What First-Time Home Buyer Incentives Are Available in Alberta in 2026?

by Michael Smith

Photo: Benefactor123, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Michael Smith, Michael Smith Team
Last updated: November 2, 2026

For first-time home buyer incentives in Alberta, CMHC says the federal First-Time Home Buyer Incentive is no longer accepting applications. As of November 2026, we did not find a first-time buyer grant or rebate on the Government of Alberta's housing pages. Calgary buyers can use the First Home Savings Account, Home Buyers' Plan, new-build GST rebate and Attainable Homes Calgary.

Does Alberta Have a First-Time Home Buyer Grant or Incentive?

We did not find a first-time home buyer cash grant or rebate on the Government of Alberta's housing pages as of November 2026. The programs we verified for Alberta buyers are federal, plus Attainable Homes Calgary, which is owned by the City of Calgary.

Alberta does not have a provincial land transfer tax on home purchases, according to Government of Alberta materials. When ownership is registered, you pay Land Titles registration fees that rise with the property's value. See how Alberta closing costs work, including no land transfer tax.

Programs at a glance (as of November 2026)

Program	What you get	Who it is for	Source
First Home Savings Account (FHSA)	Tax-deductible savings, tax-free qualifying withdrawal	First-time buyers	Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
Home Buyers' Plan (HBP)	Withdraw up to $60,000 from your RRSP, then pay it back	First-time buyers	CRA
First-Time Home Buyers' GST/HST Rebate	Up to 100% of the GST back on a new or substantially renovated home. Finance Canada says up to $50,000. Does not apply if you buy resale	First-time buyers who will live in it	CRA and Finance Canada
Home buyers' amount	A non-refundable federal tax credit. CRA's page for the 2025 return says up to $10,000. At the 2026 federal rate of 14% that is about $1,400 ($10,000 x 14%, our calculation)	Eligible buyers	CRA
30-year amortization	A 30-year amortization on an insured mortgage, since December 15, 2024	Two groups: buyers of a first home, and buyers of a newly built home	Finance Canada
Attainable Homes Calgary	Below-market homes	Moderate-income Calgary households	Attainable Homes Calgary (owned by the City of Calgary)
Alberta first-time buyer cash grant or rebate	None found on the Government of Alberta's housing pages as of November 2026	Not found	Government of Alberta
Federal First-Time Home Buyer Incentive (ended)	No longer accepting applications. The deadline for new submissions was March 21, 2024	Not available	Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

What Happened to the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive?

The federal First-Time Home Buyer Incentive is no longer accepting applications. CMHC says the deadline for new submissions was March 21, 2024, and no new approvals were granted after March 31, 2024. Anyone telling you to apply today is working from old information.

It was a shared-equity mortgage with the Government of Canada that offered 5% or 10% of the home's purchase price toward a down payment, repayable after 25 years or when the home is sold.

How Do the FHSA and the Home Buyers' Plan Work for a Calgary Down Payment?

The First Home Savings Account (FHSA) lets a first-time home buyer save for a qualifying first home tax-free. The Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) lets you take money from your own registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) and pay it back. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says you can use both for the same qualifying home if you meet every condition.

Feature	FHSA	Home Buyers' Plan
How much (November 2026)	$8,000 a year and $40,000 for life. Unused room carries forward, up to $8,000, from the year after you open	Up to $60,000, repaid to your RRSP over 15 years, starting in the fifth year after the year of a first withdrawal made between January 1, 2026 and December 31, 2028
Tax	Contributions are generally deductible. Qualifying withdrawals are tax-free and not repaid	A missed repayment is added to your income. RRSP contributions in the 89 days before a withdrawal may not be deductible

Both need a written agreement to buy or build, and you must plan to live in the home within a year. If you buy together, each of you can use your own FHSA.

The 2026 to 2028 repayment relief

Under the CRA's temporary relief for a first HBP withdrawal made between January 1, 2026 and December 31, 2028, the 15-year repayment period starts in the fifth year after the year of the withdrawal, not the second. For a first withdrawal in 2026, your first repayment year is 2031.

Do First-Time Buyers Get a GST Rebate or a Tax Credit?

According to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the First-Time Home Buyers' GST/HST Rebate is for a newly built or substantially renovated first home you will live in. Resale homes generally do not carry GST, so if you buy resale in Calgary, this rebate does not apply. The home buyers' amount is a separate federal tax credit.

