Buyer Insight • Updated September 2026
Alberta has no land transfer tax. What it does have went up in October 2024, mortgage insurance rules changed in December 2024, and new builds got a first time buyer GST rebate in 2026. Here is all of it, with a calculator.
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Estimates the two Land Titles fees and, with less than 20 per cent down, the mortgage insurance premium. A planning tool, not a quote.
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Hello, Gorgeous! If you are moving here from Ontario or British Columbia, the headline is good. Alberta does not charge a provincial land transfer tax. You pay Land Titles registration fees instead, and they are a fraction of what a transfer tax costs.
Here is the part that catches people. On 20 October 2024 the province introduced the Land Titles Registration Levy, and the variable part of the fees more than doubled. Transfers moved from $2 per $5,000 of property value to $5 per $5,000, and mortgage registration moved from $1.50 to the same $5 per $5,000. The province reissued its fee schedule effective 1 May 2026, and those two formulas did not change.
If a page tells you to budget $250 in registration fees on a $500,000 purchase, it was written before October 2024.
What Alberta Charges Instead Of A Transfer Tax
Both paid at Land Titles through your lawyer.
| Fee | How it is calculated |
|---|---|
| Land title transfer | $50, plus $5 per $5,000 of the property value |
| Mortgage registration | $50, plus $5 per $5,000 of the mortgage amount |
Worked through on a $600,000 purchase with a $480,000 mortgage: the transfer is $650 and the mortgage registration is $530, about $1,180 between them. Buying with cash, you pay only the first one.
Everything Else A Buyer Pays.
Ranges below were checked in September 2026. They move, so treat them as a budgeting guide and ask for written quotes before you firm up.
| Cost | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Legal fees | Published Calgary flat rates run roughly $800 to $1,700, plus disbursements and GST |
| Title insurance | About $200 to $500 |
| Home inspection | About $350 to $750, plus GST, by size and type |
| Estoppel certificate, condos only | Capped at $200 in Alberta |
| Property tax adjustment | Depends on possession date |
| Home insurance | Must be in place on closing day |
| Mortgage insurance, under 20% down | Usually added to the mortgage. See below |
| GST, new builds only | 5%, less rebates. See below |
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada says closing costs typically run 1.5 to 4 per cent of the purchase price. For a resale home in Calgary or Airdrie with a mortgage, most buyers land toward the lower end. New builds and insured mortgages push it up.
Less Than 20 Per Cent Down.
With less than 20 per cent down, your mortgage has to be insured. The premium is a percentage of the mortgage, usually added to the loan rather than paid at closing. Alberta does not charge provincial sales tax on the premium, unlike Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan.
CMHC premiums: 2.80 per cent with 15 to 20 per cent down, 3.10 per cent with 10 to 15 per cent down, and 4.00 per cent with 5 to 10 per cent down.
Since 15 December 2024, first time buyers and buyers of newly built homes can take a 30 year amortization on an insured mortgage, which adds 0.20 percentage points to the premium. The same change raised the price limit for an insured mortgage to under $1,500,000, with a minimum of 5 per cent down on the first $500,000 and 10 per cent on the portion above that.
New Builds: GST And The New Rebate.
A brand new home from a builder carries 5 per cent GST. A resale home does not. On a new build this is by far the largest closing cost.
The First Time Home Buyers’ GST rebate became law on 12 March 2026. It refunds all of the GST, up to $50,000, on a new home priced up to $1,000,000, then phases out, reaching zero at $1,500,000. You must be a first time buyer, the first person to live in the home, and have signed your purchase agreement on or after 20 March 2025. Articles from 2025 sometimes show a later start date that was changed before the law passed.
The standard new housing rebate still exists for everyone else: 36 per cent of the GST, up to $6,300, on homes up to $350,000, phasing out by $450,000.
Ask the builder in writing whether the price you were quoted includes GST, and whether any rebate is already assigned to them.
Three Costs Buyers Forget.
The property tax adjustment. Calgary and Airdrie property taxes are due at the end of June. If you take possession after the seller has paid the year, you reimburse them for the days after your possession date. For scale, the City of Calgary put the 2026 tax on a median detached home at $4,694.82, so a 1 July possession on a home like that means reimbursing roughly half the year.
Condo documents. Alberta caps what a condo corporation can charge for an estoppel certificate at $200. Having someone properly read the reserve fund study, bylaws and minutes is a separate cost, and the best value item on this whole page.
The interest adjustment. If your possession date does not line up with your mortgage payment schedule, your lender charges interest for the gap days. Small, but it surprises people who budgeted to the dollar.
Saving For It.
The First Home Savings Account lets you contribute $8,000 a year, up to $40,000 in total. The RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan lets you withdraw up to $60,000. For first withdrawals made from 2026 through 2028, repayments now start in the fifth year after the withdrawal instead of the second.
Selling Instead?
Sellers do not pay the registration fees above. A seller pays legal fees, any mortgage discharge fee or penalty for breaking a term early, whatever was agreed in the listing agreement, and any preparation such as repairs.
The discharge penalty is the one to check early. Ask your lender for the figure in writing before you list, not after you have an accepted offer.
Closing Cost Questions.
How much are closing costs in Alberta?
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada puts typical closing costs at 1.5 to 4 per cent of the purchase price. For a resale purchase in Calgary or Airdrie that is mostly legal fees, Land Titles registration fees, inspection, title insurance and the property tax adjustment.
Does Alberta have a land transfer tax?
No. Buyers pay Land Titles registration fees instead: $50 plus $5 per $5,000 of the property value for the transfer, and the same formula on the mortgage amount.
What are legal fees for buying a house in Calgary?
Published flat rates from Calgary firms checked in September 2026 ran roughly $800 to $1,700 for a standard purchase, before disbursements and GST. Ask for a written quote that separates the two.
Can closing costs be added to my mortgage?
Generally not. The mortgage insurance premium can be added to the loan, but lenders expect the other closing costs to come from your own funds on top of your down payment. Ask your mortgage broker early, ideally while you get pre approved.
Want The Numbers For Your Purchase?
Send us the price range you are looking at and whether it is resale or new. We will walk you through what closing would actually look like for you, whether you buy this year or next.
Related reading: Offer Accepted: What Happens Next and Moving From Calgary.
General information for the Calgary and Airdrie market as of September 2026, not legal, tax or financial advice. Fees, rates and programs change, and your lawyer and lender confirm the figures for your purchase. Sources: Government of Alberta, Land Titles fee schedule effective 1 May 2026; CMHC premium tables; Department of Finance Canada, 24 September 2024; Canada Revenue Agency, First Time Home Buyers’ GST/HST rebate and GST/HST News No. 122; Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; City of Calgary 2026 property tax; CPLEA Condo Law Alberta; published fee pages from Calgary law firms and home inspectors.
Disclaimer: This document is not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract with a brokerage.