Renovation Rebates, Loans and Tax Credits for Ottawa Homeowners
Most of the renovation money advertised online is either closed, or pays for work that has nothing to do with the room you're renovating. This guide sets out what is actually open to an Ottawa homeowner today, what each programme covers, and the rule that trips people up most: for several of them, work done before approval doesn't count.
Guidance only, not tax, legal or financial advice. Programmes change and each has its own eligibility rules; confirm the current terms with the administrator before you spend money. SS Carpentry builds the work; you, the homeowner, make the claim.
Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit
14.5% of costs, up to $7,250
What it covers
- Claimed on line 45355 of your tax return, in the year the renovation is completed.
- Applies to up to $50,000 of qualifying costs per renovation, and it is refundable.
- For creating a self-contained unit with a private entrance, kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area for a qualifying individual: someone 65 or older, or 18 to 64 and eligible for the disability tax credit.
The catch
The unit must meet applicable local requirements, permits, codes and by-laws. In Ottawa that means a legal, permitted unit, not an unpermitted one. Most articles still quote 15% and $7,500; the CRA page currently shows 14.5% and $7,250 (2025 tax year). The rate follows the federal lowest tax rate, so check the CRA page for your own tax year before you budget.
A legal basement suite is the kind of unit this credit describes. See our legal basement work; whether you qualify is between you and the CRA.
Home Accessibility Tax Credit
Up to $20,000 of eligible expenses a year
What it covers
- Claimed on line 31285 for renovations that improve safety, accessibility or functionality of a home.
- For a qualifying individual: 65 or older, or eligible for the disability tax credit.
- Non-refundable: it reduces tax you owe but cannot produce a refund on its own.
The catch
The CRA page sets out what counts as an eligible expense; read it before you plan the work, and keep every invoice. This guide does not print a credit rate because the CRA page does not.
Accessibility work in a bathroom overlaps with our kitchen and bathroom renovations.
Ontario Renovates
Up to $20,000: a $15,000 forgivable loan plus a $5,000 accessibility grant
What it covers
- The loan is forgiven over 10 years if you own and live in the home for those 10 years. The grant is for accessibility modifications only.
- Your home must be your principal residence in Ottawa, assessed at or under $670,908, and you must be 65 or older, or a person with a disability, or live with one.
- Household gross income limits: $40,000 (1 person), $53,400 (2), $65,400 (3), $78,400 (4), $88,400 (5), $99,350 (6), $109,000 (7 or more).
- Eligible repairs include heating, doors, windows, foundations, roof, walls, floors and ceilings, plumbing, electrical and fire safety.
- Funding is first-come, first-served until March 31, 2027.
The catch
“Any repairs performed prior to loan/grant approval are not eligible for funding.” Verified quotes are required, so get approval before any contractor starts. This is the rule most likely to cost someone their money.
Floors are on the eligible-repairs list. See our flooring and tiling work, though the loan and grant themselves are between you and the City.
Better Homes Ottawa Loan
Up to $125,000 at 4.33% over 20 years
What it covers
- The limit is $125,000 or 10% of the property's current value assessment, whichever is less. The minimum is $10,000 on a first application.
- 4.33% fixed over a 20-year term, plus a 4% administrative fee.
- Repaid as a Local Improvement Charge on your property tax bill, so the loan stays with the property, not the person.
- Mostly funds energy work: building envelope, mechanical systems, renewable energy, EV charging, water efficiency. Natural gas equipment is not funded.
The catch
“Other” items, which include additional dwellings such as granny suites or basement apartments, must not exceed 30% of the total loan, so a suite can be part of a Better Homes loan but not the whole of it. And do not start work until you have your Notice to Proceed: upgrades completed before it are not eligible.
Whether a suite is worth building is a separate question; our legal basement guide covers the code and zoning side.
