Welcome tax · Saguenay · 2026 grid verified at the source
The exact 2026 grid of Saguenay, read on the city's site, with the tax on real prices, the credit and the payment terms.
In Saguenay, the 2026 welcome tax (transfer duties) follows the provincial brackets (0.5% up to $62,900, 1% up to $315,000, 1.5% up to $500,000) and then the city's own rate: 2.5% up to $1,000,000, 3% above. On a single-family house at $370,500 (City of Saguenay median, QPAREB Q2 2026), the tax is $3,668; an eligible first-time buyer gets $3,668 back through Quebec's refundable credit (up to $5,875, reduced above a $750,000 base) and pays $0 net. In Saguenay, the transfer duty is paid in a single instalment; any unpaid balance bears 15% combined interest and penalties. The bill arrives after the deed is registered, never at the notary, and no lender includes it in the mortgage. The 2026 comparative factor is 1.09: when the assessment times 1.09 exceeds the price paid, that adjusted value becomes the base.
Saguenay applies the three provincial brackets up to $500,000 and then raises the rate by by-law: 2.5% up to $1,000,000, 3% above. Below $500,000, the tax is the same as anywhere else in Quebec; the difference appears above.
| Bracket of the tax base (2026) | Rate in Saguenay |
|---|---|
| $0 to $62,900 | 0.5% |
| $62,900 to $315,000 | 1% |
| $315,000 to $500,000 | 1.5% |
| $500,000 to $1,000,000 | 2.5% |
| Above $1,000,000 | 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.saguenay.ca, Droit de mutation immobilière (grille 2026, facteur 1,09).
The examples cover a condo, the $500,000 threshold, a single-family house at the median ($370,500, City of Saguenay median, QPAREB Q2 2026) and larger properties, so you can place your own price. Above a $750,000 tax base, the first-time buyer credit shrinks and disappears at $1,000,000.
| Price paid (or adjusted roll value) | Welcome tax | First-time buyer credit | Net cost, first-time buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $2,185.50 | $2,185.50 | $0 |
| $370,500 | $3,668 | $3,668 | $0 |
| $500,000 | $5,610.50 | $5,152.62 | $457.88 |
| $600,000 | $8,110.50 | $5,777.62 | $2,332.88 |
| $850,000 | $14,360.50 | $3,525 | $10,835.50 |
| $1,200,000 | $24,110.50 | $0 | $24,110.50 |
How to read it: on a single-family house at $370,500 (City of Saguenay median, QPAREB Q2 2026), the welcome tax is $3,668; an eligible first-time buyer gets $3,668 back and pays $0 net. At that price, Saguenay 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, Saguenay's comparative factor is 1.09: a property assessed at $500,000 on the roll has a presumed market value of $545,000, 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 Saguenay, the transfer duty is paid in a single instalment; any unpaid balance bears 15% combined interest and penalties. On an exempt transfer, the city collects a special duty that is nil under $5,000, 0.5% of the value from $5,000 to $40,000 and $200 above. The 2026 grid and the 1.09 comparative factor are published on ville.saguenay.ca. 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 Saguenay'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 single-family house at the median ($370,500), the credit covers the whole bill, so a first-time buyer in Saguenay pays $0 net. 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. Saguenay 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.
On a $600,000 house, Saguenay charges $8,110.50, $1,000 more than a municipality on the basic grid. Between $500,000 and $750,000, Saguenay (2.5%) costs the same as Quebec City and less than Trois-Rivières or Drummondville (3%): on a $600,000 house, $500 less than in Trois-Rivières. Between $750,000 and $1,000,000, Saguenay stays at 2.5% while Quebec City moves to 3%.
| City (2026 grid) | On $500,000 | On $600,000 | On $750,000 | On $1,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saguenay | $5,610.50 | $8,110.50 | $11,860.50 | $18,110.50 |
| Quebec City | $5,610.50 | $8,110.50 | $11,860.50 | $19,360.50 |
| Trois-Rivières | $5,610.50 | $8,610.50 | $13,110.50 | $20,610.50 |
| Drummondville | $5,610.50 | $8,610.50 | $13,110.50 | $20,610.50 |
| Basic provincial grid (no municipal increase) | $5,610.50 | $7,110.50 | $9,360.50 | $13,110.50 |
The grid applies to the merged city's three boroughs: Chicoutimi, Jonquière and La Baie. Saint-Honoré, Alma and the Lac-Saint-Jean municipalities each have their own by-law. The 1.09 comparative factor is the point to watch on a sale close to the assessment: the base is the roll times 1.09 when that amount exceeds the price.
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See also the welcome tax in 40 Quebec cities and the first-time buyer refund.
$3,668 with Saguenay's 2026 grid, if the price paid is the tax base. An eligible first-time buyer gets $3,668 back from Revenu Québec and pays $0 net.
A few weeks to two months after signing at the notary, once the deed is registered in the Land Register. In Saguenay, the bill can be paid in instalments: see the payment section above.
Under $500,000, no: the grid is the provincial one. Above, Saguenay applies 2.5% up to $1,000,000, 3% above, which places it below the cities that charge 3% from $500,000; the comparison table shows the gap on real prices.
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.