Property tax relief for those financially impacted by COVID-19
Special to WC Online
OTTAWA – The City of Ottawa has implemented an interim property tax payment grace period and a new 2020 Property Tax Hardship Deferral Plan to help many residents and businesses who are financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the interim property taxes mailed out in mid-February, the city extended a grace period to Wednesday, April 15, with no late payment applied between the original March 19 deadline and the new date for those unable to make payment by the due date. The interim property tax bill covers 50 per cent of the entire property tax bill.
The city has also established a 2020 Interim Property Tax Hardship Deferral Program for qualifying residents, as well as businesses that have an assessed property value of up to $7.5 million – which captures 91 per cent of all commercial properties in Ottawa. The program extends both the interim property tax deadline (March 19) and the final property tax deadline (June 18) to Friday, Oct. 30.
To qualify, your account would need to have been paid up to date before the interim tax installment. The application deadline is July 31, 2020.
The application form, as well as other qualifying criteria and program information, is available on ottawa.ca/taxrelief.
View, print and payment options
Ottawa residents can sign up for paperless billing for property tax and water bills. This is a secure website where you can manage, view, print and pay your bills online. It is free to set up, easy to use and provides residents access to their account information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visit ottawa.ca for more information.
Residents have several payment options for property tax and water bills that can be done from the comfort and safety of their own homes:
- My Service Ottawa portal
- Telephone and online banking through their financial institution
- Debit or credit payment online at ottawa.ca
- Pre-authorized debit
For up-to-date information on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa, visit ottawa.ca/covid19 or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-9656).
