A $450,000 home in Montreal carries $4,860.50 of welcome tax, about 1.08% of the price. Enter the purchase price and pick Montreal or elsewhere in Quebec to see what the transfer will cost you.
What is the welcome tax, and when do I pay it?
In Quebec, the transfer duty is called droits de mutation, and English speakers know it as the welcome tax. You owe it when a property changes hands, on the greater of the price paid and the municipal value. The municipality sends the bill, and the tax falls due about 30 days after it goes out. Set that cash aside on top of your down payment.
What are the brackets for 2026?
The provincial scale has three slices: 0.5% up to $62,900, 1% from there to $315,000, and 1.5% above that. Over $500,000, a municipality may set higher slices of its own, and Montreal does. Its 2026 scale is below, and every limit is indexed each January.
| Slice of the price (Montreal) | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to $62,900 | 0.5% |
| $62,900 to $315,000 | 1% |
| $315,000 to $552,300 | 1.5% |
| $552,300 to $1,104,700 | 2% |
| $1,104,700 to $2,136,500 | 2.5% |
| $2,136,500 to $3,113,000 | 3.5% |
| Above $3,113,000 | 4% |
How much is it on $300,000, $450,000 or $800,000?
Each slice is taxed at its own rate, so the price never jumps a bracket all at once. On $300,000 the tax is $2,685.50. On $450,000 it’s $4,860.50, and on $800,000 in Montreal it’s $11,349. A $1,000,000 Montreal home owes $15,349.
Location only matters above $500,000. For the same $800,000, the “elsewhere in Quebec” option returns $10,110.50, the provincial calculation, which is $1,238.50 less than Montreal. Read that as a minimum, since your own municipality may charge more.
The tax also grows faster than the price. Going from $450,000 to $800,000 lifts the price by 78% and the duty by 133%, from $4,860.50 to $11,349.
What doesn’t the estimate cover?
Cities other than Montreal publish their own schedules, and the calculator doesn’t hold them. Quebec City, Montreal-East and Mont-Royal, for instance, differ from the provincial scale, so check your town before you sign.
First-time buyers may qualify for a refundable credit from 1 January 2026, worth 100% of the first $5,000 of duties and 25% of the next $3,500, to a maximum of $5,875. It arrives as a tax credit, and the figure above doesn’t subtract it.
What else goes into the buying budget?
Welcome tax is one line in a budget that also holds notary fees, an inspection and the move. Want to see how Quebec stacks up against Ontario? Run the same price through the land transfer tax calculator. Buyers heading west can check British Columbia with the BC property transfer tax calculator. Once you know the tax, the closing costs calculator adds the remaining fees.
Where do the numbers come from?
We confirmed the provincial slices on the pages of three Quebec municipalities that publish the same figures, and the Montreal scale comes from the city’s own page. We couldn’t confirm details for smaller cities, or the exact taper of the first-time buyer credit on pricier homes, so the calculator leaves them out. We aren’t connected to the CRA, any government or any city.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the welcome tax on a $450,000 home?
$4,860.50 in Montreal, about 1.08% of the price. The provincial scale gives the same figure at this price.
When do I pay the welcome tax?
The municipality sends a bill, and the tax is due about 30 days after it goes out.
Is it based on the price or the municipal value?
On whichever is higher, so enter the larger of the two.
Why does Montreal cost more on a pricier home?
Above $500,000 a city may set higher slices. Montreal reaches 4% above $3,113,000, while the provincial scale stops at 1.5%.
Can a first-time buyer get relief?
There's a refundable credit of up to $5,875 from 1 January 2026. The calculator doesn't subtract it.
Sources and updates
Updated: . How we check rates · Editorial team · Updates
Estimate only. These figures are a planning estimate, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Tax-Services.ca is an independent publisher: we don't prepare or file tax returns, and we don't offer tax, legal or accounting services. We have no connection with the Canada Revenue Agency, Revenu Québec or any provincial government. Your real amounts depend on details this tool cannot see, so confirm them with an official source or a qualified professional before you act.