Property tax payment options
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You can use any of the following payment methods to pay your property taxes with the City.
All payments must be received by 4:30 p.m. of the payment due date. Penalty fees are applied on the first day of default and again on the first day of each following month until paid. If you have small balance arrears on your account, it could be the result of late payment.
By mail
You can mail a cheque, made payable to the City of St. Catharines, to:
Citizens First
City of St. Catharines
PO Box 3012
50 Church St.
St. Catharines, ON L2R 7C2
In-person payment or drop off
You can pay by cheque, cash or debit in-person at our Citizens First customer service desk on the second floor of City Hall during regular business hours. You can also deposit your cheque in the after-hours deposit box at City Hall, located at the James Street entrance. Do not deposit cash.
With your financial institution
You can have your Canadian financial institution (banking provider) submit your property tax payments for you. Contact your bank for more information or to help get you set up with this option.
Telephone
You can pay your property taxes by calling the telephone banking number found on the back of your personal Interac card and following your bank's instructions over the phone.
Online
You can pay your property taxes through online banking. Contact your banking provider to help you set up this option. Please allow sufficient time for your bank to forward the payment to the City when using this option.
Pre-authorized payments
You can set up a pre-authorized debit payment plan with the City. Learn about the instalment plan and monthly plan options available and how to sign up with our Pre-authorized Debit Agreement Form.
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Property tax instalment due dates
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Property tax instalment due dates are on the last business days of February, April, June and September. We mail property tax bills at least 21 days before each instalment due date.
2022 instalment dates:
- Interim Instalment 1: Feb. 28, 2022
- Interim Instalment 2: April 29, 2022
- Final Instalment 1: June 30, 2022
- Final Instalment 2: Sept. 29, 2022
2021 instalment dates include:
- Interim Instalment 1: Feb. 26, 2021
- Interim Instalment 2: April 30, 2021
- Final Instalment 1: June 30, 2021
- Final Instalment 2: Sept. 30, 2021
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Receive your property tax bill electronically
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You can choose to receive your property tax and water utility bills from the City electronically.
This environmentally friendly option helps save paper and lets you access your property tax and water bill information anytime and anywhere with just a few clicks! You can also access property tax instalment dates, assessments, water consumption usage and transactions.
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Property tax deferral program
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We offer a property tax deferral program for eligible seniors and individuals living with disabilities. The program allows participants to defer tax increases for the current year for increases over a minimum of $200 from the previous year.
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Assistance programs
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The City and other levels of government offer tax rebate and assistance programs for eligible individuals and organizations.
Cancellation, reduction and refund of property taxes
Residential property owners and commercial/industrial property owners can apply for cancellation, reduction and refund of property taxes with the City.
Rebate for charitable organizations
Eligible charitable organizations registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and paying commercial/industrial taxes on the property they are occupying can apply for a property tax rebate with the City.
To be considered for a rebate, you must complete your application and file it between Jan. 1 of the tax year and Feb. 28 of the following year.
Grants for ethno-cultural organizations
Eligible ethno-cultural organizations can apply for a Transitional Grant for Ethno-cultural Organizations with the City. The grant amount is 50 per cent of the City's portion of property taxes.
Eligibility
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An organization is qualified to receive a grant if it meets all the following criteria:
- Is based and active in St. Catharines
- Is a charity in good standing within the meaning of the Income Tax Act with a registration number issued by the CRA or a non-profit organization
- Owns and operates the subject property for the purpose of an ethno-cultural centre
- Demonstrates sound financial and organizational management practices
- Has a mandate to promote public understanding and awareness of ethno-cultural traditions, legacies, language, arts and trade
- Provides programming or services that are open to the public and publicized city-wide
- Is up to date with payment of current property taxes
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Definitions
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An eligible property is a real property owned and operated by an eligible organization for the purposes of providing an ethno-cultural centre.
An ethno-cultural centre is a facility that houses activities and programming for the purpose of promoting and sharing specific cultural legacies, and facilitating communication and understanding of a distinct culture, language, arts and trade through open access and community-wide publicity.
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Application and approval process
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Eligible organizations must apply on an annual basis. We accept applications between Jan. 1 of the tax year and Feb. 28 of the following year for rebates of the current year. You must provide a completed application to the City each year.
You must submit your application no later than 4:30 p.m. on the last business day of February. Our staff will confirm your eligibility and inform you of approval by mail within 30 business days.
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Niagara Region property tax assistance information
Learn about other property tax relief programs with Niagara Region and other levels of government.
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Tax rates
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Each year, municipalities decide how much funds they need to raise from their property taxes to pay for services. They determine the tax rate based on that amount. St. Catharines property tax rates are set by City Council each year. Rates are determined by balancing the needs for programs and infrastructure with the financial requirements of the City and revenue streams.
The City and Niagara Region independently determine the tax rate for each property tax class. The Province of Ontario sets the education tax rates for all properties within the province. The combined taxes collected by the City (municipal, regional and educational) fund various projects with the City of St. Catharines, Niagara Region and provincial education.
2021 tax rates
On May 10, 2021, City Council finalized the combined property tax rate for 2021. The combined rate, which blends City, regional and provincial education rates, is a part of the normal budget process that takes place annually. This finalized rate is used to generate tax bills for the current year.
Most properties in St. Catharines are taxed under the urban rate, which includes allotments for streetlights and transit. You can calculate the total tax amount owed for the year by multiplying your assessed value by your property's tax rate, then adding any local improvement levies to the amount. You can find local improvement levy amounts on your final tax bill.
