Welcome tax · Westmount · 2026 grid verified at the source
Westmount has its own grid, not Montreal's: 3% on everything above $500,000. On a $1,500,000 house, that is $35,610.50. Here is by-law 1653, the calculation from $900,000 to $4,000,000 and the comparison with Montreal.
In Westmount, the 2026 welcome tax follows the provincial grid up to $500,000 (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%) then applies 3% to the entire portion above, the maximum allowed to a city other than Montreal, under by-law 1653 in force for transfers since January 1, 2026. Westmount therefore does not apply Montreal's seven-bracket grid: on a $1,500,000 house the tax is $35,610.50, against $27,325.50 in Montreal; on $4,000,000, $110,610.50 against $112,895.50. The base is the higher of the price paid and the adjusted roll value; the bill is payable in one instalment within 30 days. The first-time buyer credit is zero from $1,000,000.
Westmount is a reconstituted city of the Montreal agglomeration with its own transfer duty by-law: by-law 1653, adopted in January 2026, sets 3% on the portion above $500,000, with the law's indexed brackets. The Montreal grid (2%, 2.5%, 3.5%, 4%) does not apply here. The result: Westmount costs more than Montreal between $500,000 and roughly $3,000,000, and less above, where Montreal bills 3.5% then 4%.
| Bracket of the tax base (2026) | Rate in Westmount |
|---|---|
| $0 to $62,900 | 0.5% |
| $62,900 to $315,000 | 1% |
| $315,000 to $500,000 | 1.5% |
| Above $500,000 | 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: westmount.org, by-law 1653 on the rate of transfer duties (transfers from January 1, 2026).
The QPAREB does not publish a separate median for Westmount; the examples below are typical prices in the city's market, from a Greene Avenue condo to a house on the summit. The first-time buyer credit is reduced above $750,000 and zero from $1,000,000: it only concerns condos.
| Price paid (or adjusted roll value) | Welcome tax | First-time buyer credit | Net cost, first-time buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| $700,000 | $11,610.50 | $5,875 | $5,735.50 |
| $900,000 | $17,610.50 | $2,350 | $15,260.50 |
| $1,200,000 | $26,610.50 | $0 | $26,610.50 |
| $1,500,000 | $35,610.50 | $0 | $35,610.50 |
| $2,500,000 | $65,610.50 | $0 | $65,610.50 |
| $4,000,000 | $110,610.50 | $0 | $110,610.50 |
How to read it: on a house at $1,500,000 (a typical Westmount price, used as an example; the QPAREB does not publish a separate median for the city), the welcome tax is $35,610.50; an eligible first-time buyer gets $0 back and pays $35,610.50 net. Westmount's municipal increase accounts for $15,000 of that amount, compared with a municipality that applies the basic grid. 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. The notary records the tax base in the deed of sale and the municipality bills from the registration in the Land Register.
In Westmount, the transfer duty is payable in one instalment within 30 days of the bill being sent, under the Act. By-law 1653 provides for annual indexation of the brackets according to Quebec's consumer price index, published in the Gazette officielle. The City's taxation department answers at 514 989-5234. 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 Westmount'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 $700,000 condo, the tax of $11,610.50 is refunded at $5,875: $5,735.50 remains. On a $900,000 condo, the credit is reduced to $2,350 (credit reduced by 2.35% of the amount above $750,000) and $15,260.50 remains. From $1,000,000, no credit: the tax is paid in full. 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. Westmount 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.
The table compares Westmount, Montreal and two other reconstituted cities of the West Island. On $1,500,000, Westmount costs $8,285 more than Montreal; on $4,000,000, $2,285 less. Dorval (2% up to $750,000) and Pointe-Claire (2.1% up to $1,000,000, 2.6% above) are cheaper than Westmount at every price.
| City (2026 grid) | On $1,500,000 | On $2,500,000 | On $4,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westmount | $35,610.50 | $65,610.50 | $110,610.50 |
| Montreal | $27,325.50 | $55,960.50 | $112,895.50 |
| Pointe-Claire | $29,110.50 | $55,110.50 | $94,110.50 |
| Dorval | $33,110.50 | $63,110.50 | $108,110.50 |
| Basic provincial grid (no municipal increase) | $20,610.50 | $35,610.50 | $58,110.50 |
Westmount is not a borough of Montreal: it is a reconstituted city with its own council, roll and transfer duty by-law. By-law 1653 replaces the previous by-law for 2026 with the indexed brackets. Mount Royal, Côte-Saint-Luc, Hampstead and Montreal West, the other reconstituted cities, each have their own by-law, to check before comparing two houses on either side of a boundary. On prestige properties, the roll value (2026-2028 agglomeration roll, reference value at July 1, 2024) can exceed a price negotiated downward: the base is then the roll, and the difference counts in thousands of dollars at 3%.
Our other data series for Westmount, drawn from Centris listings:
Each page is recalculated from the past year's actual sales, aggregates only.
The notary's other document: Certificate of location in Westmount: cost, timing and when to redo it
Once the bill is paid: Welcome tax refund in Quebec: how to apply, where, when and with which documents
How much down payment to buy in Westmount:
The legal minimum on the median house, the 20% that avoids the CMHC premium, the premium at the minimum, what a FHSA and an HBP cover, the condo, and ten years of perspective in Westmount.
How many condos are for sale in Westmount, ten years of perspective:
Condominium inventory at each month-end and new listings per year since 2016, absorption, months of inventory, and the comparison with single-family houses in Westmount.
