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For tax purposes, you're a first-time buyer if you (and your spouse) haven't owned a home you lived in during the current year or the 4 years before that.

For tax purposes, you're a first-time buyer if you (and your spouse) haven't owned a home you lived in during the current year or the 4 years before that.

General information only — not financial advice for your situation.

This is a learning tool. Always check CRA My Account records and talk to a qualified professional for your own numbers.

Plain English

For tax purposes, you're a first-time buyer if you (and your spouse) haven't owned a home you lived in during the current year or the 4 years before that.

Technical definition

A first-time home buyer is defined as an individual who did not own a property that was their principal residence (or whose spouse/common-law partner did not) at any time in the current calendar year or the four preceding calendar years. This definition applies to eligibility for the FHSA, the Home Buyers' Plan, and the First-Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit.

Examples

  • • You sold your condo in 2020. By 2025, four full years have passed, so you qualify as a first-time home buyer again in 2026.
  • • You've always rented. You and your spouse both qualify as first-time home buyers and can each use the HBP and open FHSAs.

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Every number on this site is sourced from CRA publications, the Income Tax Act, or provincial fiscal releases. We show the math, cite the sources, and never tell you what to do with your money.

Sources & references