotia?
Your municipality does, under the provincial Municipal Government Act, at any rate up to 1.5% of the price. Halifax, Cape Breton, Truro and Colchester sit at the 1.5% cap; St. Mary’s charges 1.25%, Antigonish County and Guysborough 1.0%, Mulgrave 0.5%, and a few rural municipalities charge nothing. This page shows the 1.5% Halifax rate; the Nova Scotia mortgage calculator lets you pick your municipality's rate.
What formula does this canada land transfer tax calculator use?
Ontario: 0.5% to $55k, 1% to $250k, 1.5% to $400k, 2% to $2m, 2.5% above. BC: 1% on the first $200k, 2% to $2m, 3% above, plus 2% on the portion above $3m. Quebec: 0.5% / 1% / 1.5% bands (Montreal adds higher tiers). Toronto’s municipal tax mirrors Ontario’s bands and adds luxury tiers from April 2026 (up to 8.6% on the slice above $20m). First-time buyer refunds are subtracted after the band tax is computed: up to $4,000 provincially and $4,475 municipally. The worked example on this page applies the formula step by step with real numbers, so you can verify the result by hand.