Property tax info and payments
2024 Property taxes are due on July 2, 2024
Property tax notices are mailed each year in late May. To avoid a legislated 10 per cent late penalty fee, payments must be received by the due date. If paying through telephone banking or online through your bank or third party credit card, be sure to allow your institution at least three business days to transfer the payment to the City by the due date. If paying by cheque through the mail, note that the postmark date is not considered date of payment. Interested in learning more about your tax bill? Read the latest issue of City Views.
For quick and convenient payment and paperless billing options, Learn How to Do it all Online, including how to register for your handy Property Account. Once registered, property owners can view their assessment, balance and financial transaction information—including whether the HOG has been applied—and current and past bills online. To register, taxpayers will need their folio number and access code, which can be found on their tax notice.
To avoid the potential for lineups at City Hall, we recommend taxpayers use one of the online payment options. General enquiries can be emailed to [email protected], [email protected] or sent by service request.
The City reminds eligible property owners that the Home Owner Grant (HOG) is now processed through the Province of BC at gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant or by calling 1-888-355-2700.
Sign up for property tax e-updates How Property Tax is Calculated LOG IN TO PROPERTY ACCOUNT
The Speculation and Vacancy Tax is a provincial initiative. For more information, visit the BC Government's Speculation Tax website or contact the Provincial office toll-free at 1-833-554-2323.
Tax payment options
Pay your property taxes and apply for the Home Owner Grant on time every year to avoid a penalty. We recommend paying through your financial institution or signing up for monthly prepayment. You can view your bill through Property Account, but will still need to pay your taxes through one of the options listed below.
- Search for "Kelowna" and select "taxes" as a payee when logged into your bank account. Avoid "utilities" as the City also offers this online payment option and it could appear in the search.
- Enter your tax folio number (ignore decimals) found on your tax notice as the account number (tip: add zeros to the beginning of the number if your bank requires more digits). Each property has its own unique tax folio number, so please verify each year if you have utilized the online payment method for a property you owned previously or if you own multiple properties.
- Pay the appropriate amount from the current year Property Tax Notice then print or save the confirmation page for your records. If you experience difficulties, please contact your financial institution for assistance.
Owners are responsible to ensure that payment of their annual property taxes is received at City Hall on time to avoid penalty. Some financial institutions hold payments before forwarding them to the City or are in different time zones. Avoid the risk of penalty by paying online at least a few business days early to be on time.
As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Province of BC is responsible for the Home Owner Grant program. To apply for a retroactive or new grant visit www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.
Prepay monthly through the Pre-Authorized Withdrawal System (PAWS). Simple interest will be paid on your prepayments at the Royal Bank prime rate less three per cent (minimum 0.4 per cent). This interest is considered a tax discount by Canada Revenue Agency and is tax free.
For more information, visit our Prepayment programs page.
**NEW 2023**
Starting May 23rd, 2023, credit card payments will be accepted both online and at City Hall for property tax payments only. To pay online, login to your Property Account and select the property tax account you’d like to pay. From here you can select “make a payment” to pay via credit card.
Please note: A 2.3% non-refundable transaction fee will apply.
The drop box is located to the right of the main doors to City Hall on Water Street.
Payments via cheque or money order can be left in the drop box. Remember to write your tax folio number on your cheque.
As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Province of BC is responsible for the Home Owner Grant program. To apply for a retroactive or new grant visit www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.
- Send payment to the City of Kelowna, Attention: Revenue Branch at 1435 Water Street, Kelowna, BC, V1Y 1J4
- Write the folio number on your cheque and ensure that the cheque is payable to the City of Kelowna
- Post-dated cheques are accepted
- Mail lost or delayed by the post office will be assessed with a penalty if late, as the postmark won't be considered as the date of payment
- Mail in a post-dated cheque early to avoid penalties
- In the event of a postal disruption, please utilize alternative payment methods to ensure that payment is received on time
Use your original current tax notice to make payment at your local financial institution as some won't accept reprints.
Please note: Financial institutions won't apply for the Home Owner Grant on behalf of their customers. As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Province of BC is responsible for the Home Owner Grant program. To apply for a retroactive or new grant visit www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.
