Home Buyers’ Plan: Registered Retirement Savings for down payments

Canada Revenue Agency’s Home Buyers' Plan lets qualifying home buyers use up to $25,000 of their Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) to buy a home. Couples can use up to $50,000. The home must be the principal residence, the home buyers must not have owned a home within the past five years and the loan must be repaid with 15 years.

Disabled home buyers upgrading to a more accessible home also qualify as do relatives helping   disabled home buyers. Home buyers who have already used the plan and have fully repaid their RRSP may be eligible to use the plan a second time.

Canada Revenue Agency
For information:
Home Buyers' Plan
1-800-959-8287

First-Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit

This federal non-refundable income tax credit is for qualifying buyers of detached, attached, apartment condominiums, mobile homes or shares in a cooperative housing corporation.

It’s calculated by multiplying the lowest personal income tax rate for the year by $5,000.

Canada Revenue Agency
For information:
www.cra.gc.ca/hbtc 
1-800-959-8281

GST Rebate on new homes

New home buyers can   apply for a rebate of the 5% GST if the purchase price is $350,000 or less. The rebate is up to 36% of the GST to a maximum rebate of $6,300. There is a proportional GST rebate for new homes costing between $350,000 and $450,000.

Canada Revenue Agency
For information:
GST-New   housing rebate
1-800-959-8287

BC Property Transfer Tax (PTT)

Home buyers in BC pay a provincial Property Transfer Tax (PPT) when they buy a home. The tax is charged at a rate of 1% on the first $200,000 of the purchase price and 2% on the remainder.

First-time home buyers may be exempt from paying the PTT of 1% on the first $200,000 and 2% on the remainder of the purchase price of a home priced up to $475,000. There is a proportional exemption for between $475,000 and $500,000. At $500,000 and above the rebate is nil.

BC Ministry of Finance
For information:
Property   Transfer Tax
250-387-0604

BC property tax   deferment programs

Seniors
Qualifying home owners aged 55+ may be eligible to defer property taxes.

Financial hardship
Qualifying home owners may be eligible to defer property taxes.

Families with   children
Qualifying home owners who financially support children under age 18 may be eligible to defer property taxes.

BC Ministry of Finance
For information:
Property tax deferment programs
and enter ‘Property tax deferment’   in the search box or contact your   municipal tax office.

BC Home Owner Grant

Reduces property taxes for home owners with an assessed value of up to $1,100,000. The basic grant gives home owners:

• a maximum reduction of $570 in property taxes on principal residences in the Capital, Greater Vancouver, and Fraser Valley regional districts
  • an additional grant of $200 to rural homeowners elsewhere in the province
  • an additional grant of $275 to seniors aged 65+, those who are permanently disabled and verterans of certain wars

BC Ministry of Finance
For information: 
Home Owner   Grant
Or contact your local municiple tax   
office.