Taxes

Change of mailing address

All changes must be sent in writing by the property owner. In the event, the property has become the responsibility of an executor, trustee or Power of Attorney, legal documentation must be provided to the City along with the request, identifying their authority to request the change. Please ensure your assessment roll number or property address is included in the correspondence.

You can email your change request to Revenue and Taxation, fax it to 705-328-2620 or submit it in person at any Municipal Service Centre or City Hall.

Ownership change

In order to change the ownership of a property the City of Kawartha Lakes requires:

• copy of the Transfer/ Deed showing the Address for Service as filed with the Registry or Land Titles Office
• Information from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation with the mailing address

You can email this information to Revenue and Taxation or fax it to 705-328-2620 upon closing of the transaction.

The City does not accept letters from the lawyer acting on behalf of the purchaser as direction to change ownership or direction to use a different mailing address than what is provided on the Transfer/Deed.  It is the property owner's responsibility to ensure the documents that are registered on Title contain the correct mailing address.

Failure to receive the tax bill does not remove the property owner's responsibility for payment of property taxes on or before the due date. Nor will Late Payment charges be removed from the account.

Request for reconsideration

You can sign up to see your assessment details and compare the value of your home to other homes in your neighbourhood. Please visit the MPAC website for information about MPAC and details on how to appeal your assessment through the Request for Reconsideration process.

Payment options

All payments must be received on or before the due date. Late payments will be subject to penalty and interest charges. We do not accept the postmark as proof of the date of receipt. To make paying your taxes as convenient as possible we provide a variety of payment options including:

• pre-authorized debit
• by mail to PO Box 696 Lindsay, ON K9V 4W9 (post-dated cheques are accepted)
• at most financial institutions (you must pay before the due date to use this option)
• telephone or online banking

• drop box at any Municipal Service Centre or City Hall

• online by credit card (there is a 2.75% charge for this service)
• over the phone by credit card at 1-866-961-2313 (there is a 2.75% charge for this service)

Pre-authorized debit

We offer a 10-month, 12-month or installment due date plan. You must complete a pre-authorized debit application form and ensure your taxes are paid up to date prior to the start date of the plan. The PAD plans are not transferable between houses should you sell your property and purchase another in Kawartha Lakes.

If you choose a monthly plan please be aware of the cut-off dates for submitting your application. Applications received between November 1 - April 30 will be enrolled for the next Final Tax Bill with the first withdrawal in July. Applications received between May 1 - October 31 will be enrolled for the following year's Interim Tax Bill.

This is not an equal billing plan. Amounts are calculated for the Interim Tax Bill and re-calculated for the Final Tax Bill.12-month plans have withdrawal dates of January 15 - June 15 and again July 15 - December 15. On December 15, any residual balance owing to bring your account to zero will be withdrawn.

10-month plans have withdrawal dates of February 1 - June 1 and again July 1 - November 1. On November 1, any residual balance owing to bring your account to zero will be withdrawn.

Download the Pre-Authorized Debit Cancellation Notice Form

Download the Property Tax Pre-Authorized Debit Agreement Application Form

Late payment charges

• Penalty 1.25% per month (current year arrears)
• Interest 1.25% per month (prior year arrears)
• Additions to tax roll 5% of amount being added ( $50 minimum)

Bank or mortgage company payments 

If your bank or mortgage company is responsible for paying your taxes and it is not noted on the front of your bill, please forward the bill to them immediately. Your bank or mortgage company must notify us in writing if they will be paying taxes on your behalf or if they are going to stop paying taxes on your behalf.

Receipts 

If you need a receipt please return your entire bill without detaching the payment stubs and include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. You can also e-mail, fax or bring your bill to our office or any Municipal Service Centre and we will stamp it for you at no cost.

If you have sold your property we are unable to provide a copy of the bill or a receipt in your name. You can find out how much you paid in taxes by reviewing the statement of adjustments prepared by your lawyer at the time of closing.

Failure to pay

If you do not pay your installments by the due date your account may be issued to the Bailiff for collection. This could result in extra fees. Once the account has been issued to the Bailiff, you will need to deal directly with them regarding payment, arrangements or balances. If a payment is made in person at our office we will notify the bailiff so they can adjust their records accordingly.

 Application for Reduction

If your house or another building on your property was demolished or damaged by fire, you may qualify for a property tax reduction by submitting a Section 357/358 application below.

Tax Application

The deadline for applications is February 28 of the current year. For the preceding taxation year (Example, February 28 2023 would be the deadline for a 2022 application).

Low Income Senior and Disabled Persons programs

Council grants eligible seniors and disabled property owners up to $175. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2023.

Successful applicants will receive a credit applied to future tax installments. The City does not issue refunds for this program.

If you are on a monthly pre-authorized payment plan the credit will be applied towards your reconciliation payment. For those on the installment due date plan, the credit will be applied to the September installment.

Download the 2023 Low Income Senior and Disabled Persons Application.

Registered Charity Tax Rebate

Registered charitable organizations renting space in commercial or industrial properties can apply for the Registered Charity Tax Rebate.

Who this information is for?

This information is for property owners and tenants in Ontario who would like to change which school board they support.

Changing your school support online

Did you know you can view and update your school support designation online via an online portal if you are a residential property owner or a tenant registered with MPAC?

To get started, select the option below that applies to you:

• I am a property owner
• I am a tenant

A guide is available to assist users with how to navigate changing their school support designation online: English | French

If you are unable to access the portal, MPAC also accepts paper applications for school support change requests. For more information, please see “Alternative method - changing your school support” below or call the MPAC Customer Contact Centre to register as a user, which may take up to 24 hours until you are registered within our systems.

Criteria

In order to change your school board support, you must meet the following criteria:

• You must own or lease a property or be the spouse of someone who owns or rents property.
• You may direct school support to only one of the school boards operating in your municipality. Note that not all school board types are available in all municipalities.
• If you own or lease more than one property in a single school board jurisdiction, all properties must support the same school board.
• To direct your taxes to a Catholic school board, you must be Roman Catholic or your joint owner/tenant (such as Roman Catholic spouse) may designate the property's support for a Catholic school board.
• To direct your taxes to a French-language school board, you or your joint owner/tenant must be a Canadian citizen and meet one of the following criteria:
• French is their first language learned and is still understood.
• You received elementary school instruction in a French-language education institution* in Canada.
• Your child(ren) received or receives their education at the elementary or secondary level in a French-language education institution* in Canada.
• To support a French Separate school board, you must meet the criteria for both the Separate (Catholic) and French Language school boards.

* This does not include French immersion or French as a second language.

Benefits of changing your school support

Alternative method – changing your school support

To change the school board designation that we have on file for you, please follow these steps:

1. You must complete an Application for Direction of School Support form, which you can download (English | French) from this page or obtain from your school board's office.
2. If you are Roman Catholic but your joint owner or leaseholder is not, and you want to change your designation to a Catholic or French Language board, you may do so by completing the Attestation of Unit Support section on the Application for Direction of School Support form.
3. Using mail or email, please send us your Application for Direction of School Support.
4. We will process the change to your school support designation upon receipt. If an email address is provided, the applicant will receive an email confirmation.

Relevant forms and links

Section 14(1.1) of the Assessment Act

Assessment Act, section 16

Education Act, sections 236 and 237

Online Portal to change school support:
School Support