Closing costs when you buy a home in Québec

Buying in Québec comes with a few closing costs you will not find elsewhere in Canada: the welcome tax, a notary instead of a lawyer, and often a certificate of location. Beyond your down payment, plan on roughly 1.5% to 3% of the price in cash, more in Montréal at higher prices.

The short version: the welcome tax is usually the biggest item, followed by notary fees and, if you put down less than 20%, a 9% tax on the mortgage insurance premium. The welcome tax is billed later, so keep that money aside after closing.

What closing costs include in Québec

• Welcome tax (transfer duties), paid to the municipality. It is charged on a sliding scale and is explained below.
• Notary fees. In Québec a notary handles the title search, the deed of sale, the mortgage deed and the registration. Fees are commonly about $1,500 to $2,500 plus taxes and disbursements, so ask for a written quote.
• Certificate of location, a surveyor's document that describes the property and its boundaries. A new one often costs about $1,000 to $2,000. If the seller's certificate is recent and nothing has changed since, your notary may accept it.
• Home inspection, typically about $500 to $800.
• Tax on the mortgage insurance premium. If your down payment is under 20%, Québec charges 9% sales tax on the premium. It is due in cash at closing and cannot be added to the mortgage.
• Adjustments: you reimburse the seller for prepaid municipal and school taxes, and for condo fees if they apply.
• GST and QST on a new build, unless the price already includes them. Ask whether a rebate applies.
• Home insurance, moving costs and utilities. Your lender will require insurance before you get the keys.

Title insurance exists in Québec but is optional and less common, because the notary verifies the title.

How the welcome tax works

The welcome tax is calculated on the greatest of the price you pay, the amount written in the deed, and the property's assessed value as set by the municipality. It is charged on slices of that amount. For 2026 the general scale is:

• 0.5% on the first $62,900.
• 1% from $62,900 to $315,000.
• 1.5% above $315,000.

Montréal adds higher slices. For 2026: 1.5% from $315,000 to $552,300, 2% to $1,104,700, 2.5% to $2,136,500, 3.5% to $3,113,000 and 4% above that. Other municipalities also set their own higher rates on the upper part of the price, so check with yours.

• $300,000: about $2,686, the same everywhere.
• $450,000: about $4,861, the same on the general scale and in Montréal.
• $600,000: about $7,111 on the general scale, and about $7,349 in Montréal.
• $800,000: about $10,111 on the general scale, and about $11,349 in Montréal.

The municipality sends the bill after the sale, usually a few weeks later, and you pay within the time shown on it. It is not paid at the notary's office. Unlike Ontario and British Columbia, Québec has no province-wide welcome tax rebate for first-time buyers, so ask your municipality whether it has a local program.

Example: $450,000 home outside Montréal, 10% down

• Welcome tax: about $4,861, billed after closing.
• Notary fees: about $2,000.
• Certificate of location: about $1,500, if you need a new one.
• Home inspection: about $600.
• Tax on the mortgage insurance premium ($405,000 x 3.10% = $12,555, then 9%): about $1,130.
• Total: about $10,100, or roughly 2.2% of the price, before adjustments and moving. Without a new certificate of location it is about $8,600, or 1.9%.

How to lower the bill

• Get quotes from two or three notaries. Fees and disbursements vary.
• Ask about the certificate of location early, and whether the existing one is still valid, before you pay for a new one.
• Compare inspectors, and ask what the inspection covers.
• Put down 20% if you can to avoid the insurance premium and the 9% tax on it.
• On a new build, ask what the price includes and which rebates apply.

How to budget

Add the estimate to your down payment to find the cash you need. On a $450,000 home, 1.5% to 3% is roughly $6,750 to $13,500. These are estimates, so confirm exact amounts with your notary and your lender. Our land transfer tax calculator shows the welcome tax for Québec and Montréal, and our mortgage simulator adds the other closing costs for your price. For the general picture across Canada, see What are closing costs when you buy a home in Canada?, and for the rebates other provinces offer, see Home buyer tax credits and rebates.

Sources: Ville de Montréal: how transfer duties are calculated, CMHC: general requirements.