First Time Home Buyers Guide

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First-time Home Buyers’ GST/HST rebate for houses purchased from a builder

The FTHB GST/HST rebate allows an individual who is a first time home buyer to recover some of the GST or the federal part of the HST paid for a new or substantially renovated house that is for use as the individual’s primary place of residence, when all other conditions are met.

You may be entitled to claim an FTHB GST/HST rebate for a house purchased from a builder if:

  • You meet the eligibility criteria for the GST/HST New Housing rebate for houses purchased from a builder, or you would have met all the eligibility criteria if the maximum purchase price of the house was increased from $450,000 to $1,500,000
  • You entered into an agreement of purchase and sale with a builder for a new or substantially renovated house on or after March 20, 2025, and before 2031
  • Construction or substantial renovation of the house begins before 2031 and is substantially completed before 2036
  • You are a first-time home buyer at the time when ownership of the house is transferred to you
  • You are the first individual to occupy the house as a place of residence after the construction of substantial renovation of the house is substantially completed
  • You have not received or been deemed to have received the FTHB GST/HST rebate previously

Generally, to be considered a first-time home buyer, you must:

  • be at least 18 years of age
  • be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
  • not have lived in a home, whether in or outside of Canada, that you owned or that your spouse or common-law partner owned as your primary place of residence at any time in the current calendar year or in the preceding four calendar years

The FTHB GST/HST rebate is not available to a corporation or a partnership.

To qualify for an FTHB GST/HST rebate, at least one of the purchasers would need to be a “first-time home buyer” that is purchasing the house for use as their primary place of residence. That individual would also need to be the first individual to occupy the house as a place of residence.