Land Transfer Tax in Alberta
If you're buying in Alberta, you'll hear "no land transfer tax" a lot, and it's true. Buyers here don't pay the percentage-of-price tax that some other provinces charge on every sale. That doesn't mean closing is free of registration costs, though. Alberta still charges Land Titles Office fees to register the transfer, plus a second one if you're financing with a mortgage.
Below, run the calculator for a quick estimate of a typical Alberta closing, then read on for exactly what the Land Titles fees are, how they're calculated, and what to expect once Calgary property tax season rolls around.
Calculator · live, recomputes as you type
This calculator gives an estimate for general information only — it is automated, not a formal quote, and it is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Confirm exact figures with your lawyer before relying on them for a financing decision.
Alberta has no land transfer tax
Several Canadian provinces charge a land transfer tax on every property purchase, calculated as a percentage of the sale price and due at closing. Alberta doesn't. There's no provincial land transfer tax here at all, for any buyer, first-time or not.
That's a genuine difference in the closing-cost math if you're moving here from a province that does charge one, but we're not going to put a dollar figure on what it "saves" you. The size of a transfer tax elsewhere varies too much by province, price, and buyer status to responsibly reduce to one number. What we can tell you clearly is what actually replaces it here.
What you do pay: Land Titles registration fees
Instead of a transfer tax, Alberta charges registration fees at the Land Titles Office, and there are two of them if you're financing with a mortgage: one to register the transfer of title into your name, and a separate one to register the mortgage against it. As of October 20, 2024, both use the same formula: a $50 base fee, plus $5 for every $5,000 of value. That works out to roughly $1 for every $1,000, applied against the purchase price for the transfer and, separately, against the mortgage principal if a mortgage is being registered too.
On a $600,000 purchase, that's a $650 transfer registration fee ($50 plus $5 times 120). If you're also registering a $480,000 mortgage, add another $530 for that registration ($50 plus $5 times 96). These fees replaced a lower rate that applied before October 2024, so if you've come across an older figure somewhere, it's out of date. Your lawyer collects and remits both fees as part of closing; you won't pay the Land Titles Office directly yourself.
Closing costs in Alberta
Land Titles registration fees are only one line item. The calculator above estimates the rest of a typical Alberta closing: legal fees, title insurance, and a home inspection, next to the $0 land transfer tax that makes Alberta different from provinces that charge one. Those three market items aren't regulated the way registration fees are, so what the calculator shows is a typical range midpoint, not a quote. Your actual costs depend on which lawyer and inspector you use and what your transaction needs.
One thing the calculator's total doesn't include: the Land Titles registration fees described above. Those scale by purchase price and mortgage amount rather than sitting in a fixed range, so they're worth adding on separately using the formula in the previous section for the fullest picture of what closing will actually cost.
Calgary property taxes
Land Titles fees and closing costs are a one-time thing at purchase, but property tax is annual. In Calgary, tax bills go out in May, with a due date of the last business day in June. The city calculates your bill from your property's assessed value (assessment notices typically arrive in January) combined with the tax rates set through the annual municipal and provincial budget process.
If paying the full amount in one June bill doesn't suit your budget, Calgary offers TIPP, the Tax Installment Payment Plan, which lets you pay the same total annual amount in smaller monthly installments instead. It's a scheduling option, not a discount, but it's worth knowing about before your first tax bill arrives as a new owner.
Questions people ask
What buyers want to know
Does everyone pay land transfer tax?
In Alberta specifically, no one pays land transfer tax, because the province doesn't have one, whether you're buying your first home or your fifth. In provinces that do charge it, it generally applies to every purchase, though some of those provinces offer first-time-buyer rebates that reduce or eliminate it for qualifying buyers. Buying here, that question doesn't come up, since there's nothing to pay.
How much are closing fees in Alberta?
It depends on your purchase price and whether you're financing with a mortgage, but the main line items are Land Titles registration fees (a $50 base plus $5 per $5,000 of value, charged again if you're registering a mortgage), legal fees, title insurance, and a home inspection. We've broken down typical ranges for the market-rate items and the exact registration-fee formula elsewhere on this page, including a calculator you can run with your own numbers.
How much tax do I pay on $100,000 in Alberta?
This usually comes from an income-tax search, but on the land-transfer side: transferring $100,000 worth of property in Alberta doesn't trigger a transfer tax at all, since Alberta doesn't charge one. It does trigger a Land Titles registration fee of about $150 (the $50 base fee plus $5 per $5,000 of value, on $100,000). If you meant income tax on $100,000 of earnings, that's a different question with a different answer, and one for a tax professional rather than us.
What city has the highest property tax in Alberta?
We're not going to guess at a city-by-city ranking here. Alberta municipalities each set their own tax rates through their own annual budget process, and rates shift year to year as budgets and assessed values change, so a "highest in the province" claim would be stale the moment a neighbouring city adjusts its own rate. What we can speak to directly is Calgary, where we work: your bill comes from your property's assessed value combined with the current municipal and provincial tax rates, updated annually.
Is there land transfer tax in Alberta?
No. Alberta is one of the provinces that simply doesn't levy a land transfer tax, on any purchase. What you'll see instead at closing is a Land Titles registration fee, and that's a different thing: a flat-plus-scaling registration charge, not a percentage-of-price tax.
Does Alberta have land transfer tax?
No, and it's not a recent change either. Alberta hasn't had a land transfer tax through any of its major real estate cycles. Buyers moving here from provinces that do charge one are often the ones surprised by this, since it's normal there and simply doesn't exist here.
How much is land transfer tax in Alberta?
$0. Alberta land transfer tax doesn't exist, so there's no rate or formula to apply to your purchase price. The number you'll actually see on your closing statement is the Land Titles registration fee instead: $50 plus $5 for every $5,000 of value, and that's the one worth budgeting for.
Who pays land transfer tax in Alberta?
Nobody, on either side of the transaction, because Alberta doesn't charge one to buyers or sellers. If you're comparing notes with a friend who bought somewhere that does have one, their bill was theirs to pay as the buyer, since it's collected from the purchaser at closing in provinces that charge it. That comparison simply doesn't apply here.
When are property taxes due in Calgary?
Calgary property tax bills go out in May, with payment due by the last business day in June. If you're on TIPP instead, you're already spreading that amount across monthly installments rather than facing a single June due date. Supplementary tax bills, when they apply, arrive separately with their own due dates.
When do Calgary property taxes come out?
Assessment notices, which set the value your tax bill is based on, typically arrive in January. The tax bill itself follows in May, calculated from that assessment and the tax rates set through the city's budget process, with payment due at the end of June. If you meant the assessment rather than the bill, January is the month to watch for that notice.
How are Calgary property taxes calculated?
Your bill comes from two inputs multiplied together: your property's assessed value, set annually by the city, and the tax rate, set through the municipal and provincial budget process each year. Because both can move independently, a bill can change year to year even if your home's value hasn't, or the other way around. The city publishes both figures, so the calculation itself isn't a mystery, just two numbers you don't control individually.
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