TAX F.A.Q.’s (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. Have the tax bills been issued for this year?

- Interim Tax Bills - will be mailed out in the last week of January or the first week in February in any given year. If you are the property owner and you have not received your interim tax bill by the second week in February you should contact the municipal office immediately.

- Final Tax Bills - will be mailed out in the last week of July or the first week in August in any given year. If you are the property owner and you have not received your final tax bill by the second week in August you should contact the municipal office immediately.

2. Have the taxes gone up? The interim tax bill is equal to 50% of the prior years equalized taxes on the property. Any change in the mill rates occurs only on the final bill, which will be mailed out as stated above.
3. Why did I not receive a tax bill? If you have a mortgage on your property and you are on a system where your mortgage company pays the taxes then they should have received the tax bill. If you received the bill and it should have gone to a mortgage company please contact your mortgage company and us immediately. If you do not have a mortgage company paying your taxes and you did not receive a bill contact us immediately.
4. When are the taxes due? The taxes are due as follows:

Interim Installment # 1 - Due on 4^th Friday in February

Interim Installment # 2 - Due on 4^th Friday in May

Final Installment # 1 - Due on 4^th Friday in August

Final Installment # 2 - Due on 4^th Friday in November

Make sure to mark those days on your calendar. If you feel you may forget these dates you can forward post-dated payments for those dates to us today.

1. How can I pay my taxes? The municipality accepts payment of taxes as follows:
• By cash or cheque at either of our offices during posted regular hours or posted holiday hours. Office locations are 229 Parkhill Main St. in Parkhill and 147 Ailsa Craig Main St. in Ailsa Craig.
• By payment at most area financial institutions prior to due date.
• By internet through your financial institution. (You must set this method up with your banking partner). Please note that customers paying by telephone and/or internet banking must be sure to input all their account numbers and payment amounts properly. The municipality will credit only the accounts shown on the deposit advice for the amounts indicated. Penalties will accrue on accounts that remain outstanding due to failure to notify us properly. Questions on this should be directed to the municipal office or your financial services provider.
• By Pre-Authorized Payment (PAP) Plan. We can arrange to have the funds withdrawn on the due date from your account or to have an equal monthly amount taken out on the end of each month. If you are interested in this method contact us.
2. What happens if I do not make my payments on time? The municipality under the terms of the Municipal Act charges a 1.25% rate on outstanding taxes on the first day of default and again on the first of every subsequent month thereafter that they remain outstanding.
• NOTE -When paying by internet through your financial institution you must be aware of the possible time delay. Most institutions have a disclaimer stating that they have up to 48 hours to process and transfer your payment to our accounts. If you should choose to pay by this method you need to process your payment at least 24 hours before the due date to avoid penalty and interest charges. If the funds are not transferred into our accounts by the close of business on the due date the account will be charged the penalty or interest as set out above.
3. How are tax payments applied? Tax payments when received are applied to pay off all accrued interest on tax arrears and then to penalty accrued on current taxes. Once these are paid off the balance of the payment, if any, is applied to the oldest outstanding tax arrears, if any, and then to the outstanding current taxes.