The City is not responsible for errors made by financial institutions.
- If it is your mortgage company's intent to pay your property tax, a statement confirming notification to the organization that holds your mortgage will be shown on the property tax notice
- As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Province of BC is responsible for the Home Owner Grant program. To apply for a retroactive or new grant visit www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.
- Please ensure that your mortgage provider knows if you’re claiming the Home Owner Grant each year
- The City of Kelowna is not responsible for errors made by mortgage providers
Once you receive your property tax notice, you may be able to apply to the Province of BC for a low-interest loan to pay the current year property taxes on your principal residence. Visit our Property tax deferment page to learn more.
FAQ
Yes, if available, you can pay your taxes using your financial institution's online banking. Search for "Kelowna" (taxes) as a payee and use your folio number (ignore decimals) found on your tax notice as the account number (tip: add zeros to the beginning of the number if your bank requires more digits).
As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Province of BC is responsible for the Home Owner Grant program. To apply for a retroactive or new grant visit www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.
Important: To avoid a penalty, an owner should apply for the grant on time. It’s important to do this even if you’re not paying taxes at that time or your financial institution pays the taxes on your behalf.
Yes, we’re able to accept a post-dated cheque payment. In order to avoid any penalty on outstanding taxes, your cheque should be post-dated and mailed to be received on time.
Cheques that aren’t negotiable due to errors made by the payer will be considered returned cheques. All returned cheques are subject to a City administrative fee, possible service fee from your bank and a provincially mandated late penalty if they’re not replaced by the due date.
Important: We’re unable to retrieve and remove cheques for customers. If you wish to re-write a cheque, you may want to put a stop payment on the original. If the original cheque is returned by the bank, our administrative fee is still applicable as well as a possible service fee from your bank.
If you participate in PAWS, you’re responsible for making the final tax payment each year on time to avoid penalties.
As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Province of BC is responsible for the Home Owner Grant program. To apply for a retroactive or new grant visit www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.
Partial payments are accepted and if you are eligible, claim your Home Owner Grant as it acts as a payment towards your taxes. As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Province of BC is responsible for the Home Owner Grant program. To apply for a retroactive or new grant visit www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.
The provincially-legislated, non-discretionary 10 per cent penalty will be applied to any taxes not paid on time. Interest will be applied to any balance still outstanding as of Jan. 1 of the following year.
Payments for property taxes are governed by provincial legislation and must be applied in the following order:
- Delinquent taxes, including interest, from past years
- Taxes in arrears, including interest, from the preceding year
- A penalty added in the current year
- Current year taxes
If you have purchased the property, you’re responsible for the property taxes and must pay the full amount on the bill and apply for the Home Owner Grant (if eligible) by the due date. Legal representatives for buyers and sellers of property normally adjust the purchase/sale price to account for the property taxes that are the responsibility of either the buyer or seller.
If you’re the new owner and are going to claim the Home Owner Grant, you may need to provide a copy of your Form A Freehold Title Transfer showing your name on title. This Form A is found in the paperwork from the sale of the property, or from your legal representative.
Financial institutions do not accept Home Owner Grants.
As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Province of BC is responsible for the Home Owner Grant program. To apply for a retroactive or new grant visit www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.
Important: We’re not responsible for errors made by financial institutions. You’ll be charged a provincially-legislated, non-discretionary 10 per cent penalty on the grant amount if the application isn’t received on time.
All property owners are notified of tax levies. Keep the tax notice for your records. If you qualify for the Home Owner Grant, be sure to claim it as the financial institution will not claim the grant for you.
If the tax folio number is the same, then you make one payment for one physical property. Each owner receives a bill for notification purposes only.
As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Province of BC is responsible for the Home Owner Grant program. To apply for a retroactive or new grant visit www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.
Ask your lawyer if you’re responsible for applying for the Home Owner Grant. As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Province of BC is responsible for the Home Owner Grant program. To apply for a retroactive or new grant visit www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.
Please ensure that your grant application is completed on time to avoid the 10 per cent provincially-legislated, non-discretionary penalty.
No, penalties are mandated by provincial legislation.