The First-Time Home Buyers' GST/HST Rebate

Alberta charges the 5% federal GST and no provincial sales tax. As of November 2026, on a home priced at or below $1 million, the CRA says you could recover up to 100% of the GST. Finance Canada says that is up to $50,000 (5% GST on $1 million, our arithmetic). From $1 million to $1.5 million, the rebate is gradually reduced. At $1.5 million or more, there is no rebate.

Dates: the rebate generally applies to agreements signed on or after March 20, 2025 and before 2031. The law behind it (Bill C-4) received Royal Assent on March 12, 2026.
Who: you must be at least 18, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and the first person to live in the home. You also can't have owned or jointly owned a principal residence in the current calendar year or the previous four.
Condos and townhomes: new ones bought from a builder can qualify if all the other conditions are met.
The older rebate: the First-Time Home Buyers' GST/HST Rebate is separate from the older GST/HST new housing rebate. Where both apply, the new one tops up the older one.

The home buyers' amount (a tax credit)

The CRA's page for the 2025 tax return says you can claim up to $10,000 for buying a qualifying home. It is a non-refundable federal tax credit: it lowers the tax you owe, but no unused part is paid to you. The credit is the claim amount times the lowest federal rate. At the 2026 rate of 14%, that works out to about $1,400 off your federal tax ($10,000 x 14%, our calculation). The $1,500 figure you may see elsewhere reflects the old 15% rate. Two eligible buyers can split it, but together they can't claim more than the maximum.

Can First-Time Buyers Get a 30-Year Mortgage, and How Much Down Payment Do You Need?

Finance Canada says that since December 15, 2024, buyers of a first home and buyers of a newly built home (two separate groups) can choose a 30-year amortization on an insured mortgage. As of November 2026, the minimum down payment is 5% of the price for a home up to $500,000.

Amortization is how many years you take to pay off the mortgage. A longer one lowers each payment but costs more interest over time. You typically need an insured mortgage if you put down less than 20%. The full tiers, as of November 2026, are:

Home price	Minimum down payment (as of November 2026)
Up to $500,000	5% of the price
$500,000 up to $1.5 million	5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the part above $500,000
$1.5 million or more	20%

What Is Attainable Homes Calgary and Who Qualifies?

Attainable Homes Calgary is a non-profit owned by The City of Calgary that sells below-market homes to moderate-income Calgary households. The City describes it as an independent non-profit set up in 2009. We are not the program's agent, and we are not a lender.

Selling later: Attainable Homes Calgary says it buys the home back at the same price you paid. You build equity by paying down your mortgage but do not earn market appreciation.
Down payment: Attainable Homes Calgary says you can qualify with as little as $2,000 of your own savings toward the 5% down payment. It offers a down payment loan that it says carries no interest and is repaid when the home is sold, according to its program FAQ.
Income: for The Heights in Albert Park/Radisson Heights, its current development, the program lists a household income limit of $139,836 before taxes, as listed in November 2026, plus an asset limit. Limits differ by development and can change, so check the program page.
Other rules: you must qualify for a mortgage and live in the home as your only home.

To start, register on the program's site. A member of its sales team will reach out to guide you through qualifying.

How Could a Calgary First-Time Buyer Stack These Programs?

The programs help with different parts of a purchase: the down payment, the tax on a new home and your tax return. Which ones apply depends on whether you buy resale or new. Here is one illustrative example of how two Calgary first-time buyers might use them.

For illustration only. Round example prices before GST, not a Calgary benchmark and not a quote. Not advice and not a guarantee that you qualify. We assume both buyers meet every program's test. Your lender confirms how it counts the price.

	A. Resale, $450,000 (example price)	B. New build, $550,000 (before GST, example price)
Minimum down payment	5% of $450,000 = $22,500	5% of $500,000 plus 10% of $50,000 = $25,000 + $5,000 = $30,000
One sample mix	FHSA $8,000 each = $16,000, plus $6,500 savings	FHSA $16,000, plus one HBP withdrawal of $10,000, plus $4,000 savings
GST rebate	None. Resale generally has no GST	GST is 5% of $550,000 = $27,500. The rebate could return up to that, if all conditions are met

In both, the home buyers' amount could be worth about $1,400 at the 2026 federal rate of 14% (our calculation from the CRA's $10,000 for the 2025 return), shared by the buyers. None of this replaces a lender pre-approval.