When to sell in Westmount, ten years of sales month by month:
The month with the most home sales, the quietest month, spring versus winter, the best-paying month and when to list to sell at the right time in Westmount.
Condos that do not sell in Westmount, ten years of perspective:
Condo listings expired without a sale per year since 2016, the failure rate against sales, the same rate for houses, and what it tells a condo seller in Westmount.
When to sell a condo in Westmount, ten years of sales month by month:
The month with the most condo sales, the quietest month, spring versus winter, the best-paying month, houses alongside and when to list in Westmount.
How much buyers negotiate a condo in Westmount, ten years of perspective:
Sale price as a percentage of asking for condos, year by year since 2016, the ratio on the original price, houses alongside and the dollar gap on the median condo in Westmount.
What the median house costs a month in Westmount, ten years of perspective:
The monthly payment on the house in the middle every year since 2016 with the Centris price and the 5-year rate actually charged, the share of price and the share of rate, the renewal shock and the income it takes in Westmount.
What the house really gained in Westmount, once inflation is removed:
Each year's median price converted to 2026 dollars with the Quebec CPI, the real increase, the years of real decline, the peak in purchasing power and the condo alongside in Westmount.
What the median condo costs a month in Westmount, ten years of perspective:
The monthly payment on the condo in the middle every year since 2016 with the Centris price and the 5-year rate actually charged, the share of price and the share of rate, the renewal shock and the income it takes in Westmount.
Westmount or the city next door: where to buy in 2026, matchup by matchup:
Each matchup puts Westmount and a neighbouring city side by side over ten years of Centris sales: house and condo prices, gap, days on market, inventory, bidding, unsold listings and monthly payment.
How much is a semi-detached or row house in Westmount, ten years of perspective:
The median price by house type year by year since 2016, the number of sales, the shared-wall discount and how it moved in Westmount.
How many houses still sell under $500,000 in Westmount, ten years of perspective:
Sales under $500,000 and under $400,000 year by year since 2016, their share, the tipping year and what is still available under the threshold in Westmount.
How many houses sell for over $1 million in Westmount, ten years of perspective:
Sales at $1,000,000 and up year by year since 2016, their share, the first year with ten sales and what is paid above the million in Westmount.
How long to sell by price in Westmount:
Median days on market by price bracket over the past twelve months, the fastest bracket, the slowest and what it changes for selling or buying in Westmount.
How much the lot is worth in a house price in Westmount, ten years of perspective:
The median price of houses on small lots and on large lots year by year since 2016, the large-lot premium and how it moved in Westmount.
How many dollars of condos sell in Westmount, ten years of perspective:
Condo sales volume year by year since 2016, the number of sales and the average price behind it, and the condo's share of the market in Westmount.
The average condo price in Westmount, and why it exceeds the median:
The average sale price of condos year by year since 2016, beside the median price and the asking price, and the gap between the two in Westmount.
How long to sell a condo by price in Westmount:
Median condo days on market by price bracket over the past twelve months, the fastest bracket, the slowest and what it changes for selling or buying a condo in Westmount.
What sells at what price in Westmount:
The 2026 sales crossed by price range and category: what sells under $300,000, who holds the million, where houses, condos and plexes compete in Westmount.
Which sells fastest in Westmount, house, condo or plex:
Days on market of houses, condos and plexes compared price range by price range over twelve months in Westmount.
At what price houses sell in Westmount, range by range:
The distribution of sales by price bracket in 2020, 2023 and 2026, the best-selling range, the share under $500,000 and above $750,000 in Westmount.
At what price condos sell in Westmount, range by range:
The distribution of condo sales by price bracket in 2020 and 2026, the best-selling range, the share under $300,000 and under $400,000 in Westmount.
And the market in Westmount this month:
The past twelve months, month by month, from the same Centris listings.
How much buyers negotiate on a house by price in Westmount:
Sold-to-asking ratio by price bracket over the past twelve months, the bracket negotiated the most, the one where asking or more is paid, and what it changes for selling or buying in Westmount.
How much buyers negotiate on a condo by price in Westmount:
Sold-to-asking ratio by price bracket over the past twelve months, the bracket negotiated the most, the one where asking or more is paid, and what it changes for selling or buying in Westmount.
Where the money goes by price in Westmount:
Share of dollars against share of sales by price bracket over the past twelve months, the average ticket and the bracket that weighs the most in Westmount.
How much sellers cut their price before selling in Westmount:
Sold price against the first asking price and the last, by price bracket over the past twelve months, and the bracket where sellers adjust the most in Westmount.
And on a condo in Westmount?
The tax on the median condo year by year, what a first-time buyer pays net and the cash needed, house alongside.
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 the luxury market, luxury homes in Westmount in 2026; for Montreal, the welcome tax in Montreal; for a broker, real estate broker in Montreal; for the general rules, our guide to the welcome tax in Quebec.
$35,610.50 with Westmount's 2026 grid, if the price paid is the tax base. An eligible first-time buyer gets $0 back from Revenu Québec and pays $35,610.50 net.
A few weeks to two months after signing at the notary, once the deed is registered in the Land Register. Westmount allows 30 days from the bill being sent, in one instalment.
Between $500,000 and about $3,000,000, yes: Westmount bills 3% where Montreal applies 2% then 2.5%, which is $8,285 more on $1,500,000. Above $3,113,000, Montreal moves to 4% and becomes more expensive. Dorval and Pointe-Claire are cheaper than Westmount at every price.
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.