Try our Property Tax Calculator to learn more.
| Class | Tax class designation | General rate (per cent) | Urban rate (per cent) |
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Residential
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RT
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1.379120
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1.455746
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Multi-residential
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MT
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2.568456
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2.719409
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New multi-residential
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NT
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1.379120
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1.455746
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Commercial, occupied
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CT, XT, CH
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3.007196
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3.140134
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Commercial, excess land
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CU, XU, CK
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2.528576
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2.631603
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Commercial, other - occupied
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DT, GT, ST, YT, ZT
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3.007196
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3.140134
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Commercial, other - excess land
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DU, SU, ZU
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2.528576
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2.631603
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Commercial, vacant land
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CX, CJ
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2.528576
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2.631603
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Industrial, occupied
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IT, LT, IH
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4.104696
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4.306222
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Industrial, excess land
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IU, LU
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3.370139
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3.535322
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Industrial, vacant land
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IX, IJ
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3.370139
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3.535322
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Industrial, new
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JT, KT
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4.104696
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4.306222
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Pipelines
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PT
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2.966979
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3.097404
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Farmlands
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FT
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0.344780
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0.363937
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Farmlands awaiting development
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R1, C1
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1.034340
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1.091810
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2021 Business Improvement Area (BIA) tax rates
Some properties, located in Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), pay an additional BIA tax rate. Currently this only applies to the Downtown Association.
| Class | BIA tax rate (per cent) |
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Commercial, occupied
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0.277391
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Commercial, vacant
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0.214978
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Frequently asked questions about property taxes and finalized tax rates
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View answers to some of the more commonly asked questions about property taxes in St. Catharines.
Where can I view my property tax bill?
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We mail all tax bills to property owners. You can also view your tax bills online by signing up for e-billing. Our e-billing service securely stores residents' tax and water accounts information and bills in one convenient online location.
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Where does my tax money go?
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We use property tax revenue to fund a variety of government programs, operations and services.
We use revenues from the City's portion to fund:
- Fire Services
- Parks
- Transit
- Recreation programs
- Snow removal
- Libraries
- Pools
- Senior centres
- Street lighting
- Contributions to capital projects, such as road and storm sewer repair
- And more
Niagara Region uses the regional tax portion to fund:
The Province of Ontario uses the educational tax portion to fund school boards in Niagara.
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How are property taxes calculated and who is responsible for setting rates?
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Property taxes are based on the tax rate as it applies to the assessed value of a home or property. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) generates a current value assessment for all properties. This assessment is used to generate property tax amounts. The total amount of taxes collected depends on the City's revenue needs and not on the value of the properties assessed within the City.
Combined tax rate
A combined tax rate of municipal, regional and educational taxes is multiplied with the current value assessment to determine a property's property tax value. Within the combined rate, the City and Niagara Region independently determine the tax rate for each property tax class. The Province of Ontario sets the educational tax rate for all properties in the province.
Calculation example
As an example, the calculation for the average residential home in St. Catharines, valued at $254,000, with the finalized 2021 property tax rate of 1.46 would be:
$254,000 x 1.4557467% = $3,696.59
Levies
Beyond City, regional and educational tax rates, there are several items included in your finalized tax bill. These are called levies. Applicable levies include the Infrastructure Levy, Hospital Levy and Region Waste Management Levy. Each is included as small portions of the blended tax rate.
The City sets the Infrastructure and Hospital Levies. The Infrastructure Levy addresses the infrastructure deficit and directs extra funds to upgrade roads, parks, playground equipment and traffic lights not already funded in the base budget. The Hospital Levy addresses City capital costs of funding the new St. Catharines Hospital Site.
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Are property taxes going up in 2021?
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Yes, they are. City Council approved a 1.55 per cent increase (a $25.69 increase for the average homeowner) to the City's portion of the property tax bill. When combined with the approved increase from Niagara Region, and the slight decrease in the Province of Ontario's educational tax portion, the combined tax rate increased by 1.65 per cent in 2021.
What will that cost me?
The finalized 1.65 per cent increase will see the average residential homeowner, with a home assessed at $254,000 in value, pay a total of $3,697.59 in 2021. This represents a $59.88 increase from 2020. Of that increase, $25.69 is directed to the City.
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When will the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation be reassessing my property value?
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Learn more about the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation's assessment update cycle.
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Why is the 2021 tax rate finalized in May?
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The 2021 Tax Rate Report, passed by Council on May 10, 2021, follows the normal municipal budgetary process. The report combines the rate set by the City during its budget process in December 2020 with the rates set by Niagara Region and the Province of Ontario.
City tax rates are determined by the revenue required to fund the City's operating budget. Through the Budget Standing Committee, the City generates its portion of property tax rates. The City finalized its rate with the passing of our 2020 Operating Budget at City Council on Dec. 14, 2020.
A finalized combined (or blended) rate could not be generated until Niagara Region and the Province of Ontario finalized their rates for 2021. The Province finalized the education portion of property taxes on Jan. 13, 2021 and Niagara Region finalized the regional portion on April 22, 2021. After these rates were finalized, the City was required to ratify a combined rate for 2021 property taxes.
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How can the City already issue interim property tax bills before the tax rate is finalized?
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The interim tax bill produced annually at the end of January is for the first half of the year's taxes. The amount levied is based on 50 per cent of your property's taxes for the previous tax year, allowing the City to send out interim bills while we await rates from Niagara Region and the Province to generate the finalized tax rate.
Your final tax bill will be based on your 2021 phased-in assessment value and will reflect any changes in municipal taxes and educational taxes. Final tax instalments may be larger than interim property tax bills that were issued in the first half of the year.
Instalments
We collect property taxes across four instalments every year from homeowners, except for those on a monthly pre-authorized payment schedule. This means we must often issue bills before Niagara Region and the Province have approved their portions of the tax rate.
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