Property transfer tax in BC, and the exemptions
By Dan Jones ·
Bottom line: property transfer tax is paid by the buyer on nearly every purchase in BC, and on an $800,000 home it is $14,000 due in cash on completion. It is charged in bands: 1% on the first $200,000, 2% from $200,000 to $2 million, 3% from $2 million to $3 million, and 5% above that. It is not financed into the mortgage, which is the part that catches people. Two exemptions are worth knowing: first time buyers get a full exemption up to $835,000, and newly built homes up to $1,100,000 when used as a principal residence. If you are moving from Alberta, this is the cost that surprises people most, because Alberta has no equivalent.
I am Dan Jones, a REALTOR with Royal LePage Locations West in Penticton, licence number 1118346, licensed since 2004.
I am not a lawyer or an accountant. The rates and thresholds below come from the BC government and are current as of September 2026, and whether a particular exemption applies to you is a question for your conveyancer.
The rates
| Portion of the purchase price | Rate |
|---|---|
| First $200,000 | 1% |
| $200,000 to $2 million | 2% |
| $2 million to $3 million | 3% |
| Above $3 million | 5% |
It works in bands, like income tax. You do not pay the top rate on the whole price, only on the portion within each band.
Worked example on an $800,000 purchase:
- 1% of the first $200,000 equals $2,000
- 2% of the remaining $600,000 equals $12,000
- Total: $14,000
That is the single largest closing cost most buyers face here.
What it comes to at different prices
Working the bands out at a few price points, so you can find roughly where you sit:
| Purchase price | Property transfer tax |
|---|---|
| $500,000 | $8,000 |
| $800,000 | $14,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $18,000 |
| $1,500,000 | $28,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $38,000 |
| $2,500,000 | $53,000 |
Those are the arithmetic of the bands above with no exemption applied. Notice how the increase steepens past $2 million, where the third band starts.
A rough shortcut for anything between $200,000 and $2 million: 2% of the price, minus $2,000. On $900,000 that gives $16,000, which is exact. It stops working above $2 million.
The part that catches people
It is not financed. It is cash you need available on the completion date, alongside legal fees, any adjustments and your down payment.
People building a budget sometimes work out what they can borrow, find a house at the top of that number, and only later discover they need another fourteen thousand dollars in hand. That is a genuinely uncomfortable conversation to have two weeks before completion.
Work it out at the start. Your lawyer or notary collects it as part of closing funds and remits it when the transfer registers, and it appears on your statement of adjustments so you will see the exact figure in advance.
The two exemptions worth knowing
First time home buyer
A full exemption on homes valued up to $835,000, with a partial exemption between $835,000 and $860,000, and none at or above $860,000.
There are conditions, including around residency, whether you have owned a principal residence anywhere before, and occupying the property. Confirm you qualify with your conveyancer rather than assuming, because the conditions are specific.
The threshold is a cliff, not a slope
This is worth understanding before you shop near the limit.
A first time buyer at $835,000 pays nothing. The same buyer at $860,000 pays the full $15,200, because above $860,000 the exemption is gone entirely rather than reduced.
So moving from a $835,000 house to a $860,000 house does not cost you $25,000. It costs you $25,000 in price plus $15,200 in tax, which is $40,200.
That changes what you should be looking at. If you are a first time buyer and your budget lands anywhere near this range, tell me, because a house listed at $869,000 and a house listed at $835,000 are separated by far more than the listings suggest, and it is sometimes worth negotiating specifically to land under the line.
Newly built home
A full exemption up to $1,100,000, with a partial exemption up to $1,150,000, where the property will be used as a principal residence.
This one is not restricted to first time buyers, which surprises people. If you are downsizing into a new build within that range, it is worth asking about.
New builds: two separate taxes
A newly built home can attract both property transfer tax and GST, and they are different things.
GST is federal, 5%, and applies to new construction rather than resale. Since March 2026 there is a first time home buyers GST rebate covering 100% of the GST on a qualifying new home up to $1 million, worth up to $50,000, reducing between $1 million and $1.5 million and unavailable above that. It is retroactive to March 20, 2025.
Property transfer tax is provincial and applies as set out above, subject to the newly built home exemption.
So on a new build you may face one, both, or neither depending on price, your buyer status and which exemptions apply. This is exactly the point to have your conveyancer run the numbers before you commit.
Moving from Alberta
This is the cost that most surprises people relocating here, because Alberta has no equivalent land transfer tax.
If you are selling in Calgary or Edmonton and buying in Penticton, the sale side feels familiar and the purchase side does not. Add property transfer tax to your calculation from the beginning, not as an afterthought.
It is one of three BC costs worth knowing about before you move. The other two are the annual home owner grant, which reduces your property tax bill but has to be applied for each year, and the speculation and vacancy tax, which now applies in Penticton and Summerland and requires an annual declaration by March 31 even when you are exempt.
Choosing where to live in the South Okanagan covers the rest of what changes when you move here.
Where it gets more complicated
Transfers between family members. Exemptions exist for certain transfers between related individuals in defined circumstances. Whether a specific transfer qualifies depends on the relationship and the facts. Do not assume, and do not structure a transaction around an assumption. Ask a lawyer.
Additional tax on residential property over $3 million. The 5% top band reflects an additional charge on the residential portion above that threshold.
Foreign buyers face additional rules that are outside what I can usefully summarise here.
What to do
- Work out the number early, using the bands above, and treat it as cash required on completion.
- Check whether either exemption applies with your conveyancer, before you write an offer if the price is near a threshold.
- On a new build, ask about GST separately, including the first time buyers rebate.
- Verify the current thresholds. These change, usually with the provincial budget in late February.
The BC government publishes current rates and the full exemption conditions at gov.bc.ca under property transfer tax.
Figures above are current as of September 2026 and come from the BC government. Check before relying on them.
If you want the full picture of what a South Okanagan purchase and sale will cost you, the complete breakdown is here, or email me at dano007@shaw.ca.