Welcome tax · Quebec City · 2026 grid verified at the source
Quebec City increases to 2.5% from $500,000 and 3% above $750,000, but lets you pay in three interest-free instalments. Here is the 2026 grid, the calculation on agglomeration prices and what a first-time buyer gets back.
In Quebec City, the 2026 welcome tax is calculated in five brackets: 0.5% up to $62,900, 1% up to $315,000, 1.5% up to $500,000, 2.5% up to $750,000 and 3% above. On a single-family house at $485,000 (agglomeration median, QPAREB Q2 2026), it comes to $5,385.50; an eligible first-time buyer gets $5,096.38 back from Revenu Québec and pays $289.12 net. On a $335,000 condo, it is $3,135.50, fully refunded. The base is the higher of the price paid and the roll value times the 1.08 comparative factor in 2026. Quebec City's particularity: any bill over $300 is paid in three equal interest-free instalments, at 30, 90 and 150 days. The grid covers the city's six boroughs, not Lévis or Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures.
The City of Quebec chose a two-step increase: 2.5% on the $500,000 to $750,000 portion and 3% above, adopted by by-law R.V.Q. 3101 and raised in 2024 by by-law R.V.Q. 3331. With a median house at $485,000 in the agglomeration, most buyers stay under the threshold; Sillery, Sainte-Foy, Old Quebec and Cap-Rouge are where it is paid most often.
| Bracket of the tax base (2026) | Rate in Quebec City |
|---|---|
| $0 to $62,900 | 0.5% |
| $62,900 to $315,000 | 1% |
| $315,000 to $500,000 | 1.5% |
| $500,000 to $750,000 | 2.5% |
| Above $750,000 | 3% |
The thresholds are indexed every January 1 (the indexation is published in the Gazette officielle before July 1); the amounts above are the 2026 figures. Source: ville.quebec.qc.ca, transfer duties, and by-law R.V.Q. 3101 as amended by R.V.Q. 3331 (2024).
The examples cover the condo at the median ($335,000), the house at the agglomeration median ($485,000), the $500,000 threshold, a renovated house in Charlesbourg or Beauport, a Sainte-Foy house and a Sillery property.
| Price paid (or adjusted roll value) | Welcome tax | First-time buyer credit | Net cost, first-time buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| $335,000 | $3,135.50 | $3,135.50 | $0 |
| $485,000 | $5,385.50 | $5,096.38 | $289.12 |
| $500,000 | $5,610.50 | $5,152.62 | $457.88 |
| $650,000 | $9,360.50 | $5,875 | $3,485.50 |
| $850,000 | $14,860.50 | $3,525 | $11,335.50 |
| $1,200,000 | $25,360.50 | $0 | $25,360.50 |
How to read it: on a single-family house at $485,000 (Quebec City agglomeration median, QPAREB Q2 2026), the welcome tax is $5,385.50; an eligible first-time buyer gets $5,096.38 back and pays $289.12 net. At that price, Quebec City costs no more than a municipality on the basic provincial grid: the increase only starts at $500,000. Our French welcome tax calculator runs the same calculation for any price.
The tax base is the highest of three amounts: the price paid, the consideration stated in the deed, and the value on the assessment roll multiplied by the year's comparative factor. In a rising market the price paid almost always exceeds the adjusted roll value, so the price is the base; in a sale between relatives or on a property bought below assessment, the adjusted roll value takes over and the bill can surprise. For 2026, Quebec City's comparative factor is 1.08: a property assessed at $500,000 on the roll has a presumed market value of $540,000, and that figure becomes the base if the price paid is lower. The notary records the tax base in the deed of sale and the municipality bills from the registration in the Land Register.
In Quebec City, a transfer duty bill over $300 is paid in three equal interest-free instalments, at 30, 90 and 150 days after billing; a bill of $300 or less is paid in one instalment within 30 days. It is the only large city in Quebec that spreads the welcome tax. The City does not reissue a property tax bill to the new owner. The bill is never handed over at the notary's office: it arrives by mail, or in the online tax account, generally a few weeks to two months after signing. Budget for it before the offer to purchase, alongside notary fees and the inspection, because no lender finances it inside the mortgage.
