What does CELIAPP mean in English?
CELIAPP is the French name of the FHSA, the First Home Savings Account. The full French name is compte d'épargne libre d'impôt pour l'achat d'une première propriété. Same account, same $8,000 annual and $40,000 lifetime limits, same tax-free withdrawal rules. Quebec banks simply display the French acronym.
If your bank statements are in French, you will see CELIAPP. If your tax software runs in English, you will see FHSA and Schedule 15. They are one and the same account, governed by the same federal rules from the Canada Revenue Agency.
Who can open a CELIAPP (FHSA) in Quebec?
Three conditions: be a resident of Canada for tax purposes, be at least 18 years old (and under 71), and be a first-time home buyer, meaning that neither you nor your spouse lived in a home you owned during the current calendar year or the four previous calendar years. Newcomers qualify as soon as they are tax residents. Someone who owned a home more than four years ago qualifies again. Contribution room only starts the year the account is opened, so opening it before December 31, even with $100, is the first move.
CELIAPP, RAP, REER: the French to English cheat sheet
If you landed here searching for CELIAPP in English, you probably need more than one translation. Quebec real estate runs on French acronyms that have no obvious English equivalent, and getting them wrong costs money at the notary. Here is the full mapping.
| French term | English term | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| CELIAPP | FHSA | First Home Savings Account. In full, compte d'epargne libre d'impot pour l'achat d'une premiere propriete |
| RAP | HBP | Home Buyers' Plan. Regime d'accession a la propriete, an RRSP withdrawal of up to 60,000 dollars |
| REER | RRSP | Registered Retirement Savings Plan |
| CELI | TFSA | Tax-Free Savings Account |
| Annexe 15 | Schedule 15 | The FHSA tax form, filed with your return |
| Mise de fonds | Down payment | The cash you put in yourself |
| Taxe de bienvenue, droits de mutation | Welcome tax, transfer duties | Paid to the city a few weeks after the deed |
| Promesse d'achat | Promise to purchase | The offer document used in Quebec |
| Certificat de localisation | Certificate of location | The surveyor's report the notary requires |
| Copropriete divise / indivise | Divided / undivided co-ownership | Two very different condo structures |
| Courtier immobilier | Real estate broker | The licensed title in Quebec, not agent |
Two of these matter more than the rest. CELIAPP is the FHSA, and RAP is the HBP. They are separate programs with separate limits, and since 2023 you are allowed to use both on the same purchase.
How does the FHSA work?
The FHSA is a registered account reserved for a first home purchase. Contributions reduce your taxable income like an RRSP, the money grows tax-free, and the withdrawal is entirely tax-free when it goes toward a qualifying first home. Unlike the Home Buyers' Plan, nothing ever has to be paid back.
It is the only account in Canada that combines both tax advantages: the RRSP deduction going in, and the TFSA freedom coming out. To open one you must be 18 or older, a Canadian resident, and a first-time buyer: neither you nor your spouse lived in a home you owned during the current year or the previous four calendar years. Someone who owned a home more than four years ago can qualify again.
The account can stay open for a maximum of 15 years, or until the end of the year you turn 71.
FHSA contribution limits for 2026
The FHSA limit in 2026 is $8,000 per year and $40,000 lifetime. Unused room carries forward, up to a maximum of $8,000: if you opened your account in 2025 without contributing, you can put in $16,000 in 2026.
- Room only starts when the account is open. Unlike the TFSA, nothing accumulates before you open an FHSA. Opening early, even with $100, starts the clock.
- No first-60-days rule. Unlike an RRSP, an FHSA contribution counts for the calendar year it is made. A February 2026 contribution is deducted in 2026, not 2025.
- The deduction can wait. You can contribute now and claim the deduction in a future, higher-income year.
Each spouse has their own limit: two full FHSAs mean $80,000 of capital, before any growth.
FHSA calculator: your 2026 contribution room and tax savings
Your FHSA room is simple to compute: $8,000 per calendar year since the year you opened the account, minus what you have already contributed, never more than $40,000 lifetime and never more than $16,000 in a single year ($8,000 for the year plus a maximum $8,000 of carry-forward). Your tax saving is the deducted amount multiplied by your combined federal and Quebec marginal rate. The calculator below runs both with your numbers.
Estimate only, based on the federal limits ($8,000 a year, $40,000 lifetime, $8,000 maximum carry-forward) and approximate combined marginal rates for a Quebec resident in 2026. Your actual rate depends on your credits and situation: confirm with your accountant.
