Property Tax General Information

City of Vancouver 2012 February tax notices should be received by property owners by December 15, 2011.

Understanding your Tax Notice Understand your tax notice

Not sure about all the information on your July tax notice?   Find out more

Due Dates for 2012

The City of Vancouver issues tax notices twice a year. The due dates are:

  • February 2, 2012 - the Advance Tax Notice is always due on the 2nd business day of February.
  • July 4, 2012 - the Main Tax Notice is always due on the 2nd business day of July.

Advance Taxes - Do's and Don'ts

  • People often think they must submit a Home Owner Grant in February, which is incorrect. The grant is claimed as part of the July tax payment process and can be claimed online using the Electronic Home Owner Grant or on the bill bottom stub.
  • You do not need a copy of your Advance Tax Notice to make an online payment as your balance can be found online at vancouver.ca/propertyinquiry.
  • If you both sell a property and buy another within Vancouver, your tax folio number changes. To avoid paying taxes on your old property, ensure that you update your folio number on your banking website or with your mortgage company. This helps avoid penalties, confusion and extra work for everyone.
  • If you postdate your cheque to the tax due date, remember to enter February 2, 2012 in the date field - NOT 2011. This is a common pitfall that results in your cheque being invalid due to stale-dating and your account will attract a penalty for unpaid taxes.
  • Do not assume that because you mail your payment before the due date that you have made your payment on time. Your payment must arrive at City Hall by the due date, so leave plenty of time for the mail system to get your payment through to us. Alternatively, you may use our 24 hr mail box at City Hall's 12th Ave entrance.
  • Always include your 12-digit folio number on the front of your cheque. This ensures your payment is correctly identified and applied to your taxes.
  • You do not need to come to City Hall to pay your taxes in most cases. Payments can be made in person at your financial institution or via their online services.
  • Your Advance tax notice amount is not an estimation of your 2012 taxes, but rather is half of your prior year's taxes.
  • Read your 2012 BC Assessment Notice very carefully when it arrives in January. The values they report are used to calculate your July 2012 taxes, although Council does not set tax rates until May 2012. Learn more about the link between your Property Assessment and property taxes.

epost

Canada Post - epost

The City of Vancouver offers epost™, which allows you to receive your tax notice electronically, claim your grant, and integrate with your online banking to make payment. Manage your notices through this secure and convenient service, which is accessible from any computer with an internet connection.

Note that when you successfully subscribe to receive your tax notice via epost™, you will no longer receive the physical notice or related notices via conventional Canada Post delivery.

To register the City of Vancouver as a mailer in your epost™ account, you are required to enter the following information:

  • Property Tax Notice*

    Folio Number

    Access Code

  • Utility Bill **

    Utility Account Number

    Access Code

*Your most recent Property Tax notice will contain the Folio Number and Access Code
**Your most recent Utility Bill will contain the Utility Account Number & Access Code

Due to privacy concerns, Access Codes can only be provided by Canada Post regular mail to the address listed for the property.

[top]