No, you can’t appeal your taxes, but you can appeal your assessment. Contact BC Assessment at 1-866-825-8322 or visit their website.
A 10 per cent penalty is applied to taxes not paid on time (provincially-legislated, non-discretionary).
The Home Owner Grant is a form of payment and you can reduce your taxes owing by claiming it if you’re eligible. Until you claim your eligible grant, it’s considered outstanding taxes and is subject to the provincially-legislated, non-discretionary 10 per cent penalty for late payment of taxes.
Access your City of Kelowna bills in one convenient location. You will need to first register and create a Property Account before accessing your bills:
- Visit kelowna.ca/propertytax after you have received your Property Tax Notice in the mail.
- Click on the Login to Property Account button. You’ll be redirected to a new webpage.
- Click on the 'No account? Create one!' hyperlink.
- Complete your Profile Registration and click Continue when done.
- Check your email for a confirmation and follow the instructions you receive.
- Login to your Property Account online.
- Click on Add/Manage.
- Click on Register account.
- Click on Register a tax account.
- Enter your folio number and access code. These can be found on the front of your Property Tax Notice. Your access code is unique to you.
- Want to go paperless and receive next year’s Property Tax Notice by email? Select yes for eBilling!
- Click Register. You can now access your property tax details, including account balance, assessment information, and view your bill online. You can also add your City Water Utility account (if you receive water from the City) and business licence account.
To estimate your property taxes, use the property tax estimator on our Property tax and assessment tools page.
Property taxation is the most important single source of municipal revenue. For more information on where your property tax money is spent, view the City of Kelowna Budget.
The City and some of the neighbouring local governments share the costs of some "region-wide" services, such as: police and fire protection, street lighting, road and drainage maintenance, and operation of regional parks and recreational facilities.
All property owners in the province are required to pay school taxes, unless the property is used for an exempt purpose and is exempt from this taxation. The school tax isn’t based on the property owner's use of the school system. It’s a suitable way to pay for part of public education costs, given everyone benefits from a good school system.
For a detailed breakdown of the different tax types in Kelowna (e.g. residential, industrial, business), check out the Property class tax rates.
No, address changes are done through BC Assessment. Notify BC Assessment directly to change your mailing address. Submit a Change of Address Notification through BC Assessment’s website, call 1-866-825-8322 or send a letter to:
300-1631 Dickson Ave, Kelowna BC, V1Y 8H2
You’ll need your folio number, assessment area number and jurisdiction area number in order to make an address change.
- Folio number: This number can be found on your property tax notice. However, if you don’t have your tax notice, the folio number can also be found using our online property tax and assessment search
- Assessment area: 19
- Jurisdiction: This number can be found on your property tax notice. If your folio number is five digits or less (e.g. roll 8500) then your jurisdiction number is 214. If your folio number is greater than five digits (e.g. roll 12051228) then your jurisdiction number is 217.
- If submitting in writing: Include the folio number of the property, previous mailing address, new mailing address, your printed name and signature.
Important: This refers to change in mailing address only. If a taxpayer no longer owns a specific property, the change in ownership will be picked up when BC Assessment is provided information from the Land Titles office.
Note: BC Assessment will register an address change in the City of Kelowna's property tax system weekly.
If possible, please give it to the new owner, or return it to us with a note that you sold the property.
BC Assessment - an independent, provincial crown corporation, accountable to the Government of BC - is responsible for determining the market value of land and improvements for the Assessment Roll.
To determine what a property would sell for, an assessor considers many factors that might affect the property's value including:
- Age
- Condition
- Location
- Replacement cost
- Rental income
- Size
- Shape
- Sales of comparable properties in the area
- Topography
Council has approved the following criteria for the 2024 one-time property tax grant program:
- Municipal property taxes only;
- Property is within a UC1-UC5 zone;
- Class 01 multi-family residential (single property that accommodates more than 3 families);
- Principle use of the property provides a social benefit specific to housing;
- Assessed value increased by 30% or more between 2023 and 2024 (market and/or zoning changes); and
- Must not be a for-profit business.
The deadline to apply is December 31, 2024. Properties that qualify will have an amount credited to their property tax accounts.
If your property meets the criteria above, please use the online application by clicking the link below:
