Welcome Tax Calculator
Estimate your Québec welcome tax, the taxe de bienvenue, or droits de mutation, with 2026 rates for Montréal, the on-island municipalities and standard Québec. Instant result, full bracket breakdown.
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Open the full calculator →About the welcome tax
The welcome tax is a one-time tax your municipality charges when you buy a property in Québec. It is calculated in progressive brackets on the greater of the purchase price or the municipal assessment (adjusted by the city comparative factor). Rates are indexed each year, the brackets above are for 2026.
Find your municipal assessment
The tax is charged on the higher of the price or the assessed value adjusted by the city's comparative factor. To look up an assessment:
When the amount looks wrong
The welcome tax follows a formula set by law, so there is little to negotiate. What you can check is what it was calculated on, and whether you qualify for relief.
- The base is the highest of three amounts: the price you paid, the price written in the deed, and the market value, which is the municipal assessment multiplied by the city’s comparative factor. Montréal’s factor is 1.00 for 2026. If you paid more than the assessment, the tax is on your price and the assessment changes nothing.
- If the bill does not match your own numbers, compare the base and the brackets on the bill with this calculator, then call the city’s tax office. The law also gives a buyer who has paid a recourse before the court, within 90 days after the payment deadline. Your notary can tell you whether it is worth using.
- The municipal assessment itself can be contested with a request for review. The deadline is before May 1 of the year a new roll takes effect, which was April 30, 2026 for the 2026 to 2028 roll, or 60 days after a notice of change. In Montréal the fee starts at $90. A tax bill that feels too high is not a ground: you have to show the value is wrong. When the welcome tax was charged on the assessment, some buyers have had it recalculated after a successful review. It is not guaranteed, so ask the city and your notary before you count on it.
- Some transfers are exempt: between spouses, between de facto spouses who have lived together for at least 12 months, between parents and children, and to a company you own at 90% or more. An exempt transfer can still carry a special duty of up to $200.
- First-time buyers: Québec’s new refundable tax credit for access to homeownership gives back up to $5,875 of the welcome tax on a home acquired since January 1, 2026. It shrinks above a price of $750,000 and ends at $1,000,000. You claim it on your Québec tax return.
Frequently asked questions
How is the welcome tax calculated in Montréal?
Montréal 2026 brackets: 0.5% up to $62,900, 1% to $315,000, 1.5% to $552,300, 2% to $1,104,700, 2.5% to $2,136,500, 3.5% to $3,113,000, and 4% above. A $700,000 purchase equals $9,349.
Do some cities charge more above $500,000?
Yes, several on-island municipalities keep the standard brackets below $500,000 but charge up to 3% on the portion above. Pick your municipality above for its exact brackets. If your city is not in the list, Laval and Longueuil among them, check its own by-law before trusting the standard option: it will understate the tax wherever a city has added a band of its own.
When do you pay it?
The bill arrives a few months after closing and is payable in one payment, usually within 30 days. It cannot be added to your mortgage, so set the money aside.
Who is exempt?
Certain transfers are exempt, between spouses (married or common-law) and in the direct family line (for example parent to child). Your notary confirms whether an exemption applies.
Buying or selling in Montréal?Acheter ou vendre à Montréal?
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