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Buyer's guide·2026-01-28·8 min·Mortgage360 Team

First-time home buyer in 2026 — the FHSA, RRSP HBP, and rebates explained

A practical guide to the federal and provincial programs available to first-time Canadian home buyers in 2026 — FHSA, RRSP Home Buyers' Plan, LTT rebates.

What's available federally

  • FHSA (First Home Savings Account): contribute up to $8,000/yr, $40,000 lifetime, tax-deductible on the way in, tax-free on the way out for a first home.
  • RRSP Home Buyers' Plan: withdraw up to $60,000 (post-2024 limit) from your RRSP for a first home, repay within 15 years.
  • Federal First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit: up to $1,500 (refundable).
  • 30-year insured amortization for first-time buyers of newly built homes (2024 rule).

What's available provincially

  • BC Property Transfer Tax exemption: full exemption up to $500k, partial to $525k.
  • Ontario Land Transfer Tax rebate: up to $4,000 provincial + $4,475 Toronto MLTT.
  • PE Real Property Transfer Tax exemption: full exemption up to $200k.

Stack carefully

You can combine FHSA + RRSP HBP — that's up to $100k available toward a first down payment.

What to do first

Calculate your land transfer tax with the first-time buyer rebate applied, and run affordability to see your maximum purchase price under current rules.

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