Since January 1, 2026, Quebec's refundable tax credit for home ownership reimburses first-time buyers 100% of the first $5,000 of transfer duties paid and 25% of the next $3,500, up to $5,875, on a first principal residence. The credit is reduced by 2.35% of the portion of the tax base above $750,000 and reaches zero at $1,000,000 (Finances Québec, Information Bulletin 2026-2). A first-time buyer is someone who did not live in a home owned by themselves or their spouse in the year of purchase or the four previous years. The buyer first pays Quebec City's bill, then claims the credit on their income tax return, or as an advance payment from October 2026 when the amount exceeds $1,000. On a $335,000 condo or a $485,000 house, the tax is refunded in full or nearly ($3,135.50 and $5,385.50; $289.12 remains on the median). On a $650,000 house, the tax of $9,360.50 is refunded at $5,875: $3,485.50 remains. The City's three instalments and Revenu Québec's credit are not synchronized: plan the cash flow. The details, including couples where only one spouse has owned before, are in our guide to the welcome tax refund.
The exemptions come from provincial law and are the same in every city: a transfer in the direct ascending or descending line (parent to child, grandparent to grandchild, never between siblings), a transfer between spouses who are married, in a civil union or de facto after twelve months of living together (or parents of the same child), a tax base under $5,000, and a transfer to a corporation in which the seller holds at least 90% of the shares. The notary cites the exemption section in the deed. Quebec City then collects a supplementary duty of at most $200, except when the transfer follows a death. Our French article on welcome tax exemptions goes into detail.
Between $500,000 and $750,000, Quebec City (2.5%) costs less than Lévis (3% from $500,000) and than Laval or Brossard, but more than Montreal (2%). Above $750,000, Quebec City joins Lévis's 3%, with a $1,250 gap kept on the intermediate portion.
| City (2026 grid) | On $485,000 | On $650,000 | On $900,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec City | $5,385.50 | $9,360.50 | $16,360.50 |
| Lévis | $5,385.50 | $10,110.50 | $17,610.50 |
| Montreal | $5,385.50 | $8,349 | $13,349 |
| Sherbrooke | $5,385.50 | $10,110.50 | $17,610.50 |
| Basic provincial grid (no municipal increase) | $5,385.50 | $7,860.50 | $11,610.50 |
The grid applies to the six boroughs of the Ville de Québec (La Cité-Limoilou, Les Rivières, Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge, Charlesbourg, Beauport, La Haute-Saint-Charles). L'Ancienne-Lorette and Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, in the agglomeration, have their own by-law, as does Lévis on the south shore. With a 1.08 comparative factor, a house assessed at $450,000 has a presumed base of $486,000: in a market that sells in 15 days the price paid almost always exceeds that amount, but the rule matters on sales between relatives. The City does not reissue a lost transfer duty bill: the deadline runs from the sending date.
The Loaa & Manseur team, led by Lotfi Manseur and Loaa Al Daow, is the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 of large residential teams according to the official RE/MAX ranking, computed on actual transactions. Its Google profile counts 221 reviews with a 4.9 rating. Its offices are at 55 avenue de l'Équinoxe in Brossard, one bridge from the island, and every broker's licence can be checked in the OACIQ public register. Three things to verify yourself before calling us, and to demand of any other broker.
For selling, selling a house in Quebec City; for a broker, real estate broker in Quebec City; for the refund, the welcome tax refund; for the general rules, our guide to the welcome tax in Quebec.
$5,385.50 with Quebec City's 2026 grid, if the price paid is the tax base. An eligible first-time buyer gets $5,096.38 back from Revenu Québec and pays $289.12 net.
A few weeks to two months after signing at the notary, once the deed is registered in the Land Register. Quebec City bills after registration and allows three equal interest-free instalments at 30, 90 and 150 days when the bill exceeds $300.
Between $500,000 and $750,000, Quebec City is cheaper than Lévis, Laval, Brossard, Gatineau or Sherbrooke, which bill 3% from $500,000, and more expensive than Montreal (2%) or Longueuil (1.5% up to $630,100). Above $750,000 it applies the same 3% as its neighbours. Below $500,000, the tax is the same everywhere.
Yes, the grid is the same for a house, a condo, a plex or a lot, and the price used as the base includes sales taxes on a new build. Since 2026 the GST is eliminated up to $1,000,000 on a new home for a first-time buyer, which lowers the price paid and therefore the welcome tax base.
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
Published September 7, 2026 by the Loaa & Manseur team, the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 according to the official RE/MAX ranking. Tell us about your project.
Équipe no 1 de RE/MAX Platine en 2024 et en 2025, 6e au Québec, 15e au Canada et dans le top 50 mondial au classement officiel RE/MAX. Réponse en moins de 24 heures, sept jours sur sept.