First-time home buyer programs in Nova Scotia

Down Payment Assistance Program

• An interest-free loan of 5% of the purchase price, repayable over 10 years, for the down payment only.
• You need pre-approval for an insured mortgage, household income under $145,000, and a credit score of 650 or more for everyone on the deed.
• Price limits: $570,000 in Halifax Regional Municipality and East Hants; $375,000 in West Hants, the Annapolis Valley and the South Shore; $300,000 in Yarmouth County and the Northern and Eastern regions.

Deed transfer tax

Nova Scotia's deed transfer tax is set by each municipality, so our calculator doesn't compute it. Check your municipality's rate.

Federal programs available in every province

• First Home Savings Account (FHSA): contribute up to $8,000 a year, to $40,000 in total, with tax-deductible contributions and tax-free qualifying withdrawals.
• Home Buyers' Plan: withdraw up to $60,000 from your RRSPs and repay it over 15 years.
• GST/HST first-time home buyers' rebate: up to $50,000 of the federal GST on a newly built home, in full up to $1,000,000 and phased out at $1,500,000.
• Home buyers' amount: a federal non-refundable tax credit of $1,500 (15% of $10,000).
• With less than 20% down, first-time buyers can get an insured mortgage with an amortization of up to 30 years.

Estimate your costs in Nova Scotia

The calculator applies the provincial transfer tax or registration fees, with first-time buyer relief where the province offers it, plus default insurance and the monthly payment.

Before you rely on a program

Each figure on this page comes from the government page cited for it. We checked every program against its official page on November 13, 2026, and give the date a rule took effect wherever the government states one. Programs can close, run out of funding or change their limits, so confirm eligibility with the program before you sign an agreement of purchase and sale. Loans must be repaid, and income and price limits apply to the whole household.