--- title: "First-Time Home Buyer GST Rebate: Up to $50,000, Who Qualifies" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-update/first-time-home-buyers-gst-rebate description: "First-time buyers pay no GST on a new home up to $1 million, and less above that. See who counts as a first-time buyer, and how the rebate is claimed." type: tax-update updated: 2026-10-04 summary: "First-time home buyers pay no GST (or no federal part of the HST) on a new home valued up to $1 million, and a reduced amount on a new home valued between $1 million and $1.5 million. The maximum saving is $50,000." faq_count: 4 publisher: EverStone CPA Inc., a Chartered Professional Accountant firm registered with CPA British Columbia and CPA Alberta service_area: British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba language: en-CA contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online --- [Home](https://www.everstonecpa.com/) [Tax updates](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-updates) First-time home buyer GST rebate GST/HST # First-time home buyer GST rebate — A new GST rebate for first-time home buyers, worth up to $50,000 By EverStone CPA · Updated August 2026 The figures on this page, in one view. **Quick answer:** First-time home buyers pay no GST (or no federal part of the HST) on a new home valued up to $1 million, and a reduced amount on a new home valued between $1 million and $1.5 million. The maximum saving is $50,000. **In force** · Agreements entered into on or after 20 March 2025, before 2031 This measure is law and applies now. ## How it works A newly built home carries GST, or the federal part of HST; a resale home does not. Buy from a builder and the GST is usually folded into the quoted price rather than added at closing, which is why buyers often miss it. This rebate removes that tax for first-time buyers. On a new home valued up to $1 million, a first-time buyer pays no GST at all. The maximum saving is $50,000. Between $1 million and $1.5 million the rebate reduces on a straight line rather than disappearing at a cliff edge. A home at the midpoint of that range — $1.25 million — attracts roughly half the relief. Above $1.5 million there is none. This is a new and separate rebate. The long-standing GST/HST new housing rebate still exists and works differently; this one sits alongside it rather than replacing it. ## How it applies to you First-time buyers purchasing a newly built or substantially renovated home, or having one built for them. A resale home is outside it entirely, because there was no GST to rebate in the first place. It is available once per individual. Someone whose spouse or partner has already claimed it is not eligible — the claim attaches to the person, and a couple gets one between them. Builders need to know it exists even though they are not claiming it, because it changes how a sale is priced and documented. **Want a CPA to do your return?** Personal returns start at $125, and self-employed or rental returns are commonly $275–$500, quoted before we start. See [our personal tax service](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-taxes), or [get a personal tax quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=monthly#enquiry-form). [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=monthly#enquiry-form) ## How to calculate it The relief depends entirely on the home’s value: Calculation steps | Step | Detail | | Value up to $1 million | full relief — no GST, up to $50,000 saved | | Value between $1 million and $1.5 million | reduces on a straight line as value rises | | Value at $1.25 million | the midpoint, so roughly half the relief | | Value above $1.5 million | no relief | Eligibility turns on the date of the **agreement of purchase and sale**, not closing. The rebate covers agreements on or after 20 March 2025 and before 2031, so a February 2025 signing that closed in 2026 does not qualify. ## What changed Separate from the GST/HST new housing rebate, it gives full relief below $1 million, phasing out on a straight line, so a $1.25 million home gets roughly half. One claim per individual, and none if a spouse or partner has claimed. ## What to do Check the paperwork date first. Eligibility turns on when the agreement was signed, and that is the one fact that cannot be changed later. If you are buying with a partner, establish whether either of you has claimed it before. One claim per individual means a prior claim by either person can remove it for both. On a new build the GST is usually inside the price the builder quoted, so the rebate can feel invisible. Ask the builder to show how it has been treated in the agreement rather than assuming it has been applied. **The practical point.** Eligibility turns on the date of the agreement of purchase and sale, not the closing date. Agreements before 20 March 2025 do not qualify, so the paperwork date is the first thing to check. The rebate is claimed separately from the income tax return, but the eligibility tests overlap with it; [personal tax help](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-taxes) can check both at once. ## The terms used on this page GST/HST new housing rebate A long-standing, separate rebate on new homes. It still exists and is not the same as this one. Substantially renovated A renovation extensive enough that the home is treated as new for GST purposes. Agreement of purchase and sale The signed contract to buy. Its date, not the closing date, decides eligibility here. ## Common questions about first-time home buyer GST rebate **Which date decides whether I qualify?** The agreement of purchase and sale date, not closing, and people get this wrong. The agreement must be dated on or after 20 March 2025 and before 2031, so a February 2025 signing closed in 2026 does not qualify. **Is this the same as the existing new housing rebate?** No. This is a new rebate and sits separately from the long-standing GST/HST new housing rebate. **What if my home costs more than $1 million?** Relief is full below $1 million and then reduces on a straight line. A $1.25 million home sits at the midpoint of that reduction and attracts roughly half the rebate. **Can my spouse and I both claim it?** No. It is available once per individual, and a person whose spouse or partner has already claimed it is not eligible. ## Where this comes from Every figure on this page is taken from the source below, not from interpretation: - [CRA — first-time home buyers’ GST/HST rebate](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses/gst-hst-rebates/first-time-home-buyers-gst-hst-rebate.html) **General information, not tax advice.** This page explains a change in general terms. It cannot account for your circumstances and does not create a professional relationship. Confirm anything that affects a decision — [send an enquiry](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=monthly#enquiry-form). [Your first employee. The order matters more than the effort.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/first-employee) [Running a business from home: what it does to the principal residence exemption](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/principal-residence-exemption-business-use) [The 2026 automobile deduction limits — a $39,000 ceiling and a 73-cent allowance](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-update/automobile-deduction-limits-2026) [All 24 tax updates](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-updates) [Immediate expensing of M&P buildings](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-update/immediate-expensing-manufacturing-buildings) [SR&ED limit doubles to $6 million](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-update/sred-expenditure-limit) [Underused Housing Tax eliminated](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-update/underused-housing-tax-eliminated) [Send an enquiry](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=monthly#enquiry-form) [Monthly tax changes, in one email](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-memo) [CRA Automatic Tax Filing: Who Qualifies and How It Works](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-update/automatic-tax-filing) ## Have a question about this? 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