When you buy a newly built home in Ontario, you're generally required to pay HST on the purchase price — just like any other new good or service. What surprises a lot of buyers is that two separate rebate programs exist specifically to offset that cost, and many people never claim them simply because nobody told them they qualified.
The federal GST/HST New Housing Rebate can return a portion of the federal part of the tax you paid, up to a set maximum, depending on the home's purchase price. The Ontario New Housing Rebate does the same for the provincial portion. Combined, qualifying buyers can recover a meaningful five-figure amount — and on higher-priced homes, the combined maximum can approach $130,000.
Eligibility generally depends on a few factors: whether the home will be your primary residence (or a qualifying rental under the New Residential Rental Property Rebate), the purchase price, and whether the builder has already factored the rebate into your closing price or whether you'll need to apply for it yourself after closing.
This is exactly the kind of detail that's easy to miss in a purchase agreement, and builders don't always walk buyers through it proactively. When you work with us, checking your eligibility for these rebates is part of the process from the very first conversation — not an afterthought after you've already signed.
If you're comparing pre-construction projects and want to understand what you'd actually qualify for on a specific price point, reach out and we'll walk through the numbers together before you commit to anything.