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Property Tax bills are sent using Canada Post regular mail, unless you have signed up for eBilling.
Visit the eBilling page for information on how to sign up to receive your tax bills electronically.
All correspondence, including reminder notices are sent through Canada Post regular mail. It is the homeowner's responsibility to ensure we have a correct mailing address. Failure to receive the tax bill does not remove your responsibility for payment by the due date. Penalty and interest charges will be incurred for late payments.
Change of mailing address or ownership
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.
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.
Assessment information
Municipalities are not responsible for property assessment. Property assessments are the responsibility of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) . Taxes must be paid as levied until notification is received from MPAC about a change to an assessment. Once an assessment change is received by the Municipality from Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), an adjustment will be processed.
Property assessments for the 2023 property tax years continue to be based on January 1, 2016 current values.
This means your property assessment remains the same as it was for the 2022 tax year, unless there have been changes to your property. Some examples include: an addition, new construction, renovation, change to your classification, or change of status as farmland, conservation or managed forest.
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
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.
additions to tax roll 5% of amount being added ( $50 minimum)
To avoid penalty and interest charges, ensure payments are received on or before the due date. Penalty/interest is added the first day of each month on any outstanding tax amount. If you have made payment to a wrong account by mistake, please let us know as soon as possible to arrange a payment transfer. We will complete first time transfers at no cost, subsequent transfers will have a cost of $40.00 per transaction
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.
Fees
tax certificate: $65.00
copy or reprint of tax bill: $30.00
duplicate receipt: $30.00
new account fee: $42.00 (charged to the purchaser of the property)
returned cheque fee: $45.00
retrieval of post-dated cheque: $40.00
electronic payment recall: $40.00
reminder notice: $25.00
registered mail: $35.00
tax search: $60.00
tax sale administration fee: $360.00
transfer of electronic payments: $40.00
Tax rebates
We offer tax rebates for the following criteria:
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.
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.
Registered charitable organizations renting space in commercial or industrial properties can apply for the Registered Charity Tax Rebate.
Local improvements and other charges
If applicable, charges for local improvements, area rates and other charges are included on the tax bill under the heading Special Charges and Credits.
Kawartha Lakes is now taxed at full Current Value Assessment and has exited the program.
Frequently Asked Question: What drives the amount that my taxes increase or decrease each year?
Question: What drives the amount that my taxes increase or decrease each year? Answer: Property taxes are determined based on the following inputs:
1. Current year phased-in property assessment value
Determined by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC).
2. Council approved Tax Rate
Includes the General, Police and Fire levies. It is important to note that Police and Fire levies are specific to the service delivery for the property, hence, residents pay different levies based on the services received.
Police example: Residents outside Lindsay/Ops pay for OPP services, residents in Lindsay/Ops pay for CKL Police Services
Fire example: Residents that have full-time fire protection pay a different levy those that have volunteer fire protection services
Levies may also include location dependent Special Rate Area levies (eg. transit, parks and streetlights) that are charged to address the cost of infrastructure or delivery of specific services which vary across Kawartha Lakes.
