If You Own a Home · 🇨🇦 Canada

Home Buyers' Amount — Claim a Federal Tax Credit on Your First Home Purchase

Difficulty Easy Applies To All Provinces & Territories Last Updated 2026-04-03

Home Buyers’ Amount — Claim a Federal Tax Credit on Your First Home Purchase

What Is It?

The home buyers’ amount is a federal non-refundable tax credit for eligible buyers of a qualifying home in Canada. For recent tax years, eligible buyers can claim up to $10,000 on line 31270.

It is not as flashy as the FHSA or RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan, but that is exactly why it gets missed. If you bought your first home, this is one of the easiest extra credits to add to the tax return.

Do I Qualify?

  • You bought or acquired a qualifying home in Canada
  • You plan to live in that home as your principal residence within the required period
  • You did not live in another home you or your spouse/common-law partner owned in the year of purchase or in the four preceding years
  • If you are relying on the disability exception, you or the related person meet CRA’s disability-related rules for the claim

You may still qualify through the disability-related route even if you are not a first-time home buyer under the normal four-year test.

What Counts as a Qualifying Home

CRA includes:

  • Single-family homes
  • Semi-detached homes
  • Townhouses
  • Condo units
  • Mobile homes
  • Certain co-op shares that create an ownership interest

The home must generally be in Canada and intended to be occupied as a principal residence within the required period.

Who Benefits Most?

First-time home buyers who are already using other home-purchase tools and want to make sure they do not leave a basic federal credit behind at filing time.

What Most People Don’t Know

  • You can split the claim. If more than one eligible person acquired the same home, the amount can be split, but the total cannot exceed the annual maximum.
  • The credit is separate from FHSA and HBP. Using one does not automatically eliminate the others.
  • The disability rule is broader. A person eligible for the disability tax credit, or someone buying for a related disabled person, can qualify under a different path.
  • You still need tax payable to feel the benefit fully. It is non-refundable, not a cash grant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same thing as the FHSA?


A: No. The FHSA is a savings vehicle. The home buyers’ amount is a separate tax credit claimed on the tax return.

Can spouses split the credit?


A: Yes, if both are eligible, but the combined claim for the same home cannot exceed the annual limit.

What if I am disabled or bought for a related disabled person?


A: CRA provides an exception so the claim can still be available even if the normal first-time home buyer test is not met.

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