Quebec Election 2026 · First-time buyer
One party has promised to abolish it. Here is what is in force today, and what is merely promised.
What is in force
The government created the refundable tax credit for home ownership access through the information bulletin of 17 April 2026. It refunds up to $5,875 of the transfer duty: 100% of the first $5,000, then 25% of the next $3,500. It covers homes acquired after 31 December 2025 and applies as of the 2026 taxation year.
According to the Department of Finance explanatory document, the measure represents more than $140 million a year and reaches 38,000 first-time buyers a year.
What is promised
On 13 September 2026, the Quebec Liberal Party released its financial framework. Radio-Canada reports the party intends to end the refund of transfer duties for first-time buyers and to restore the sales tax on certain food products, calculating that cancelling both would bring in some $250 million a year. Radio-Canada also notes that, to date, the Liberals are the only party to have promised to end the welcome tax refund.
The distinction that matters to a buyer
An election promise is not a law. The credit exists today, it covers acquisitions made after 31 December 2025, and nothing in the 13 September announcement indicates retroactive effect on purchases already closed.
What nobody can tell you, us included: what a future government will actually adopt, from what date, and with what transitional rules. Be wary of anyone pressing you to buy "before it changes." A home purchase is not decided on an electoral bet.
What you can do, which depends on no party
If you acquired a qualifying home in 2026, the advance payment of the credit is requested no later than December 1 of the tax year, where the estimated credit exceeds $1,000 and the tax base does not exceed $1 million. That is a concrete step, to take now, whatever the outcome of the vote.
The voting calendar
According to Elections Quebec, polling day is Monday, October 5, 2026. Advance polling is held on 27 and 28 September. You can also vote at the returning officer's office on 25 and 26 September, and from 29 September to 1 October. Registration or updates to the list of electors run from 14 September to 1 October.
Our rule on this page
We report what each party wrote, with the published figures and the source. We tell nobody how to vote, we do not predict the result, and we do not turn a promise into a certainty. An election platform is not a law: it becomes one only if a government tables it, passes it and sets its terms.
The most useful distinction for you is not who is right. It is knowing what applies today and what stays conditional.
Related
Frequently asked
Does the welcome tax refund really exist?
Yes. The refundable tax credit for home ownership access is in force for the 2026 taxation year and refunds up to $5,875 of the transfer duty.
Which party wants to abolish it?
The Quebec Liberal Party, in its financial framework of 13 September 2026. Radio-Canada reports it is the only one to date.
Should I buy before the election?
A promise is not a law and nobody knows the terms of any future change. A purchase should not be decided on an electoral bet.
Primary sources, consulted 13 September 2026: Revenu Quebec (tax news of 21 April 2026), the Quebec Department of Finance explanatory document on the refundable tax credit for home ownership access (17 April 2026), Elections Quebec, Radio-Canada (Liberal financial framework, 13 September 2026), plq.org, pq.org, the Quebec solidaire release distributed by CNW (30 August 2026), the PCQ plan (11 September 2026), and APCIQ (4 September 2026). This page reports what each party published. It endorses no party and is neither tax nor legal advice.
Published by the Loaa & Manseur team, number one team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025. Tell us about your project.