Beyond the down payment, see the full cost of buying a home in Calgary. Shopping for a condo? Read how to negotiate a condo price in Calgary's current market and what to check about special assessments before you buy a condo. If price is the worry, compare Cochrane, Airdrie and Chestermere. Not sure about timing? See whether now is a good time to buy a home in Calgary.

What Should You Do Before You Make an Offer?

Start with a lender pre-approval, then check which programs you personally qualify for. Each program has its own test, and resale and new builds get different help. Here are four steps, in order. If you want a second set of eyes, the Michael Smith Team's free call is step four.

Get a lender pre-approval. A pre-approval does not count as the written agreement the HBP needs.
Check each program's test. Ask the CRA or your lender, because the tests differ.
Decide on resale or new build. It decides whether the GST rebate can apply.
Book our free first-time buyer game plan call. We will walk through which programs may fit you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What first-time home buyer incentives are available in Alberta in 2026?
As of November 2026, we did not find a first-time buyer grant or rebate on the Government of Alberta's housing pages. CMHC says the federal First-Time Home Buyer Incentive is no longer accepting applications. Calgary buyers can use the First Home Savings Account, Home Buyers' Plan, new-build GST rebate and Attainable Homes Calgary.

Is the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive still available?
No. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) says the federal program is no longer accepting applications. The deadline for new submissions was March 21, 2024, and no new approvals were granted after March 31, 2024. If you already hold one, CMHC says its program administrator continues to consider post-approval changes.

What counts as a first-time home buyer for these programs?
There is no single definition. The Canada Revenue Agency uses a similar four-calendar-year test for the Home Buyers' Plan, the First Home Savings Account and the home buyers' amount. The First-Time Home Buyers' GST/HST Rebate adds age and citizenship or permanent residency requirements. CMHC's own definition for insured mortgages differs again.

Can I use the FHSA and the Home Buyers' Plan on the same home?
Yes. The Canada Revenue Agency says you can make a Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) withdrawal and a qualifying First Home Savings Account (FHSA) withdrawal for the same qualifying home, as long as you meet all the conditions at the time of each withdrawal. Money taken out of an FHSA as a qualifying withdrawal is tax-free and does not have to be repaid.

When do I have to start repaying the Home Buyers' Plan?
As of November 2026, under the Canada Revenue Agency's temporary relief for a first Home Buyers' Plan withdrawal made between January 1, 2026 and December 31, 2028, repayment starts in the fifth year after the year of the withdrawal, not the second. For a first withdrawal in 2026, your first repayment year is 2031.

Do I get a GST rebate if I buy a resale home in Calgary?
No. Resale homes generally do not carry GST, so there is no GST for the First-Time Home Buyers' GST/HST Rebate to return. As of November 2026, the Canada Revenue Agency says the rebate is for newly built or substantially renovated homes, and Finance Canada says it is worth up to $50,000.

Do I need a 20% down payment to buy my first home in Calgary?
No. As of November 2026, the minimum down payment is 5% of the price for a home up to $500,000. For a home priced from $500,000 up to $1.5 million it is 5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the portion above $500,000. At $1.5 million or more it is 20%. Your lender confirms your exact amount.

Sources

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC): First-Time Home Buyer Incentive; Home Start
Canada Revenue Agency: First Home Savings Account; Home Buyers' Plan; First-Time Home Buyers' GST/HST Rebate; who can apply; home purchased from a builder; line 31270, home buyers' amount; GST/HST rates by province
Department of Finance Canada: Bill C-4 Royal Assent, March 12, 2026; mortgage reforms, December 15, 2024; Spring Economic Update 2026, chapter 2; report on the lowest personal income tax rate and non-refundable credits
Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo): Bill C-4; Bill C-30
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: minimum down payment
Government of Alberta: housing; affordable housing programs; Alberta tax advantage; Land Titles, transfer of land
The City of Calgary: affordable housing
Attainable Homes Calgary (program owner): homeownership and The Heights; program FAQ

This page is general information, not financial, tax, mortgage or legal advice. Confirm your eligibility with your lender, accountant or lawyer, and with the Canada Revenue Agency. Michael Smith Team is a real estate brokerage, not a lender or tax advisor. Program rules and amounts change, and nothing here is a guarantee of price, timing or that you will qualify.