The majority of the City's money comes from residential and commercial property taxes. Other sources of revenue include user fees, development charges, grants & subsidies from other levels of government and contributions from reserves.
Residential property tax bill funds are allocated to City services, education, and the City’s service partners. Learn about where your money goes.
Property Tax Billing Notices
Tax billing notices are mailed to property addresses unless otherwise advised. If you would like these notices mailed to a different address, please complete and submit a Mailing Address Change Form. This will only change your mailing address with the City of Barrie. You must also provide mailing address changes to MPAC.
Property taxes are billed by the City of Barrie twice per year: the interim bill and the final bill, with two payment instalments due for each billing. If Tax Arrears appears on your tax bill it means that at the time of billing there will be an outstanding balance on the account. All payments must be received by the City by the due date to avoid late payment charges of 1.25% per month (calculated starting on the first day of each month payment is delayed).
Property taxes are calculated based on the assessment value of your property, which is determined by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). If you have any concerns about your assessed value or classification, please refer to aboutmyproperty.ca.
Interim tax bill
Interim 2023 tax bill instalment due dates: February 28 and April 28, 2023.
The interim bill is issued each January. Property owners who have taxes paid via their mortgage company, or who are on a pre-authorized payment plan, do not receive an interim tax bill.
The Municipal Act requires that your interim bill be based on 50% of your prior year taxes adjusted by any completed supplementary or assessment cancellations. The interim bill is an estimate because the City and Service Partners budgets, and Provincial Education tax rates are not yet confirmed (the final tax bill is adjusted to the current year tax rates).
Final tax bill
Final 2023 tax bill instalment due dates: June 30 and September 29, 2023.
The final bill is issued each May and may arrive in mailboxes in early June. It is calculated using your assessed value and the Council-approved tax rates for the current year, less the interim bill amount.
Pre-authorized payment (PAP) notification letters regarding property taxes are mailed each December to taxpayers registered on a monthly PAP plan. PAP notification letters function as a receipt for the previous year and specify the first five withdrawals for current year, from January to May. Those who receive a PAP notification letter do not receive an interim tax bill. There is a $15 fee for a replacement receipt (available by contacting Service Barrie); it is recommended this letter be kept for your records.
Tax Arrears notices are issued to property owners when payment due to the City has not been paid. Interest/penalty is calculated at a rate of 1.25% per month on the first day of each month payment is delayed. The notice outlines tax amount due, interest/penalty amounts, and payment options. Interest/penalty fees cannot be waived. Properties that are two or more years in arrears are eligible to be registered for tax sale.
FAQs re Tax Arrears Notices
I've paid my taxes in full. Why did I receive a tax arrears notice? Tax arrears notices are automatically generated to any account with an overdue balance. In addition to overdue property taxes, other reasons for arrears include:
- Overdue water/wastewater bills transferred to tax roll (owner or tenant account linked to property address)
- New account fee for ownership changes
- Overdue property standards fines transferred to tax roll
- Unpaid fees for duplicate tax bills or tax receipts
If your taxes were paid in full, it's possible that one or more of the above charges were added to the tax roll. Please contact Service Barrie at (705) 726-4242 or ServiceBarrie@barrie.ca so a representative can review your account and provide you with full information.
I have moved from this property. Why am I getting this notice? Please disregard the notice. Taxes will be updated and notices sent to the new owner once the ownership information has been received and updated. I have already made this payment. What should I do? The payment may have made around the time of arrears letters being generated and mailed. Please contact Service Barrie at (705) 726-4242 or ServiceBarrie@barrie.ca so a representative can review the account history for payment. Please be prepared to supply proof of payment (i.e. cancelled cheque, online banking confirmation number) if requested. My mortgage company pays the property taxes. Why am I getting this notice? Please contact your mortgage company to determine why payment was not made by the due date. The City issues supplementary/omitted tax bills as per Property Assessment Change Notices, which are issued by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) for the following reasons:
- a change to your property such as an addition, new construction or renovation.
- MPAC assessed a structure on your property for the first time.
- There was a change to your property’s classification.
