What is Home Buyers Plan (HBP) Repayment?
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The Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) is a program that allows first-time home buyers in Canada to withdraw up to $35,000 from their RRSP (per individual, or $70,000 per couple) tax-free to purchase or build a qualifying first home. The withdrawal is not subject to income tax when taken — unlike regular RRSP withdrawals — but must be repaid to the RRSP over a 15-year period beginning in the second calendar year after the year of withdrawal. Each year's minimum repayment is 1/15 of the original HBP withdrawal amount. If you do not repay the minimum amount in any given year, that year's required repayment is added to your taxable income on your T1 return, effectively reversing the tax deferral for that portion. You can choose to repay more than the minimum in any year, which reduces future required repayments pro-rata. The HBP can be used more than once in a lifetime, provided you repay the full previous HBP balance and meet the first-time home buyer definition — you must not have owned and occupied a qualifying home as your principal place of residence at any time during the 4 calendar years before making the withdrawal (5 years including the withdrawal year). The FHSA (First Home Savings Account) was introduced in 2023 as an alternative to the HBP that does not require repayment — the FHSA is generally superior when available room exists. However, using both the HBP and FHSA for the same purchase is permitted.
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Formula
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Annual HBP repayment required = total_withdrawal / 15. Missed repayment included in income = minimum repayment − amount repaid that year. Total interest-free repayment period: 15 years starting year 2 after withdrawal.Variable Legend
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| Symbol | Name | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| R | Annual minimum repayment | — | The periodic payment amount made at regular intervals, typically including both principal and interest or contribution components |
| N | Years of repayment | — | The number of time periods over which the calculation applies, determining the duration of compounding, amortization, or measurement interval |
| Missed | Income inclusion | — | Income inclusion for missed repayment = required repayment − actual repayment |
How to Home Buyers Plan (HBP) Repayment
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- 1Confirm eligibility: you must be a first-time home buyer (no principal residence owned in the 4 prior years), a Canadian resident, and have a written agreement to buy or build a qualifying home
- 2Withdraw up to $35,000 from your RRSP using Form T1036 — the financial institution does not withhold tax on HBP withdrawals
- 3Complete the purchase or construction of the qualifying home before October 1 of the year following the year of withdrawal
- 4The RRSP funds must have been in the RRSP for at least 90 days before the HBP withdrawal
- 5Starting in the second calendar year after the year of withdrawal, repay 1/15 of the original withdrawal amount to your RRSP each year
- 6If you repay less than the minimum in any year, the shortfall is added to your T1 income for that year and included in your Notice of Assessment
- 7Track HBP repayments using the CRA's HBP balance and repayment schedule in My Account or on your NOA
Worked Examples
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$35,000 / 15 = $2,333.33/year. First repayment due: 2026 (second year after 2024). Final repayment: 2040.
The repayment schedule is straightforward. Miss a year and that $2,333.33 appears as income — costing you tax at your marginal rate on what was supposed to be a tax-free loan.
Each person's HBP is tracked independently. Combined down payment: $70,000.
Each partner has their own HBP limit, their own repayment schedule, and their own NOA tracking. Couples can combine for up to $70,000 toward a first home.
The $2,333 shortfall is added to line 12900 of the T1 as RRSP income. Tax at 40%: $933.
Missing an HBP repayment means paying tax on that portion — the deferred tax benefit is cancelled for that year's amount. The RRSP balance is also permanently reduced.
FHSA: permanently tax-free; HBP: must be repaid to RRSP. Both can be used for the same purchase.
Combining HBP and FHSA maximises the down payment. The FHSA is superior (no repayment) but HBP adds $35,000 of additional capacity.
Real-World Applications
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Professionals in finance and lending use Hbp Repayment Calc as part of their standard analytical workflow to verify calculations, reduce arithmetic errors, and produce consistent results that can be documented, audited, and shared with colleagues, clients, or regulatory bodies for compliance purposes.
University professors and instructors incorporate Hbp Repayment Calc into course materials, homework assignments, and exam preparation resources, allowing students to check manual calculations, build intuition about input-output relationships, and focus on conceptual understanding rather than arithmetic.
Consultants and advisors use Hbp Repayment Calc to quickly model different scenarios during client meetings, enabling real-time exploration of what-if questions that would otherwise require returning to the office for detailed spreadsheet-based analysis and reporting.
Individual users rely on Hbp Repayment Calc for personal planning decisions — comparing options, verifying quotes received from service providers, checking third-party calculations, and building confidence that the numbers behind an important decision have been computed correctly and consistently.
