Welcome Tax Calculator Laval 2026
The exact amount of your transfer duties based on your city's official rate grid, first-time buyer credit included, and city-to-city comparison.
Calculator 2026
Estimate your real estate transfer taxes
2026 First-Time Buyer Tax Credit
Since April 2026, Quebec offers a refundable tax credit covering up to $5,875 of the welcome tax for eligible first-time buyers. The credit reimburses 100% of the tax on the first $5,000, then 25% of the slice up to $8,500. Three conditions apply: you must not have lived in a dwelling owned by you or your spouse during the year of acquisition or the 4 preceding calendar years, the property must be your principal residence, and the dwelling must be eligible. Retroactive to January 1, 2026; advance payment available from October 2026 for credits exceeding $1,000.
→ Read the full welcome tax credit guideA separate line item in any Laval purchase
Welcome tax shows up after the notary's bill — sometimes weeks after you receive the keys. It adds to municipal tax adjustments, legal fees, and move-in costs. On Île Jésus, the values of detached homes and plexes often push part of the purchase price past the threshold where Laval applies its upper municipal bracket — which is why running the calculator above before settling on a price ceiling is a useful habit.
A snapshot of the Laval market
According to market statistics published in April 2026, the median price of single-family homes in Laval sat at $635,000 (up 6% year over year), condos at $411,000 (flat), and plexes at $820,000 (down 6%). Transaction volume slipped 8% from April 2025, with a median time on market of 29 days for detached homes and 62 days for condos. Why it matters here: most detached homes and all plexes now sit above the level where the upper portion of the price is taxed more heavily, which mechanically lifts the welcome tax bill for those segments.
What moves the amount in Laval
As elsewhere in Quebec, the tax is calculated on the higher of the purchase price or the standardized value shown on the property assessment roll — which you can look up online by address, matricule, or cadastre. Like many Quebec cities, Laval adds an upper municipal bracket on top of the provincial scale. The takeaway is simple: below a certain price level, your estimate follows the usual curve; above it, the portion that crosses that level is taxed more heavily, so the bill climbs faster than the price. What differs from one city to the next is at what level the upper bracket kicks in and how steeply it rises. In Blainville, for example, it kicks in later than at Laval; in Boisbriand, an intermediate step softens the climb before the top rate; in Rosemère, Sainte-Thérèse, or Lorraine, the mechanics are very close to Laval's. Before locking in your number, run the calculator on the same property for Laval, then for a North Shore neighbour: a side-by-side comparison makes the gap obvious.
A refund program unique to Laval: bylaw L-11000
Easy to miss, worth knowing. Bylaw L-11000 grants financial assistance — either a welcome tax refund or a property tax credit on the first years of ownership — for eligible properties located in certain older Laval neighbourhoods. Conditions cover the property's sector, the household profile (notably young families), and the state of the building. If your future home falls within an eligible sector, confirm your status before signing: applications go through the City and require supporting documents. Ask your notary to add the step to the post-closing checklist so the deadline is not missed.
Payment, timing and the provincial credit
Once the sale is registered in the land register, the City mails the notice — usually within a month or two — payable in a single instalment by the date shown. The welcome tax does not follow the staggered schedule of your annual property tax account: keep that amount in your post-closing cash, not your down payment. You can pay online through Mon dossier, at your financial institution (counter, ATM, or online banking using your reference number), or at the Service des finances counter. On the provincial side, a home-access tax credit can refund part of the transfer duties for eligible first-time buyers; your notary is the right person to confirm your situation and apply it correctly.
Useful resources and contacts
Before paying, cross-check your estimate with the official real estate transfer rights page and the notice you receive. If you have questions:
- 311 (citizen service line): dial 311 from Laval, or 450-978-8000 from outside the city — Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Revenue Division, Service des finances: 450-978-5700 for questions about your notice or payment options.
- In person: 1333 boulevard Chomedey, suite 101, Monday to Friday 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
- General email: info@ville.laval.qc.ca
The calculator provides a practical estimate for budgeting; the official notice issued by the City remains the document of record for final payment.
What is the transfer tax?
Commonly called the "welcome tax", the real estate transfer tax is a mandatory municipal tax collected when a property changes hands in Quebec. It is always paid by the buyer, never the seller, to the municipality where the building is located, in the months following the signing at the notary.
Is the welcome tax paid every year?
No. The transfer duty is paid only once, when the property changes hands. Do not confuse it with municipal and school taxes, which recur every year: the welcome tax is a single bill, sent by the municipality after the sale is registered in the Land Register.
How is the welcome tax calculated?
The calculation is based on the highest amount among the following:
- The purchase price paid for the building;
- The amount of the consideration entered in the deed of sale;
- The market value of the building, meaning the value entered in the municipal assessment roll multiplied by the city's comparative factor.
This amount is then subject to a progressive rate scale that varies by municipality. In 2026, the first bracket (up to $62,900) is taxed at 0.5%, the next ones at 1% and then 1.5%, and several large cities add higher brackets (up to 4% in Montreal).
New construction: the tax base is the price before GST and QST.
Calculation example (2026)
For a property purchased in Montreal at a price of $600,000 (tax base):
- $0 to $62,900 (0.5%) :$314.50
- $62,900 to $315,000 (1%) :$2,521.00
- $315,000 to $552,300 (1.5%) :$3,559.50
- $552,300 to $600,000 (2%) :$954.00
- Total to pay:$7,349.00
Calculated with the official rate grid in force in Montreal. Source: Ville de Montréal
Who is exempt from the welcome tax?
The Act respecting duties on transfers of immovables provides exemptions. The most common cases:
- Transfer between spouses: married, in a civil union, or common-law partners who have lived together for at least 12 months (in case of separation, the transfer must occur within 12 months of the end of the union);
- Transfer in the direct line: between parents and children or grandparents and grandchildren (but not between siblings);
- Tax base under $5,000;
- Transfer to a corporation in which the transferor holds at least 90% of the voting shares.
Even when exempt, the municipality may charge a special duty, generally capped at $200. The exemption must be recorded in the notarized deed: your notary claims it for you.
Not exempt? The 2026 first-time buyer tax credit can still refund up to $5,875 of your tax. See the first-time buyer credit guide
Why is it called the "welcome tax"?
The official name is "duties on transfers of immovables", introduced by a 1976 Quebec law allowing municipalities to collect this duty. The nickname is often attributed to Jean Bienvenue, Minister of Municipal Affairs at the time ("bienvenue" means "welcome" in French), but the expression mostly owes its success to its irony: a "welcome" billed to the new owner. Both terms refer to exactly the same tax.
Calculators for nearby cities
Selected year: 2026