Property tax dollars associated with any changes are retroactive to the date of occupancy or purchase, or when the renovation or alterations were completed. Payment for supplementary/omitted tax bills is typically due in one installment.
Property Tax Payment Options
The City encourages property owners to join the Pre-Authorized Payment Plan for a convenient, worry-free and secure way to pay property taxes.
The PAP Plan authorizes the City to automatically withdraw funds from the bank account you designate to make tax payments. There is no surcharge for this method of payment. Benefits include:
- No worry about missed due dates
- In the event of postal disruption, illness or vacation, your payments will still be made
- Monthly plan allows easier budgeting
- Savings on postal charges
- Once you have enrolled in a plan, you do not have to reapply for subsequent years
There are three plan options:
- Monthly PAP Plan
For properties that are NOT in arrears - Due Date PAP Plan
For properties that are NOT in arrears - Arrears PAP Plan
For properties that have tax arrears
Payment can be made online or by telephone with your bank. To pay online, you’ll need to add the City as a payee. Search for “Barrie” to add the City as a payee. Your 19-digit roll number, found on your tax bill, is your account number.
Please allow enough time for payments to be received prior to the due date. Payments made via bank may take several business days.
Service Barrie
Payment (cash, cheque or debit) can be made in person at Service Barrie (first floor of City Hall, 70 Collier Street) during regular business hours: 8:30am–4:30pm Monday–Friday (excluding holidays). Credit cards are not accepted as a payment method.
City Hall Drop Boxes
Payment can also be made by dropping off a cheque to City Hall drop boxes, located at the front entrance at 70 Collier Street or the entrance at Worsley Street parking lot.
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Bank Branches
Payment can also be made in person at your bank branch. Your 19-digit roll number, found on your tax bill, is your account number. Please allow enough time for payments to be received prior to the due date. Payments made via bank may take several business days.
Payment can be made by mailing a cheque, payable to the City of Barrie, to Service Barrie, P.O. Box 400, Barrie, ON, L4M 4T5. Please allow enough time for payments to be received prior to the due date.
Please note that if your taxes are paid by a mortgage company, you will not receive an interim bill. If you do receive an interim bill, please contact your mortgage company. You will receive a Final property tax bill for your records in May.
Property Tax Rebate, Adjustment, & Deferral Programs
Charitable organizations, low-income older adults, and low-income persons with disabilities may be eligible for a property tax rebate or deferral. Owners of properties that experienced a change during the year may be eligible for a tax adjustment.
If you operate a registered charity or similar organization, you may be eligible for a rebate of 40% of the property taxes paid if you meet the eligibility requirements.
You may file an application with the City of Barrie (Treasurer) requesting your taxes to be reduced or refunded, under Section 357, 358 of the Municipal Act, 2001, if your property experienced a change during the year.
The Property Tax Deferral Program is available to older adults who have low income and persons with disabilities who have low income. Eligible applicants will have their property taxes “frozen” at their base year amount (the year prior to the application.)
Property Tax Rates & Fees
Council Motion 23-G-092 established the tax rates to be used in determining the municipal portion of your 2023 property tax bill. The 2023 tax rates are based on the budgetary requirements approved in the 2023 Business Plan & Budget.
The rates for the education portion of residents' property tax bills are determined by the Provincial government and legislated under the Education Act. The portion of your bill relating to education is collected by the municipality on behalf of the Province but is remitted to public and separate school boards for the Barrie area. No portion of revenue collected for this purpose is retained by the municipality. The Tax Ratios By-law establishes the tax ratios used to determine the relative amount of taxation to be borne by each property class.
