Property Taxes

City of Oshawa Role/Services

Property taxes kept by the City of Oshawa are used to pay for garbage and green bin collection, maintenance and snow clearing on City of Oshawa roads, parking and by-law enforcement, fire protection, animal services, recreation programming, as well as other City of Oshawa administered services.

Property taxes remitted to the Regional Municipality of Durham are used to pay for regional services such as police, ambulance, transit, social services, and other regional service needs.

Property taxes remitted to the Durham Region School Boards are used by the Province of Ontario in accordance with Ministry of Education guidelines.

Regional Municipality of Durham

There are two levels of municipal government in Durham Region. The Regional Municipality of Durham is the upper-tier municipality and it contains eight lower-tier municipalities. 

The Regional Municipality of Durham is responsible for the following services:

• Child care services
• Counselling
• Drinking water quality, testing and distribution
• Economic development
• Emergency preparedness
• Employment and financial assistance
• Garbage and recycling
• Housing
• Land division
• Long-term care and seniors services
• Paramedic services
• Planning and development
• Police services
• Property taxes
• Public health
• Public transportation
• Regional road maintenance
• Sewage
• Waste management (except Oshawa and Whitby)

The following eight lower-tier municipalities form Durham Region:

• Ajax
• Brock
• Clarington
• Oshawa
• Pickering
• Scugog
• Uxbridge
• Whitby

The lower-tier area municipalities provide many services, such as: 

• Animal services 
• By-law enforcement 
• Fire protection and prevention
• Libraries 
• Municipal elections 
• Parks and trails 
• Property tax collection
• Sports and recreation 

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q. Can I calculate my property taxes?
  • A. You can use the Property Tax Calculator to calculate your property taxes. Users are cautioned that this calculator tool is an estimate only and does not reflect an accurate tax bill for all properties.

• Q. I have not received my tax bill, what do I do?
  • A. Property owners can email [email protected] or call 905-436-3311 to advise that the tax bill has not been received. Service Oshawa will verify if the mailing was returned to Taxation Services by Canada Post and confirm the mailing address is correct. If the mailing address is incorrect and/or Canada Post returned the mailing to the City of Oshawa, the tax bill can be emailed or mailed at no fee. Any re-issuance of tax documents may be subject to administration costs in accordance with the General Fees and Charges By-law. 

• Q. I recently purchased a property in Oshawa and have not received a tax bill, what do I do?
  • A. Property owners may inquire about their property tax information by calling Service Oshawa at 905-436-3311. The Service Oshawa customer service representative will confirm ownership and assist with the information. Property owners may wish to seek confirmation that the title transfer registered at the Land Registry Office by their law office was been sent to Taxation Services. Any re-issuance of tax documents may be subject to administration costs in accordance with the General Fees and Charges By-law.

• Q. How do I change my mailing address?
  • A. Complete the Tax Account Information Change form.

• Q. How do I add/remove a name from my property?
  • A. Property owners listed on tax accounts are the same as the title transfer document registered at the Land Registry Office. In the event of a registered owner change, the law office that completes the registration of the change at the Land Registry Office must also submit the necessary documents to Taxation Services. Taxation Services will not modify the names on the tax account without the registered instrument at the Land Registry Office. Property owners can contact Service Oshawa to confirm their tax account data and/or that the ownership change is processed. Please consider processing time of 4 to 6 weeks when confirming the ownership change was completed. A registered owner change includes the following:
• Removing a registered owner (includes changes in ownership such as removal of a joint tenant, tenants in common and death of a registered owner)
• Adding a registered owner (includes adding a child or spouse to the parcel register)
• Changing the name of an already registered owner (includes changing of the family name from maiden name)

• Q. My mortgage company is supposed to be paying my property taxes. What do I do?
  • A. Property owners that have arrangements with their bank to remit the property taxes on their behalf should verify that the payments are ongoing. In order to set up the payments with your bank, property owners should send the recent tax bill or statement to your representative at your bank (mortgagor). Property owners are encouraged to verify that their bank (mortgagor) has submitted a declaration notifying Taxation Services of their interest in your tax account. Taxation Services will then send future bills directly to your bank for payment remittance processes. Property owners will continue to receive a copy of the final tax bill for their records. When receiving the final tax bill, property owners are encouraged to verify that their bank (mortgagor) is on the tax bill in the upper right corner. 