The 2026 numbers on one line
| Limit | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| FHSA, per year | 8,000 dollars | Deductible from taxable income, federal and Quebec |
| FHSA, lifetime | 40,000 dollars | Plus everything it earns, which is not capped |
| Maximum in a single year | 16,000 dollars | 8,000 for the year plus up to 8,000 carried forward |
| HBP withdrawal | 60,000 dollars | From your RRSP, repayable over 15 years |
| FHSA plus HBP, one person | 100,000 dollars | Plus growth, on the same purchase |
| A couple, two FHSAs | 80,000 dollars | Each spouse holds their own account |
Carry-forward room only starts the year you open the account. An FHSA opened in December still creates the full 8,000 dollars of room for that year, which is why opening one before December 31 costs nothing and buys you a year of room.
How to open an FHSA
An FHSA can be opened at most Canadian financial institutions: Desjardins, the big banks, online brokerages. You need to be 18, have a Social Insurance Number and a piece of ID. Opening takes a few minutes online and immediately starts building your contribution room.
The account can hold the same investments as a TFSA or RRSP: cash, GICs, mutual funds, ETFs, stocks. The real question is what to put inside given your timeline: buying within two years calls for safety, five years or more can justify some growth.
Schedule 15: the FHSA tax form
Schedule 15 is the federal form that reports your FHSA activity. You must file it with your income tax return starting the year you open your first FHSA, even if you contributed nothing. It is what registers your contribution room with the CRA. In French software, the same form is called annexe 15.
The number one trap: opening an FHSA in December, contributing nothing, and skipping Schedule 15. The CRA then has no record of your account and your carry-forward room can be denied. File it every year the account is open.
- Wait for your T4FHSA slips from your institution early in the year.
- Report the year's contributions on Schedule 15. Transfers coming from an RRSP are reported too, but give no deduction.
- Choose how much to deduct. You can deduct less than the maximum and carry the rest forward.
- Claim the deduction on line 20805 of your federal return and, for Quebec residents, on line 215 of the Quebec return.
Making a tax-free withdrawal
An FHSA withdrawal is tax-free when it is a qualifying withdrawal: you are a first-time buyer at the time of withdrawal, you have a written agreement to buy or build a home in Canada before October 1 of the year after the withdrawal, and you intend to occupy it as your principal residence within a year.
You fill out form RC725 and hand it to your institution, which releases the funds with no tax withheld. You can withdraw everything, growth included, and even do so up to 30 days after moving in. After a qualifying withdrawal, the account must be closed by December 31 of the following year; any leftover balance rolls into your RRSP tax-free.
FHSA vs HBP: which one should you use in 2026?
Both. The FHSA and the Home Buyers' Plan (RAP in French) can be combined on the same purchase. The FHSA gives you up to $40,000 plus growth with no repayment ever. The HBP lets you borrow up to $60,000 from your own RRSP, repayable over 15 years. Combined, one buyer can mobilize $100,000 and a couple twice that.
| FHSA | HBP | |
|---|---|---|
| Source of funds | Dedicated account | Your RRSP |
| Maximum | $40,000 + growth | $60,000 |
| Repayment | None, ever | Over 15 years, or taxed |
| Tax deduction | Yes, on contribution | Already taken (RRSP) |
| If you never buy | Tax-free rollover to RRSP | Money stays in the RRSP |
The logical order for most first-time buyers: fill the FHSA first (no repayment to drag around), then draw on the RRSP through the HBP if your down payment target requires it.
More guides in English
Buying or selling in Quebec means dealing with rules that are written in French first. These guides cover the same rules, in English, with the French names you will actually see on the documents.
- Quebec welcome tax and the $5,875 refund
How the transfer duties brackets work, and the Montreal first-buyer refund. - The promise to purchase explained
Why it is binding, the usual conditions and what you cannot remove. - New build vs resale in Quebec
What changed on the GST in 2026, and the real cost gap between the two.
Our team works in French and in English: call 438 807 3653 and ask for an English-speaking broker.
From your FHSA to your first home on Montreal's South Shore
A full FHSA is $40,000: exactly the minimum down payment on a $650,000 property, or 10% of a $400,000 condo, the median condo price in Brossard. A couple with two full accounts holds $80,000 before growth. That is a real purchase plan, not just a savings account.
We guide first-time buyers from search to keys, in English and in French, and a buyer pays nothing: the seller pays the commission.
