There is no Calgary land transfer tax. Alberta is one of the few Canadian provinces that does not charge a percentage-based tax on property purchases, which saves Calgary buyers thousands of dollars compared to Toronto or Vancouver. What you do pay are flat registration fees to the provincial Land Titles Office to record the transfer and, if you are financing, your mortgage. On a $500,000 home with a $400,000 mortgage, those combined fees come to roughly $1,000.
How the Land Title Transfer Fee Is Calculated
Every property that changes hands in Alberta triggers a registration fee to update the certificate of title. The formula is a $50 base fee plus $5 for every $5,000 (or part thereof) of the property’s value.1Government of Alberta. Land Titles and Surveys Common Document Fee Schedule The Land Titles Office uses the purchase price on your transfer documents to run the math.
At common Calgary price points, the fee looks like this:
- $400,000 home: $50 + (80 × $5) = $450
- $500,000 home: $50 + (100 × $5) = $550
- $700,000 home: $50 + (140 × $5) = $750
If the price on your transfer documents looks unusually low compared to market conditions, the Land Titles Office can ask for an appraisal to confirm value. Each additional title affected by the same transfer adds $15.1Government of Alberta. Land Titles and Surveys Common Document Fee Schedule
Mortgage Registration Fee
Financing adds a second fee to register the mortgage against the title. The formula matches the transfer fee: $50 plus $5 for every $5,000 of the mortgage principal.1Government of Alberta. Land Titles and Surveys Common Document Fee Schedule Registration gives your lender a recorded lien, which protects its priority if other claims are ever made against the property.
A $400,000 mortgage works out to $50 + (80 × $5) = $450. Combined with the transfer fee on a $500,000 purchase, your total Land Titles fees come to $1,000. Your lawyer collects the money at closing and remits it when filing the documents, so you see it as a line item on your statement of adjustments rather than paying it at a government counter.
GST on New Construction
Resale homes in Calgary are exempt from GST. New builds and substantially renovated properties are not. The federal government charges 5% GST on the purchase price of a new home, which adds $25,000 to a $500,000 new build. Alberta has no provincial sales tax, so nothing stacks on top of the GST.
The GST New Housing Rebate returns 36% of the GST paid, up to a maximum of $6,300, when the home’s fair market value is $350,000 or less. The rebate gradually shrinks between $350,001 and $449,999 and disappears at $450,000.2Canada Revenue Agency. GST/HST New Housing Rebate Because the median new detached home in Calgary sits well above $450,000, most new-build buyers in the city will not qualify.
If you are buying a new property to rent out, the builder will not credit the rebate at closing. You pay the full GST upfront and then apply to the CRA for the New Residential Rental Property Rebate after the deal closes.
Other Closing Costs to Budget For
Registration fees and GST get most of the attention, but several other charges show up on closing day.
Property Tax Adjustment
Calgary property taxes are billed annually and prorated between buyer and seller to the exact closing date. If the seller has paid the full year, you reimburse them for the portion covering the rest of the year. If taxes are still unpaid, you receive a credit for the seller’s share. Alberta convention puts the seller on the hook for the entire closing day.
Real Property Report or Title Insurance
Most Calgary resale transactions require a Real Property Report with a municipal compliance stamp confirming that structures on the lot comply with city bylaws. The seller typically pays for the RPR, but delays in obtaining one are common and can push back closing. Title insurance is a faster and cheaper alternative that protects you against losses from existing survey defects, generally a few hundred dollars as a one-time premium, compared to several hundred or more for a new RPR plus any compliance work the city requires.
Legal Fees
Your lawyer handles the title search, document preparation, registration, mortgage instructions, and trust account disbursements. Legal fees for a standard Calgary residential purchase typically run $1,000 to $2,500 depending on complexity, plus disbursements for title searches, courier charges, and other incidentals. Fees vary meaningfully between firms for the same scope of work, so it is worth getting a couple of quotes.
Foreign Buyer Restrictions
Non-Canadian citizens and non-permanent residents are currently prohibited from purchasing residential property anywhere in Canada, Calgary included. The federal government extended the ban through January 1, 2027.3Government of Canada. Government Announces Two-Year Extension to Ban on Foreign Ownership of Canadian Housing The prohibition also covers foreign commercial enterprises. Violating it can result in a court order to sell the property and fines of up to $10,000.