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Transfer tax is the one you pay when a property changes hands, and in most of Canada it’s a percentage of the price. On a $750,000 home it comes to $11,475 in Ontario, $13,000 in British Columbia and $750 in Alberta, where it’s a registration fee and not a tax. Toronto buyers pay a city tax on top of Ontario’s.
What is transfer tax and who pays it?
The buyer normally pays it, at closing, and it’s separate from the deposit and the mortgage. Each province sets its own rules, which is why a Toronto condo and a Calgary condo at the same price can have very different bills. It’s called land transfer tax in Ontario, property transfer tax in BC and welcome tax in Quebec.
Budget for it next to your down payment, because it’s a cost the mortgage doesn’t cover in the plan most buyers make, and it can run to five figures. Think of Chantal and Luc, who save for months for a 10% deposit and then find a bill of more than $11,000 waiting at the lawyer’s office. It’s the line item that ambushes first-time buyers most often.
How much is transfer tax on a $750,000 home?
Here’s what our engine returns for one price in three provinces, and for Toronto.
| Where | Charge on $750,000 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario, outside Toronto | $11,475 | Provincial tax only |
| Toronto | $22,950 | Provincial plus city tax |
| British Columbia | $13,000 | Before any exemption |
| Alberta | $750 | Registration levy, no tax |
Alberta’s number is small on purpose. The province says it has no land transfer tax, only a charge of $5 per $5,000 of value on transfers and on mortgage registrations. Our calculator shows the levy only, and Alberta’s fee schedule may add a small base fee, so check the Land Titles page for the full total.
What are the Ontario and BC rates?
Ontario’s tax is graduated, so each rate applies only to the slice of the price inside its band.
| Ontario price slice | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to $55,000 | 0.5% |
| $55,000 to $250,000 | 1% |
| $250,000 to $400,000 | 1.5% |
| $400,000 to $2,000,000 | 2% |
| Over $2,000,000 | 2.5% (one or two family homes) |
To see how the bands stack up on $750,000: $275 on the first $55,000, $1,950 on the next $195,000, $2,250 on the next $150,000, and $7,000 on the last $350,000. That adds to $11,475, the figure in the table above.
British Columbia charges 1% on the first $200,000, 2% up to $2 million and 3% above that, plus a further 2% on the residential part over $3 million. Those figures come from our verified data files, not a page we fetched today, so look at the BC government page when it’s your purchase.
Use the land transfer tax calculator to price any province, or the BC property transfer tax calculator for the exemption rules. Quebec has its own welcome tax calculator.
Can first-time buyers pay less?
Often, yes. Ontario’s refund page says buyers on their first home owe no land transfer tax on the first $368,000, and the refund tops out at $4,000. You need to be 18 or older, and neither you nor a spouse can ever have held an interest in a home, in any country. The province gives you 18 months after the transfer to ask for the refund.
On the $750,000 Ontario home above, that takes $11,475 down to $7,475, a saving of $4,000. Toronto has its own first-time rebate. Its amount was still under review in the sources we checked, so we can’t give you a firm number. Ask your lawyer or check toronto.ca before you count on it.
BC’s first-time exemption is full at or below $500,000 and shrinks to nothing around $860,000. The taper between is our reading of the data, and it’s not confirmed against an official worksheet.
Common mistakes with transfer tax
Forgetting Toronto’s second tax is the classic one. So is assuming a newly built home is exempt. We didn’t confirm any exemption for new builds and the calculator doesn’t apply one.
People also mix up transfer tax with GST or HST on a new home. Those are different taxes, and the closing costs calculator gathers the lot into one figure.
And there’s the foreign buyer tax. Ontario’s Non-Resident Speculation Tax is an extra 25% for foreign nationals and foreign corporations, according to the province. It’s not part of the table above.
What should you ask your lawyer?
Ask for the exact transfer tax figure a week before closing, and ask whether any rebate has been applied to the statement. A ballpark from a calculator is fine for planning, but the lawyer’s number is the one you’ll write the cheque for, so there’s no reason to leave a few thousand bucks to a last-day surprise.
The sources behind this page
Ontario rates, the first-time refund and the non-resident tax are from ontario.ca. Alberta’s levy is from Alberta’s land titles pages. BC and Toronto rates come from our property data files, which cite gov.bc.ca and toronto.ca. The examples come from our calculator engine, checked on 30 September 2026. We aren’t a government service and we don’t speak for one.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays transfer tax in Canada?
The buyer, normally on closing day.
Does Alberta have land transfer tax?
No. Alberta charges a registration levy of $5 per $5,000 of value on transfers and mortgages.
Do first-time buyers in Ontario pay less?
Yes. Ontario says no tax on the first $368,000, with a refund of up to $4,000, if you qualify.
Do Toronto buyers pay two taxes?
Yes. Toronto adds a municipal tax on top of Ontario's.
Is transfer tax the same as GST or HST?
No. Sales tax on a new home is a separate charge.
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