Home Renovation Savings Program
Rebates per upgrade, from $100 per window or door opening
What it covers
- Home energy assessment $600. Windows and doors $100 per rough opening. Air sealing up to $250. Insulation up to $7,700, with attic insulation up to $1,250.
- Heat pump water heaters $500. Cold-climate air source heat pumps up to $7,500 and ground source heat pumps up to $12,000 for homes heated with electricity, oil, propane or wood; natural-gas customers get different amounts.
- Solar and battery storage up to $10,000. Appliances up to $200.
- Two routes: a bundle (assessment first, then two or more upgrades) or a single upgrade with no assessment.
The catch
Windows and doors in existing openings are the part of this list that is carpentry. The programme pages state no end date, so confirm on saveonenergy.ca that funding is open before you commit.
If a window or door replacement is part of your plans, ask us for a quote and we'll tell you what the carpentry side costs.
GST/HST Rebate for Substantial Renovations
The 90% test: probably not you, but here is when it is
What it covers
- Available to an individual who substantially renovates their own home, whether they do the work or hire a contractor.
- Generally, 90% or more of the interior of the existing housing has to be removed or replaced.
- The foundation, exterior and interior supporting walls, roof, floors and staircases do not have to be replaced to meet the test.
- Only livable areas count.
The catch
A single-room renovation will not meet the 90% test. The CRA's RC4028 guide also sets value limits and a filing deadline; read it before you rely on this rebate.
Programmes that have closed
Contractor blogs still list the Canada Greener Homes Grant and Loan. Both are closed, so don't plan a budget around them.
No longer available
- The Canada Greener Homes Grant is closed.
- The Canada Greener Homes Loan is closed: Natural Resources Canada says funding is now fully committed and new loan applications cannot be approved. Loans already approved are unaffected.
Natural Resources Canada still lists a separate Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program for lower-income households, delivered through the provinces. We haven't reviewed its Ontario terms here, so check its status with the administrator.
Rebate questions, answered
The CRA page currently shows 14.5% of costs, up to a maximum of $7,250, on up to $50,000 of qualifying expenditure, for the 2025 tax year. Many articles still quote 15% and $7,500. The rate follows the federal lowest personal income tax rate, so check the CRA page for the tax year you are claiming.
It can, if the renovation creates a self-contained unit with a private entrance, kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area for a qualifying individual (65 or older, or 18 to 64 and eligible for the disability tax credit), and the unit meets applicable local permits, codes and by-laws. Whether you qualify is decided by the CRA, not by your contractor.
No. The City of Ottawa states that any repairs performed prior to loan or grant approval are not eligible for funding, and verified quotes are required. Get approval before any contractor starts.
You make the application or the tax claim yourself. Our written, itemised quote is yours to include with it, and every figure on this page comes from the programme's own administrator.
No. Natural Resources Canada lists both the Canada Greener Homes Grant and the Canada Greener Homes Loan as closed. Loans that were already approved are unaffected.
As a Local Improvement Charge on your property tax bill, at 4.33% fixed over 20 years plus a 4% administrative fee. The loan attaches to the property rather than the person. Secondary suites and other “other” items are capped at 30% of the total loan.
Every figure, with its source
No figure on this page is published from memory. Each one links to the official page it was read from, on the date shown. Guide last reviewed September 27, 2026.