• Q. My mortgage company is no longer paying my property taxes. What do I do?
  • A. The bank (mortgagor) will send notice to Taxation Services to remove their interest from the property tax account. Property owners can email [email protected] for confirmation of this change in payment processing arrangements. When receiving the final tax bill, property owners are encouraged to verify that their bank (mortgagor) is no longer on the tax bill in the upper right corner.

• Q. I would like to pay my property taxes monthly. How do I do this?
  • A. Property owners that would like to take advantage of the monthly payment plan can complete the Pre-Authorized Payment Enrolment form found on our website under Paying Property Taxes.

• Q. I am on the Pre-Authorized Payment Plan and am selling my house, what do I do?
  • A.  Property owners that are selling their property can complete the Pre-Authorized Tax Payment Plan Change form found on our website under Paying Property Taxes. When completing this form clearly specify when you would like your payments to end. The completed form is to be submitted by email to [email protected], mail or in-person at Service Oshawa at least ten (10) days prior to your next scheduled payment date.

• Q. I am selling my property and may have overpaid my property taxes. How do I get a refund?
  • A. Property ownership transfers are done by a law offices selected by the purchasers and sellers of the properties. During the preparation of the ownership transfer, the lawyers are to review all the property tax information and balances ensuring that the property purchaser and seller are billed their share of the tax levies. Tax levy adjustments between the seller and purchaser are on the Statement of Adjustments document reviewed by each party at the final signing stage of the transaction. Overpayments and underpayments are dealt with at this stage by the law office choses by the parties involved. Property owners are encouraged to question their lawyers prior to completion of the transaction.

• Q. I submitted a postdated cheque to Taxation Services and no longer want it cashed, what do I do?
  • A. Property owners that have remitted post-dated cheques and would like the cheque to not be processed are advised to contact Taxation Services by email to [email protected] with the details of the cheque (name, address, roll number, amount, date, etc.). Property owners are required to advise Taxation Services ten (10) business days before the date indicated on the cheque. Taxation Services staff will assist with the cheque retrieval process. Property owners should note that the post-dated cheque removal service is subject to an administration fee as detailed in the General Fees and Charges By-law.

• Q. My payment is not showing up on my tax account – what do I do?
  • A. Property owners that have made a payment that does not appear to be processed onto the tax account are encouraged to email [email protected] with their phone number and as many details regarding the payment as possible. Taxation Services staff will research the payment and follow up with property owners directly. In order to speed up the review process, property owners should attach proof of payment and any supporting documents where available.

• Q. How can I check my account balance online?
  • A. The City of Oshawa, Taxation Services does not currently offer this service at this time. Property owners are encouraged to follow our social media postings for information on when this service will be made available to property owners.

• Q. How do I request a refund of my taxes if I have overpaid?
  • A. Property owners seeking a review of their account balance where a refund may be required are encouraged to complete the online form for refunds requests. Taxation Services will review the submitted refund request and contact the property owner where required. Tax accounts should be in a credit position to be considered for a refund. Property owners should note that there is an administration fee for this service as outlined in the General Fees and Charges By-law. There is a processing time of approximately six to eight weeks for approved refund requests.

• Q. How can I get my bills sent electronically?
  • A. Register for E-billing by completing the form provided under Paying Property Taxes on our website.

• Q. Why did I receive a Supplementary tax bill?
  • A. When a property owner has made improvements such as adding a structure, changing the use of the property or an extension to the square footage, this will trigger an assessment change. Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (M.P.A.C.) will review the property details and change the current value assessment on the property accordingly. Property tax assessment changes are provided to Taxation Services where the Supplementary tax bill is issued. Supplementary tax bills are calculated each month from May to November. Taxation Services may assist property owners with inquiries regarding their billing. Property owners that do not agree with their assessment change should contact M.P.A.C. for clarification of the assessment data.

• Q. Why do I need to pay an administration fee for a tax statement or reprint of a tax bill?
  • A. Property owners are issued tax bills annually in January and in May-June. Adjustment statements are issued for assessment changes processed throughout the year. Reminder notices are mailed five times during the year. 

The administration fee outlined in the General Fees and Charges By-law recovers the administration costs to review and re-issue tax bills and statements where the previously issued tax bill is being replaced. Property owners should ensure the mailing address on the tax account is correct. Property owners are encouraged to contact Canada Post for any undelivered mail.