Special Cases
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Extreme input values
In practice, this edge case requires careful consideration because standard assumptions may not hold. When encountering this scenario in hbp repayment calculator calculations, practitioners should verify boundary conditions, check for division-by-zero risks, and consider whether the model's assumptions remain valid under these extreme conditions.
Assumption violations
In practice, this edge case requires careful consideration because standard assumptions may not hold. When encountering this scenario in hbp repayment calculator calculations, practitioners should verify boundary conditions, check for division-by-zero risks, and consider whether the model's assumptions remain valid under these extreme conditions.
Rounding and precision effects
In practice, this edge case requires careful consideration because standard assumptions may not hold. When encountering this scenario in hbp repayment calculator calculations, practitioners should verify boundary conditions, check for division-by-zero risks, and consider whether the model's assumptions remain valid under these extreme conditions.
HBP Key Parameters 2024
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| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Maximum withdrawal (individual) | $35,000 |
| Maximum withdrawal (couple) | $70,000 ($35,000 each) |
| Repayment period | 15 years |
| First repayment due | 2nd calendar year after withdrawal year |
| Annual minimum repayment | 1/15 of original withdrawal |
| Missed repayment consequence | Added to taxable income |
| RRSP 90-day rule | Funds must be in RRSP 90+ days before withdrawal |
| Home purchase deadline | By October 1 of year following withdrawal |
| Re-use allowed? | Yes — after full repayment and re-qualifying |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who qualifies as a first-time home buyer for the HBP?
You qualify if you have not owned and occupied a qualifying home as your principal place of residence at any time during the 4 calendar years before the HBP withdrawal, and not during the period from January 1 of the 4th prior year to the date of the withdrawal. This 4-year lookback means some people who have been homeowners previously may re-qualify.
How much do I need to repay each year to the HBP?
You are required to repay 1/15th of the withdrawn amount each year, which can be calculated by dividing the total amount withdrawn by 15. For example, if you withdrew $35,000, your annual repayment would be $35,000 / 15 = $2,333.33. You have 15 years to repay the full amount, and you must make payments each year until the balance is paid in full.
What happens if I miss a repayment or fail to repay the full amount within 15 years?
If you miss a repayment or fail to repay the full amount within the 15-year period, the outstanding balance will be included in your taxable income for that year. This means you will have to pay income tax on the amount, which could result in a significant tax bill. For instance, if you have an outstanding balance of $10,000 and your marginal tax rate is 30%, you would owe $3,000 in taxes (30% of $10,000).
Can I repay my HBP balance in a lump sum, or are monthly payments required?
You can repay your HBP balance in a lump sum at any time, or you can make regular payments to pay off the balance over the 15-year period. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will send you a statement each year showing the amount you need to repay, and you can choose to pay this amount in a single payment or in installments throughout the year. For example, if your annual repayment amount is $2,333.33, you could pay this amount in one payment or in 12 monthly payments of $194.44.
Will my HBP repayment affect my RRSP contribution room?
Repaying your HBP balance will not directly affect your RRSP contribution room, but it will impact your ability to contribute to your RRSP in the future. Any amount you repay to the HBP will be added back to your RRSP contribution room, allowing you to contribute to your RRSP again in the future. For example, if you withdrew $35,000 from your RRSP under the HBP and then repay $10,000, you will have $10,000 in RRSP contribution room available again in the future.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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- !Withdrawing from the RRSP within 90 days of making a contribution — funds must be in the RRSP for at least 90 days
- !Missing a repayment and not realising the missed amount appears as income — always check your NOA for the HBP repayment amount required
- !Assuming the HBP and FHSA cannot both be used for the same purchase — they can be combined
- !Not completing the home purchase by October 1 of the following year — the withdrawal becomes fully taxable income
- !Forgetting to file Form T1036 when making the HBP withdrawal — this form is required to designate the withdrawal as an HBP amount
- !Not tracking the HBP balance separately — the CRA shows your remaining HBP balance on your NOA each year
Pro Tip
If you have both an FHSA and an RRSP, use the FHSA balance first for the down payment (no repayment required), and then use the HBP for any remaining amount needed. The FHSA is categorically better — treat the HBP as a supplementary tool only when you need more than the FHSA provides.
Did you know?
The Home Buyers' Plan was introduced in the 1992 Federal Budget by Finance Minister Don Mazankowski, with an original limit of $20,000. The limit was increased to $25,000 in 2009, to $35,000 in 2019, and now stands at $35,000 while the newer FHSA has largely superseded it as the preferred first home savings vehicle.
References
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