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Nova Scotia
Land Transfer Tax Calculator
Looking to calculate your land transfer tax in Nova Scotia? Before you finalize your home purchase, you’ll want to ensure that you’ve put enough money aside to cover closing costs.
Land transfer tax (LTT) is one of the largest costs associated with the closing of your home, often overlooked when calculating your total purchase amount. There may be several fees and closing costs related to transferring the property from seller to buyer. You should prepare to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
In Nova Scotia, the land transfer taxes paid by homebuyers are called Provincial & Municipal Deed Transfer Taxes.
nesto’s Land Transfer Calculator will help simplify your budgeting efforts for all the costs associated with your homebuying process.
See: Everything You Need to Know About the Land Transfer Tax
Nova Scotia Land Transfer Tax Calculator
Nova Scotia Deed Transfer Tax Rates
The Land transfer tax (LTT), known provincially as the Provincial Deed Transfer Tax in Nova Scotia, is calculated based on the purchase price of your property and only applies to non-residents of the province.
Nova Scotia Provincial Deed Transfer Tax (PDTT)
The Provincial (non-resident) Deed Transfer Tax (PDTT) is effective for all purchase and sale agreements and other specific transfers starting 1 April 2022.
The PDTT applies to all residential properties or portions of property deemed residential with 3 dwelling units or less, including vacant land classified as residential.
The PDTT is a 5% tax levied on the purchase price or the property’s assessed value (whichever is greater).
The PDTT applies to residential properties of 3 or fewer dwelling units being transferred to 1 or more owners, where more than 50% of the ownership interest in the property is granted to non-residents of Nova Scotia.
| Property Value | Deed Transfer Tax |
| All amounts | 5% of property value |
Note: You may use our Land Transfer Calculator to estimate your required land transfer tax for Nova Scotia; however, the final value must be confirmed with your solicitor.
Provincial Deed Transfer Tax (PDTT) Rebates & Exemptions
There are many exemptions for this tax, including becoming a province resident within 6 months after the deed is transferred to your name.
If residents of Nova Scotia hold 50% or more of the ownership interest in the property, the PDTT does not apply. For example, if two siblings (1 resident and 1 non-resident) acquire a residential property and each sibling’s ownership interest is 50%, then the PDTT does not apply.
Ownership Interest in the Property
If a property has multiple owners, each owner’s interest is determined by whether the owners are considered joint tenants or tenants in common:
• Joint tenants have equal interests in a property.
• Tenants in common each have a property interest as stated on the property’s title document (e.g. deed) or parcel register (under the Land Registration Act). If no interest is stated on either, then equal interests are applied.
Total ownership interest in a property must not exceed 100%.
Changes Effective June 30, 2023
Agreement of Purchase and Sale signed after 30 June 2023 and other transfers after 30 June 2023 without an Agreement of Purchase and Sale
For an Agreement of Purchase and Sale signed after 30 June 2023 and other transfers after 30 June 2023 without an Agreement of Purchase and Sale:
- tax applies to deeds being registered where any ownership interest is being granted to non-residents of Nova Scotia
- tax is based on the ownership interest being transferred to non-residents
- tax calculation: PDTT = 5% x Total Ownership Interest being Transferred to Non-Residents x Purchase Price or the Assessed Value of Property (whichever is greater)
There will continue to be an exemption for non-residents who move to Nova Scotia within 6 months. That exemption will be at the individual grantee level. All non-residents who are moving to Nova Scotia within 6 months must provide proof of residency for the exemption to apply.
For example, if a property is transferred to 2 non-residents who intend to move to Nova Scotia within 6 months, the tax would not be payable at the time of the transfer. However, if only 1 can provide proof of residency at the end of the 6 months, the tax (plus interest and a potential penalty) will become applicable on the ownership interest of the grantee who could not provide proof of residency.
Exemptions
Some deed transfers are exempt from this tax. They include:
- transactions involving an Agreement of Purchase and Sale dated before 1 April 2022
- transactions only, including residential property (or a portion of residential property) with more than 3 dwelling units
- for transactions before 1 July 2023, residential property with 3 or fewer dwelling units being transferred to grantees where 50% or more of the ownership is by residents of Nova Scotia
- residential property with 3 or fewer dwelling units being transferred to grantees who are not residents of Nova Scotia if they intend to move to Nova Scotia within 6 months of the property transfer
- property being transferred between spouses/common-law partners (or former spouses or common-law partners if the transfer is for the purpose of division of marital/jointly held assets)
- property being transferred from an individual to a joint spousal/common-law partner trust (or a trust having similar requirements if the individual is a non-resident of Canada); the individual and their spouse/common-law partner must be the only beneficiaries of the trust
- residential property being transferred to a foreclosing mortgagee or to a mortgage insurer from a foreclosing mortgagee
- residential property being transferred from an executor to an eligible beneficiary under a will; an eligible beneficiary is a spouse, common-law spouse, child, grandchild, parent or sibling of the testator or a child or grandchild of the testator’s spouse or common-law spouse
- property being transferred from an executor to a spousal trust
- residential property being transferred from an administrator of an estate to a person entitled to the estate under the Intestate Succession Act or the intestacy laws of another jurisdiction
- property being transferred to a child, grandchild, parent or sibling of the grantor if the deed is registered after the death of the grantor
- property being transferred from an individual to an alter ego trust (or a trust having similar requirements if the individual is a non-resident of Canada); the individual must be the sole beneficiary of the trust.