What 40,000 dollars actually buys on the South Shore
Canada's minimum down payment is 5 percent on the first 500,000 dollars of the price, then 10 percent on the portion between 500,000 and 1,500,000 dollars. Applied to the real median prices of the APCIQ barometer for the second quarter of 2026, here is what a maxed FHSA covers:
| Sector | Median price | Minimum down payment | Covered by one maxed FHSA? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vieux-Longueuil | 623,000 dollars | 37,300 dollars | Yes, with room to spare |
| South-west (Saint-Constant, Delson) | 620,000 dollars | 37,000 dollars | Yes |
| Brossard / Saint-Lambert | 803,000 dollars | 55,300 dollars | No, but two FHSAs or FHSA plus HBP cover it |
| Boucherville / Saint-Bruno | 800,000 dollars | 55,000 dollars | No, same solution |
| Candiac / La Prairie | 820,000 dollars | 57,000 dollars | No, same solution |
The practical reading: in Longueuil, one person who fills their FHSA is done. In Brossard, a couple with two FHSAs is done, and a single buyer needs the HBP on top. That is the difference between saving four years and saving eight, and it is decided by the sector you shop in as much as by your income.
Do not forget what lands after the down payment. The welcome tax arrives a few weeks after the deed, and first-time buyers in Montreal can claim a refund of up to 5,875 dollars. Our guide to the Quebec welcome tax has the brackets, and our list of costs after closing covers the rest.
FHSA frequently asked questions
What is CELIAPP in English?
CELIAPP in English is the FHSA, the First Home Savings Account. The French name is the exact same federal program: 8,000 dollars a year, 40,000 dollars lifetime, deductible on contribution and tax-free on withdrawal for a first home.
What is the FHSA in French?
The FHSA in French is the CELIAPP. Quebec financial institutions, Revenu Quebec and Quebec tax software all use CELIAPP, and the form called Schedule 15 in English appears as annexe 15 in French.
Is the CELIAPP the same as the FHSA?
Yes, identical. There is no separate Quebec version and no different limit. Quebec is harmonized with the federal rules, so the same contribution gives you a deduction on both your federal and your Quebec return.
Can I use both the FHSA and the HBP in Quebec?
Yes. Since 2023 the two programs can be combined on the same purchase, which puts up to 100,000 dollars plus growth toward one down payment. The order that costs you least: fill the FHSA first, because nothing is ever repaid, then draw on the RRSP through the HBP only if your target still requires it.
Can I have an FHSA and a TFSA at the same time?
Yes. The two accounts have completely separate limits. You can put $8,000 into your FHSA and $7,000 into your TFSA in the same year. For a first home, the FHSA comes first: unlike the TFSA, your contribution is deductible from your taxable income.
What happens to my FHSA if I never buy a home?
Nothing is lost. You can transfer the full balance into your RRSP or RRIF, tax-free and without using up any of your existing RRSP room. The account must be closed at most 15 years after opening, or at the end of the year you turn 71.
Can I contribute to my spouse's FHSA?
No, only the account holder can contribute and claim the deduction. However, you can give money to your spouse so they contribute to their own FHSA: the attribution rules do not apply, and together a couple can build $80,000 in combined capital.
Does the FHSA reduce my Quebec taxes too?
Yes. Quebec is harmonized with the federal rules: the deduction is claimed on line 20805 of your federal return and on line 215 of your Quebec return. In French tax software, the FHSA form is called annexe 15.
What is the FHSA maximum in 2026?
$8,000 of contribution room per calendar year and $40,000 lifetime. Unused room carries forward up to a maximum of $8,000, so the most you can contribute in one year is $16,000. Investment growth inside the account does not count toward these limits.
How do I withdraw from my FHSA (CELIAPP) tax-free?
Sign a written agreement to buy or build a qualifying home in Canada before October 1 of the year following the withdrawal, intend to occupy it as your principal residence within a year, still be a first-time buyer at the time of the withdrawal, and give form RC725 to your institution, which pays the funds with no withholding. You can withdraw the whole balance, growth included, and up to 30 days after moving in.
Is the FHSA the same at Desjardins, RBC or National Bank?
Yes on every tax rule: same limits, same deduction, same tax-free withdrawal, same Schedule 15. What differs is the investments offered, the fees and the delay to release funds at withdrawal, which matters when the notary date is fixed.
Is "CELIAPP" just the French word for FHSA?
Yes. CELIAPP stands for compte d'épargne libre d'impôt pour l'achat d'une première propriété, the official French name of the First Home Savings Account. Quebec institutions display the French acronym; your English tax software shows FHSA and Schedule 15. One account, one set of federal rules.
In French, the full CELIAPP cluster: le guide CELIAPP, CELIAPP maximum 2026, retrait CELIAPP, CELI ou CELIAPP and CELIAPP Desjardins, RBC, BNCD. In English: mortgage pre-approval, buying as a newcomer, the $5,875 welcome tax refund and rent or buy in 2026.
General information updated September 1, 2026, based on rules published by the Canada Revenue Agency and Revenu Québec. This guide is not personalized tax advice: for your own situation, talk to your accountant or financial planner.