Do I count as a first-time buyer for the land transfer tax rebate?
Only if you have never owned a home anywhere in the world, neither has your spouse while you were spouses, and you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. The spousal rule and the status rule each disqualify more people than they expect.
The provincial requirements: you are at least eighteen, you occupy the home as your principal residence within nine months of the transfer, you have never held an interest in a home anywhere in the world, and your spouse has not held one while being your spouse. Toronto's municipal rebate applies broadly the same test.
The three traps. First, anywhere in the world means exactly that, including a property you inherited or owned abroad before arriving in Canada. Second, the spousal rule: if your spouse owned a home while you were spouses, you are disqualified even if you have never owned anything. If they owned it before you were spouses and sold it before you were spouses, you can still qualify.
Third, and the one most often missed: since the start of 2017 the provincial refund has been restricted to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. A buyer on a work permit or a study permit does not qualify, whatever their ownership history. Someone who becomes a citizen or permanent resident within eighteen months of registration can apply for the refund after the fact, so the claim is not necessarily lost, it is deferred.
When only one of two buyers qualifies, the rebate is generally available in proportion to that person's interest in the property.
This is claimed by your lawyer on registration, so you never pay it and get it back. Tell them early and be accurate, because it is a sworn statement.
Answer it with your own numbers
You will need: purchase price, municipality, first-time buyer status.
See the rebate applied to your purchaseNext questions
What is land transfer tax and how much will I pay?
A provincial tax on the purchase price, charged at marginal rates that rise with price and paid by your lawyer on registration. Inside the City of Toronto a second municipal tax applies on top, which at ordinary prices is close to the provincial amount and at high prices is more.
Ontario
What is the first-time home buyers' tax credit?
A federal non-refundable credit you claim on the tax return for the year you buy your first home. It is not automatic, nobody reminds you, and it is separate from the Ontario land transfer tax rebate.
Canada-wide
Can I use my RRSP or FHSA for a down payment?
Yes to both, and they work differently. A Home Buyers' Plan withdrawal from an RRSP must be repaid over fifteen years; an FHSA withdrawal for a qualifying home is not repaid and not taxed.
Canada-wide