At the same time, the City continues to
Only a portion of the property taxes collected in the City of Oshawa are kept by the City and the remainder is distributed to the Regional Municipality of Durham and Durham Region School Boards.
City of Oshawa (includes tax rate by-laws) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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Changing Your School Support (Durham Region School Boards) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Property taxes remitted to the Durham Region School Boards are used by the Province of Ontario in accordance with Ministry of Education guidelines. Property owners choose to direct their school board support to one of the four Durham Region School Boards:
Property owners are encouraged to contact the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (M.P.A.C.) to change their school support according to their eligibility criteria.
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Assessment (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (M.P.A.C.) assesses the value of all properties in Ontario in accordance with the Assessment Act. The M.P.A.C. website contains a wide range of information for property owners to access in order to better understand their assessments. Property owners receive a Property Assessment Notice from M.P.A.C. directly. This document contains the Roll Number and Access Key that grant access to details regarding the assessed value of the specific property through the AboutMyProperty portal. Property owners are strongly encouraged to review their assessment details to ensure their assessment is accurate. The assessment value determined by M.P.A.C. directly impacts the property taxes that will be levied on each property. The accuracy of the current value assessment data will assist property owners with paying only their fair share of property taxes.
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Property Tax Rebates and Reductions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Property Tax Rebates, Reductions and Refunds Policy
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General Fees and Charges | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The City of Oshawa follows an established General Fees and Charges By-law requiring the payment of fees and charges for information, services, activities and use of City property. This by-law is updated annually and is authorized under the Municipal Act (M.A. - S.391) as well as other provisions of the Act and various other statutes.
Taxation Service fees and charges are located on Schedule “E” under Department of Finance Services in the General Fees and Charges By-law 13-2003. |
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Tax Sales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Final Notice prior to Tax Sale Registration are mailed to non-residential property owners approaching two years of property tax arrears. This notice urges property owners to take action within thirty days by either making full payment of the taxes or by entering into agreed upon payment arrangements with the City. Tax Arrears Certificate Registration Municipal tax sale proceedings can begin once taxes have been in arrears for at least two years. When all collection efforts have been exhausted, no payment agreements have been negotiated, and the City still has been unable to secure payment of the tax arrears, the City will start the tax sale registration process by registering the Tax Arrears Certificate on the parcel register at the Land Registry Office. If full payment is not received within 280 days of the Tax Arrears Certificate registration, the City issues a Final Notice to the property owner(s) and all interested parties within 30 days after the expiry of the 280 day period. This final notice specifies the date on which the property will be advertised for public tender if the tax arrears remain unpaid or an extension agreement is not arranged. Once a Tax Arrears Certificate has been registered, only full payment of the cancellation price will be accepted unless an extension agreement has been arranged. Full payment will be accepted up to the date of transfer of the property following a sale. In the event of non-payment, the City will proceed with a municipal tax sale.
Upcoming tax sale information and public tender packages can be found here when available.
April 21, 2022 – Tax Sale Public Tender Opening Results
TSR19-105 – Highest tender $399,000.00 / Second highest tender $382,009.99 TSR19-297 – No successful highest tender TSR19-260 – Redeemed |
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Property Tax Collections and Billing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Property Tax Collection Policy
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Electronic Billing (E-Billing) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Property tax bills can be issued electronically to property owners seeking this service. There is no eligibility requirement for this service. Registration for the E-Billing service will stop the paper copy of the Interim and Final Tax Bills ONLY. All other mailings will resume in their paper format. Submit the appropriate form as outlined below. Forms registering for Interim Billing must be received prior to December 15th. Forms registering for Final Billing must be received prior to April 15th. |
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Paying Your Property Taxes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Payment methods include online banking, telephone banking, pre-authorized payment plan, mortgage company (on behalf of property owner), cash, debit card, cheque, post-dated cheque, at financial institution and in person at Service Oshawa.
A payment is considered made once the funds have been received or receipted by the City. Online payments require three to five business days to process and property owners are responsible for allowing their financial institution processing time to submit their payment to the City. For example, for a payment that is made by a property owner on July 28th via online banking (for a July 28th due date), the payment processing is five days therefore, it will be received by Taxation Services on August 2nd. This is a late payment and the property tax account will receive a late payment charge on August 1st. Property owners are responsible for any fees and charges that may be imposed when making payments. Post-dated cheques will be accepted and held by Service Oshawa and/or Taxation Services until the date indicated on the cheque. Should the payor request that the post-dated cheque not be processed, the City is to be contacted in writing at least ten business days prior to the date indicated on the cheque. As per the General Fees and Charges By-law 13-2003, there is an administrative fee applied to the property tax account for stopping the post-dated cheque from being processed.
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Contact Taxation Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In person or by mail: The City of Oshawa 50 Centre Street South Oshawa ON L1H 3Z7 Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phone: (905) 436-3311 Email: [email protected] (include tax roll number and civic property address in subject) |
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Frequently Asked Questions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Q. Can I calculate my property taxes? A. You can use the Property Tax Calculator to calculate your property taxes. 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 fees. 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. Any re-issuance of tax documents may be subject to administration costs in accordance with the General Fees and Charges By-law fees. 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 aligned with the Land Registry Office registered owners. In the event of a registered owner change, the law office that completes the registration of the change at the Land Registry Office would 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 has been processed. Please consider processing time when confirming the change has been completed. A registered owner change includes the following:
Q. My mortgage company is supposed to be paying my property taxes. What do I do? A. Property owners that have made arrangements with their financial institution to remit the property taxes on their behalf should verify that the arrangements are being executed. In order to set up the payment arrangement with your financial institution, property owners should send the recent tax bill or statement to your financial representative at your financial institution (mortgagor). Property owners are encouraged to verify that their financial institution (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 financial institution 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 financial institution (mortgagor) is listed 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 financial institution (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 financial institution (mortgagor) is no longer listed 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 are encouraged to complete the Pre-Authorized Payment Enrolment form found on our website under Self-Serve Options, Pre-Authorized Payment Plan. Complete this form and submit a void cheque or direct withdrawal form by email to [email protected] mail or in-person at Service Oshawa. Taxation Services staff may contact property owners to confirm information on the pre-authorized payment plan application form. 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 are encouraged to complete the Pre-Authorized Tax Payment Plan Change form found on our website under Self-Serve Options, Pre-Authorized Payment Plan. 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 completed by the law offices selected by the purchasers and sellers of the properties. During the preparation of the title transfer, the lawyers will review all the property tax information and balances ensuring that the property purchaser and seller are allocated their portion of the tax levies. Tax levy adjustments between the seller and purchaser will be clearly detailed on the Statement of Adjustments document that is reviewed with each party during the final signing stage of the transaction. Overpayments and underpayments may be dealt with at this stage. 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 in the E-Billing section. Q. I am on the Canada Post Epost electronic billing service and would like to stop the service. What do I do? A. Property owners currently using the Canada Post Epost service that would like to end their subscription will need to contact Canada Post – technical support at 1-877-376-1212. Taxation Services is unable to assist property owners with cancelling their subscription. 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. |
Service Oshawa
City of Oshawa
1st Floor, West Wing, City Hall
50 Centre Street South
Oshawa, ON L1H 3Z7
Phone: 905-436-3311
Toll-free: 1-800-667-4292
Fax: 905-436-5642