- property being transferred to or from a trust if there is no change in beneficial ownership of the property
- transactions only, including property classified as commercial/resource (no portion of the property is classified as residential)
- transactions, where the grantee is a registered charity and the residential property in this transaction will not be used for commercial, industrial or other business purposes
- property being transferred to the Crown (or an agency/corporation of the Crown)
- all of the statements in this bullet must be true for this exemption to qualify.
- deeds being registered to simply confirm, correct, modify, or supplement a deed previously given,
- there is no consideration beyond $1, and
- the deed does not include more property than the previous deed
Municipal Deed Transfer Tax (MLTT)
In addition to the Provincial Deed Transfer Tax (PDTT), municipalities in Nova Scotia will require their municipal land transfer taxes, known as the Municipal Deed Transfer Tax (MDTT), ranging from 0.50% to 1.50%, to be paid through the province upon the purchase of residential property or land.
| Property Value | Deed Transfer Tax |
| All amounts | 0.5% – 1.50% (based on municipality) |
Municipal Deed Transfer Tax (MDTT) Rates are set by each Municipality and are updated when the Municipalities advise the province of any rate change. This list of rates is as current as possible; however, rate changes are at the discretion of the municipalities and may not be reported to Service Nova Scotia. You are advised to check with the Municipality to confirm the most recent rate before conducting a transaction. Municipal Deed Transfer Tax Rates
Nova Scotia & Federal Taxes, Rebates and Regulations
Nova Scotia has the most simplified and lowest land transfer taxes. Please review in detail to see if these additional taxes impact you. We have included links to the taxes and additional links if any programs exist for rebates.
The federal government announced a measure to prohibit non-Canadians from purchasing residential property in Canada for 2 years in Budget 2022. The legislation known as the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act was passed on June 23, 2022. This law will come into effect on January 1, 2023, for two years ending on December 31, 2025.
HST in Nova Scotia is 15%, made up of 5% GST and 10% PST. The rebate you can receive for the GST Portion is 36% of the GST tax amount up to a maximum of $6,300. The rebate you can receive for the PST Portion is 18.75% of the PST tax amount up to a maximum of $3,000. You may be able to recover some of the GST paid through the federal government’s New Housing Rebate (NHR). You may be eligible for an exemption from paying this tax if you meet certain conditions if this home is your primary residence.
Conversely, if you plan to rent out the newly built home, you may be able to claim the GST as a legitimate business expense and apply to the CRA for the second type of rebate designed for real estate investors, the New Residential Rental Property Rebate (NRRPR).
PST Rebate for Newly Built Homes provides a rebate to first-time buyers for the PST Portion is 18.75% of the PST tax amount up to a maximum of $3,000.
Down Payment Assistance Program (DPAP) assists Nova Scotians who pre-qualify for an insured mortgage to purchase their first home. Eligible participants can apply to receive a loan of up to 5% of the purchase price of a home. Loans provided under this program are interest-free, repayable over 10 years, and must be used for a down payment (cannot be used for financing, closing, or other costs). The maximum loan available is $25,000. This program is limited to Canadian citizens or permanent residents who have resided in Nova Scotia for at least 12 months preceding the application process and cannot provide the 5% down payment without this assistance. Household income is limited to $145,000, with property value limitations ranging from $375,000 to $500,000 based on the municipality where the property is located.
Energy Efficiency Programs introduced by the provincial government to assist homeowners and renters in upgrading their home’s energy infrastructure at no cost.
Provincial Sales Tax (PST) is not collected in Nova Scotia by your solicitor on the amount of your default (high ratio) mortgage insurance. An insured mortgage is qualified as such when your down payment is less than 20%. Therefore, you will need to purchase default (high ratio) insurance. Although this insurance is added to your mortgage, the taxes (PST) on purchasing this insurance are not. Your solicitor will collect and remit the PST on behalf of the default (high ratio) insurer (CMHC, Sagen, or Canada Guaranty) upon closing.
Nova Scotia Property Taxes
Property tax is a levy based on the property’s assessed value, payable to your municipality per their schedule.
Property taxes are calculated using values through the Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC).
PVSC is an independent agency that provides a quality property assessment system for Nova Scotia.
Click on your municipality below for more details on tax rates, payment schedules and contact information.
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