Property Taxes

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 t​​he 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.

​​Inter​​im ​​​tax bill

Interim 2024 tax bill instalment due dates: February 29 and April 30, 2024. 

​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 tax bill instalment due dates: June 28 and September 27, 2024.

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

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) sends Property Assessment Change Notices throughout the year as changes to your property occur. You will receive a Property Assessment Change Notice for one of the following reasons:

• There was a change to your property such as an addition, new construction or renovation.
• We assessed a structure on your property for the first time.
• There was a change to your property’s classification.
• All or part of your property no longer qualifies as farmland, conservation land or managed forests.
• All or part of your property no longer qualifies to be tax exempt.
   

Assessment increases that occur after the annual assessment roll has been returned are liable for property taxation. This form of tax billing is referred to as supplementary—for the current year or omitted—when there were increases from prior years that were not captured in the year in which they applied. In these cases, MPAC can issue an omitted assessment going back two preceding years.

Supplementary/omitted tax bills are issued by the municipality after final billing. The tax bill(s) will have a separate due date(s) and will not be included in tax payment plans. Property tax dollars associated with any changes are retroactive to the date of occupancy or when the renovation or alterations were completed.

The supplementary/omitted bill(s) is in addition to what has been previously billed on the property. This bill does not include payments already made to your tax account or future installments that have been previously billed and are still outstanding.

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
   

Learn More & Apply for the PAP Plan

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.

Credit card payments are not accepted directly by the City of Barrie. However, property taxes can be paid online by credit card using an online bill payment service provider.

The service provider may charge service fees and there may be restrictions on the types of credit cards accepted. The City of Barrie receives only the billed tax amount. Payment is processed by the City on the date we receive the funds which may be a few days after payment is made. Please allow enough time for payments to be received prior to the due date. Refer to the service provider’s website for terms and conditions of their service, charges and payment processing times.

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 directly as a payment method. Please refer to the information above regarding making a payment online via your credit card.

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 to Service Barrie, P.O. Box 400, Barrie, ON, L4M 4T5. The cheque should be payable to the City of Barrie (i.e. write "City of Barrie" on the cheque). 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.

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.

Eligibility Criteria & Application Details

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.

Eligibility Criteria & Application Details

The Property Tax Deferral Program is available to any property owner aged 65 or older and/or any individual who is currently receiving benefits under the Ontario Disability Support Program. Eligible applicants will have their property taxes “frozen” at their base year amount (the year prior to the application.) 

Eligibility Criteria & Application Details

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.

Each municipality across Ontario uses the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation's (MPAC) current value assessment and classification of properties to calculate municipal property taxes.

Municipal property tax is calculated by multiplying your property's current year phased-in assessment by the City's tax rate as approved by City Council. City Council sets municipal tax rates based on the revenue requirements outlined during the budget process.

Changes to your property taxes can occur due to a change in the tax rate, a change in your assessed value and/or a change in your property’s classification.

For more information on how properties are assessed and how property taxes and assessment are related, visit MPAC’s website.

Property tax dollars associated with any changes are retroactive to the date of occupancy or when the renovation or alterations were completed. Taxes are levied against the property and not the person. If you purchased the property after the effective date noted on the bill, please contact your lawyer directly to review and make any required adjustments with the seller of the property.

For information regarding your property assessment and how this relates to your taxes, please visit the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation’s First Time Homeowners' Hub.

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 Certificate

A property tax certificate is the legal and binding document provided by municipalities that includes account information, and is used in real estate and mortgage transactions. A tax certificate reflects the current assessed owner, location and description of the real property, property account number, current levy, account balance, liens on the property and the issuance date of the certificate. You can order a certificate by:

• Mailing a written request and cheque payable to the City of Barrie to:
  City Hall
  Attn: Revenue, Finance Department
  P.O. Box 400, Barrie, ON, L4M 4T5
• Submitting a written request and cheque in person at Service Barrie, 70 Collier Street, Monday to Friday, 8:30am–4:30pm. The certificate will not be issued immediately.

Certificates are emailed if an email address is provided. Otherwise, the certificate will be mailed via Canada Post. Please refer to current fees for pricing information. 

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. Please refer to current fees for pricing information. 

• 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. 

Requests may take up to 2 business days for processing.