As an Ontario property owner, you are required to support a school system even if you do not have children or your children are not currently attending school. In the case of a
residential property occupied by tenants, the tenants can direct the school support for that
property. By default, your property taxes support the English public school board. However, property owners, occupants, and tenants can change the school board that your taxes support online at mpac.ca/schoolsupport.Residential/farm property class 1.000000 New multi-residential 1.000000 Multi-residential property class 1.000000 Commercial property class 1.433126 Industrial property class 1.516328 Pipelines property class 1.103939 Farmlands property class 0.250000 Managed forest property class 0.250000 Landfill 1.067122 The above figures are included in Schedule F of the 2023 Fees By-law (PDF). Fee Type Current Fee NSF/stop payment/returned cheque/funds not cleared charge (per incident) $47.00 Payment Redistribution Fee (after second occurrence)
Fee applies if a payment is to be transferred from one account to another. If you've moved or you have more than one property tax/water account, you must ensure all accounts have been individually set up for payments.$45.00 Tax Certificate (per property)
This is the most detailed tax report someone can order about a property. $78.00 Tax Certificate 24-hour rush response (per property) $117.00 Duplicate Tax Bill, Statement or Receipt (per property, per year) $15.00 Tax Account Fee for Ownership Changes (per property)
If you've recently purchased, or transferred title, there is a fee to cover the costs associated with updating the tax roll.$39.00 New Account Added to Tax Roll (for new address)
If property is new to tax roll, you will incur a one-time fee to cover the costs associated with setting up the account. You will be billed separately from your tax bill.$60.00 Mortgage Company Administration Fee (for mortgage company)
per property tax account to be invoiced biannually (interim & final tax bills)$12.00 Detailed Calculations for Tax Adjustments Requested by Other Than Property Owner (per property) $27.00 Administrative Charge
Any unpaid fee or charge that has been added to the tax roll for collection purposes. Charges added to the Tax Roll.$40.00 Administrative Charge - City of Barrie Act
For collecting City of Barrie Act (1960) charges and issuing payment to developer.$160.00 Reminder Notice of Tax Arrears $10.00 Tax Appeal Application $25.00
Property Tax Calculator
The City has developed a tool that provides an estimated amount of property tax you will pay and the distribution of your municipal taxes. This tool is intended for the convenience of property owners only.
Each municipality across Ontario uses the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation's current value assessment and classification of your property to set municipal tax rates and collect property taxes.
Municipal tax is calculated by multiplying your property's current year phased-in assessment by the City's tax rate as approved by City Council. This means that any increase in tax you may see is not always due to the City raising the tax rate. An increase in tax may also be based on a change in your assessed property value as well as the assessed value of everyone else's property in the municipality.
An increase in assessed value does not necessarily result in an increase in property taxes. Your assessed value is used to determine your share of the total taxes, so if the increase in your assessed value is the same as the average assessment increase for the City of Barrie, you would not experience an assessment-related increase in taxes. If, however, your assessed value increase is higher than the average, you may experience an assessment-related increase.
An increase in assessed value of your property does not necessarily mean an increase in your property taxes. Only if your property value has surpassed the average percentage change of residential properties in your municipal/local taxing authority (as indicated on your notice) will you possibly pay an increase. In addition, to ease tax-payers, property value increases from 2016 will be phased in gradually over the following four years. Conversely, any property value decrease will be applied immediately.
If you have questions about your assessment, please contact the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation at 1-866-296-6722 or visit www.mpac.ca.
Property Tax Statement
A property tax statement is a line-by-line breakdown of all transactions that occurred on a tax account for calendar year. You can request a statement of account by emailing FinanceAdmin@barrie.ca and including the following information:
- address of property
- roll number
- tax year(s) requested for inclusion in statement
- confirmation of the awareness of the associated fees
Please refer to current fees for pricing information. This fee is applicable for each year contained within the statement.
Yearly Receipt or Duplicate Tax Bill (Reprint)
A yearly receipt or duplicate tax bill reprint is subject to an administrative fee of $15 per document.
- A duplicate tax bill reprint is an exact replica of the original and does not show payments made since the original bill was issued.
- Alternatively, a tax receipt will show what has been billed and paid in a given year, however one can only be issued for a year in which there are no tax arrears owing.
- For legal transactions such as home sales or mortgage refinancing, a tax certificate is required (not a receipt or bill).
To request a yearly receipt or duplicate tax bill, please email ServiceBarrie@barrie.ca or visit ServiceBarrie.ca.
Please note that if the Property Title name does not match the requestors name then no bill can be issued. Requests may take up to 2 business days for processing.