Property Taxes

Property taxes are due on July 2, 2021. 

2021 Property Taxes 

2021 property tax rates will be available here soon. 

Provincial Home Owner Grant 

 

Starting May 2021, eligible property owners will apply for their Home Owner Grant online with the Province. 


Municipalities are no longer accepting applications. Program eligibility is unchanged.

 

In order to avoid penalties and interest, apply before the property tax due date of July 2, 2021.

 

Learn more at gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant or call  1.888.355.2700 to speak with someone by phone. 
 

How to Pay Your Property Taxes

Save time by paying your property taxes online through your financial institution. Other convenient payment methods include by mail, drop box, through your mortgage company, and credit card. See "Payment Options" below for further details. Our customer service team is happy to assist you over the phone at 250.361.0228 or by email at propertytax@victoria.ca.

You can also pay your property tax in person at City Hall, however capacity is limited. If paying in person, you are required to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing. 

Located on the ground floor, the Public Service Centre is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. excluding statutory holidays. Upon arrival, please line up outside the Pandora Avenue entrance of City Hall. Ambassadors will be there to greet you. You will exit the building into Centennial Square.  

2021 Property Tax - Not Able to Pay On Time?

 

If you are not able to pay your 2021 property taxes on time, please consider the options below: 

  • Claim Your Home Owner Grant to Reduce Your Taxes

    Effective 2021, all home owner grant applications are submitted directly to the province. Residents will no longer apply through the City of Victoria. Learn more. 

  • Property Tax Deferment (Provincial Program)
    Eligible property owners in Victoria who are struggling financially due to the pandemic are encouraged to apply online to the Provincial Property Tax Deferment Program

    New Deferment Applications and Deferment Renewal Applications must now be submitted directly to the Province through their website before the property tax due date of July 2, 2021 to avoid penalty charges. Learn more and apply. 
 

Property Tax Penalties

The due date to pay your property taxes is July 2, 2021. After the first working day in July, a penalty equal to 5% will be applied to the portion that remains unpaid. After the first working day in September, a penalty equal to an additional 5% will be applied to the portion that remains unpaid. Penalties apply to unpaid amounts, even unclaimed Home Owner Grants.

Payment Options for Property Taxes

  • Financial Institution Most financial institutions will accept a property tax bill payment. For online banking, the folio number is used as the account number. Contact your local branch for more details. 
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION TAX PAYEE NAME
BMO Victoria Corporation, City, Taxes
CIBC Victoria (City of – BC) Tax
Coast Capital Savings Victoria (BC) City Property Tax
HSBC City of Victoria Taxes
Manulife Bank Victoria (City) Taxes
National Bank Victoria BC – Tax
RBC Royal Bank Victoria BC (City) Tax
Scotiabank Victoria (City) Taxes BC
Simplii Financial Victoria (City of – BC) Tax
Tangerine Victoria City, Corporation Taxes
TD Canada Trust Victoria (City of) Taxes
VanCity Victoria (BC) City Property Tax
  • By Mail  Make cheque payable to the City of Victoria in Canadian funds.
  • After Hours Drop-off  A drop box is available for non-cash payments. It is conveniently located at the Pandora Avenue entrance of City Hall.
  • In Person at City Hall  Payments can be made in person at the Public Service Centre on weekdays from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., excluding statutory holidays.  
  • Mortgage Company  If your mortgage company will be remitting payment to the City of Victoria on your behalf, confirm details of your tax payment with your mortgage company directly. Property owners eligible for the Home Owner Grant must complete the grant application each year. 
  • Credit Card   As a customer service improvement, you may now pay your property taxes by using a third party payment option.  Using this service will result in an additional service fee to the customer.  This service is independent from the City of Victoria. You will need to sign up for an account in order for the payment to proceed. Please note: The option to pay by credit card is not available in person at City Hall. If using this method of payment, please choose the payee: Victoria BC (City) Property Tax.
  • Pre-Authorized Payment Program
    Thinking ahead to next year's taxes, you may wish to enroll in the monthly, automatic pre-payment program.  This program allows you to pay on a monthly basis instead of one lump sum - making budgeting easier and helping you avoid the risk of penalties. For 10 months, on the first day of the month, a fixed amount is automatically debited from your bank account. Once taxes have been determined the remaining balance will be debited on the due date in July.

A Breakdown of Your Property Taxes

NOTE: The tools below will be updated in mid-May 2021. They currently reflect the 2020 property tax breakdown. 

There are two ways to see a breakdown of your property taxes. 

Property Tax Estimator

Property Tax Calculator

Enter a property’s assessed value and receive an estimate of property tax amounts for the year.

 

Enter your property’s folio number and receive a breakdown of your property taxes, including the specific increase for your property.

 

Online Property Tax Services

Sign up for eBilling

Sign up to receive your Property Tax Notice by email.

  • Login or register an account at MyCity Online.
  • Register your property tax account. If you own multiple properties, you can sign up each property for eBilling. Use your eight digit folio number and your six digit access code from your Property Tax Notice.
  • Then select to receive your Property Tax Notice by email.

You will receive next year's notice by email, and less paper to worry about.

Property Tax Information

Each year, BC Assessment produces independent property assessments for all property owners in the province. Property owners receive a Property Assessment notice each year in December from BC Assessment and have until January 31 to appeal that assessment. BC Assessment provides assessed values to the City of Victoria and other government agencies as the basis for calculating property taxes each year.

Property Tax Inquiry & Tax Certificate Service

This service provides information about municipal properties including current year and prior year assessments, legal descriptions and tax levy information. To access this information, click here.

Tax Certificates: You can now obtain our Tax Certificates through myLTSA Enterprise or APIC. 

For information about myLTSA, or to become a customer, see their web site or call them at 1.877.577.5872.

For information about APIC, or to become a customer, see their web site or call them at 1.877.953.8253.

Property Taxation

Property taxation is the most important single source of municipal revenue. The amount of money that is to be raised through property taxes, and a portion of the tax rate, is set by Council each year. The tax rate together with the assessed value of the property determines the amount of property tax payable each year. Tax rates are expressed in "dollars per thousand". A rate of $10 per thousand means that the property owner would pay $10 for every $1,000 of assessed value.

2021 information will be available soon for: 

    • 2021 Tax Bylaw and Schedule
    • 2021 Property Tax Mill Rate

Assessments

The value of a property for tax purposes is determined by BC Assessment, independent of the municipality.

School Taxes

The municipality acts as the collection agency for school taxes. School taxes are paid to the Provincial Government.

Other Agencies on Your Tax Notice

Several public agencies affect the property tax rate and the amount of property tax collected by the City of Victoria each year. The municipality does not have control over the tax rates set by other agencies for which we collect taxes on behalf of. More information on these agencies is available through their websites:

Address Change

If you would like to submit an address change for your property tax account or have any inquiries about your property taxes please send your request to either of the following:

Tax Sale for Delinquent Property Taxes

Properties with delinquent taxes (three years of taxes owing) will go to public auction if the delinquent taxes remain unpaid. The Tax Sale is held on the last Monday of every September.

Property Tax Exemption

Under the Community Charter, Section 224, Council may choose to grant property tax exemption to non-profit organizations. Learn more about Property Tax Exemptions, also known as Permissive Tax Exemptions.

Heritage Tax Exemption

The City of Victoria is pleased to offer a Tax Incentive Program (TIP) to eligible owners of downtown Heritage Designated buildings to offset seismic upgrading costs for the purpose of residential conversion of existing upper storeys.