| Ref | Claim | Primary source | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| MHRTC-RATE | The Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit is 14.5% of your costs, up to a maximum of $7,250 for each claim you are eligible to make, on up to $50,000 of qualifying expenditure. It is refundable and claimed on line 45355. Figure as shown on the CRA page for the 2025 tax year. | CRA: Line 45355, Multigenerational home renovation tax credit (opens in a new tab) | |
| MHRTC-ELIGIBILITY | The renovation must create a self-contained housing unit with a private entrance, kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area that meets applicable local requirements, permits, codes and by-laws, for a qualifying individual (65 or older, or 18 to 64 and eligible for the disability tax credit). The credit is claimed for the year the renovation is completed. | CRA: Line 45355, Multigenerational home renovation tax credit (opens in a new tab) | |
| HATC | The Home Accessibility Tax Credit is a non-refundable credit on up to $20,000 per year in eligible expenses for renovations that improve safety, accessibility or functionality for a qualifying individual: 65 or older, or eligible for the disability tax credit. Claimed on line 31285. | CRA: Line 31285, Home accessibility expenses (opens in a new tab) | |
| OR-AMOUNTS | Ontario Renovates offers up to $20,000: a 10-year forgivable loan of up to $15,000 for essential repairs and accessibility modifications, plus a $5,000 grant for accessibility modifications only. The home must remain your principal residence for the 10 years following the work. | City of Ottawa: Ontario Renovates, homeowner (opens in a new tab) | |
| OR-ELIGIBILITY | Eligibility: the home is your sole and principal residence in Ottawa, assessed at or under $670,908 (MPAC); you are 65 or older, or a person with a disability, or live with one; and household gross income is at or below $40,000 (1 person), $53,400 (2), $65,400 (3), $78,400 (4), $88,400 (5), $99,350 (6) or $109,000 (7 or more). | City of Ottawa: Ontario Renovates, homeowner (opens in a new tab) | |
| OR-BEFORE-APPROVAL | “Any repairs performed prior to loan/grant approval are not eligible for funding.” Verified quotes are required, and funding is first-come, first-served until March 31, 2027. | City of Ottawa: Ontario Renovates, homeowner (opens in a new tab) | |
| BHO-LOAN | The Better Homes Ottawa Loan is up to $125,000 or 10% of the property's current value assessment, whichever is less (minimum $10,000 for a first application), at 4.33% fixed over a 20-year term with a 4% administrative fee. It is repaid as a Local Improvement Charge on the property tax bill and attaches to the property. | Better Homes Ottawa: Better Homes Loan Program (opens in a new tab) | |
| BHO-OTHER-CAP | “Other” items, which include additional dwellings such as granny suites or basement apartments, must not exceed 30% of the total loan value. Natural gas equipment is not funded. Eligible buildings are residential, three storeys or fewer, with an Ottawa property tax account. Any upgrades completed before receiving your Notice to Proceed are not eligible for funding. | Better Homes Ottawa: Better Homes Loan Program (opens in a new tab) | |
| HRSP-AMOUNTS | Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program publishes these rebates: home energy assessment $600; windows and doors $100 per rough opening; insulation up to $7,700; air sealing up to $250; heat pump water heaters $500; attic insulation up to $1,250; appliances up to $200; cold-climate air source heat pumps up to $7,500 and ground source heat pumps up to $12,000 (homes heated with electricity, oil, propane or wood; natural-gas customers get different amounts); solar and battery storage up to $10,000. Two routes: a bundle (assessment first, then two or more upgrades) or a single upgrade. | Save on Energy: Home Renovation Savings Program (opens in a new tab) | |
| GST-90-TEST | For the GST/HST New Housing Rebate on a substantial renovation, generally 90% or more of the interior of the existing housing has to be removed or replaced (the 90% test). The foundation, exterior and interior supporting walls, roof, floors and staircases need not be replaced. Only livable areas count. | CRA: RC4028, GST/HST New Housing Rebate (opens in a new tab) | |
| GREENER-CLOSED | For the Canada Greener Homes Loan, Natural Resources Canada states “This program is closed” and that funding is now fully committed and new loan applications cannot be approved; already-approved loans are unaffected. | Natural Resources Canada: Canada Greener Homes Loan (opens in a new tab) | |
| GREENER-GRANT-CLOSED | Natural Resources Canada lists the Canada Greener Homes Grant as closed. | Natural Resources Canada: Canada Greener Homes Grant (opens in a new tab) |
Planning the work? Let’s talk scope.
We build the work; the claim is yours. If a programme above matters to your project, get its approval first, then ask us for a fixed, itemised quote.