Do I pay Nova Scotia's 10% non-resident tax if I'm moving there?

Not if you actually become a resident: buyers who move to Nova Scotia within the required window — extended to one year by the August 7, 2026 changes — are exempt or refunded. The tax targets buyers who keep living elsewhere, and since 2026 it also no longer applies to property inherited through a will.

Is the deed transfer tax the same across Nova Scotia?

No — each municipality sets its own rate up to the 1.5% cap. Halifax charges 1.5%, many rural municipalities charge around 1%, and a few charge nothing, so it's worth checking the exact rate for the municipality you're buying in before you finalize your budget.

Homeowner guide · Nova Scotia

Land transfer tax in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia's land transfer tax is municipal: each municipality sets its own deed transfer tax rate up to a maximum of 1.5%, and Halifax charges the full 1.5% — $7,500 on a $500,000 home, due at closing with no first-time-buyer rebate. Buyers who aren't residents of Nova Scotia face a second, provincial layer: a 10% non-resident deed transfer tax on residential property, doubled from 5% effective April 1, 2025, though buyers who genuinely move to the province can be exempted or refunded.

Halifax's deed transfer tax rate — the provincial maximum: 1.5%
Deed transfer tax on a $500,000 Halifax home: $7,500
Non-resident deed transfer tax since April 1, 2025: 10%

The municipal deed transfer tax

Because the rate is set municipality by municipality, where exactly you buy matters: Halifax Regional Municipality charges 1.5% of the purchase price, most municipalities charge between 1% and 1.5%, and a handful charge none at all. Your lawyer confirms the local rate, collects the tax with your closing funds, and remits it when the deed is registered. There is no first-time-buyer relief anywhere in the province.

The 10% non-resident tax — and who escapes it

The provincial non-resident deed transfer tax is 10% of the greater of the purchase price and the assessed value, on residential property of three units or fewer — it applies on top of the municipal tax, making a $500,000 Halifax purchase cost a true non-resident $57,500 in transfer taxes. The province softened the administration on August 7, 2026: buyers relocating to Nova Scotia now have one year (up from six months) to prove residency and escape the tax, property willed to a non-resident is exempt, and the refund window has been extended to two years. The 10% rate itself is unchanged.

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Land transfer tax is one line on a closing bill that also includes legal fees, title insurance, and adjustments — and the rebates only help if someone remembers to claim them. Homeprint estimates your full closing bill for your province and city while you're still house-hunting, flags the first-time-buyer relief you qualify for, and keeps every closing document in one permanent vault from the day you get the keys.

Your land transfer tax and full closing costs calculated for your province — and for Toronto's double tax — before you offer
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Land transfer tax in Nova Scotia — FAQ

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