Property Taxes

Moving forward, Greenview is transitioning to a single, unified property tax deadline. All property tax classes—including residential, farmland, commercial, and industrial—will now share the exact same due date of June 30.

Yes. A single property tax deadline centred around late June or early July is the standard practice for most towns, cities, and municipal districts across Alberta. This change aligns us with provincial best practices.

Previously, residential taxes weren’t due until November, nearly five months after non-residential taxes. Because the municipal fiscal year begins in January, waiting until late November created a significant financial bottleneck. Moving the date up ensures Greenview has the necessary funds on hand when the bulk of community work is being performed.

Property tax notices will continue to be mailed out in early May. You will have a minimum of several weeks from the mailing date to review your notice before payment is due on June 30.

We understand that shifting the deadline closer can impact household cash flow during this transition year. To help, we highly recommend enrolling in our interest free Tax Installment Payment Plan.

Instead of making one large lump-sum payment on June 30, the monthly plan breaks your annual property tax bill into 12 automatic, interest-free monthly installments deducted directly from your bank account.

No. If you are enrolled in the monthly plan, the June 30 lump-sum deadline does not apply to you. Your automatic monthly deductions will simply continue as scheduled throughout the calendar year.

You can download the enrollment form on the Greenview website or visit a Greenview office to pick up a paper copy. You will need to provide a void cheque or a pre-authorized debit form from your bank.

Any outstanding balances remaining after June 30 will be subject to standard late penalties. To avoid penalties, we strongly encourage residents who may struggle with a lump-sum payment to sign up for the tax installment payment plan as early as possible.

Your mortgage company is legally obligated to ensure your property taxes are paid on time, even if the deadline changes. Legally, if your mortgage company manages your taxes through an escrow account and misses the deadline, they are responsible for paying any resulting penalties or late fees—not you. Contact your mortgage company and provide them with the new deadline date and ask them to confirm the exact date they have scheduled your property tax disbursement.

In Alberta, education is a provincial program. The taxes that fund the program are raised and distributed on a provincial basis. Education property tax dollars are pooled in the Alberta School Foundation Fund and then allocated among school boards throughout the province.

This system of pooling taxes from all municipalities ensures that funds are available to provide all students with a standard level of education, no matter where they live.

Each year the province calculates the amount that every Alberta municipality must contribute towards the public education system. The calculation is based on a formula that takes into account the equalized assessment in each municipality and the provincial uniform education property tax rate.

The province notifies municipalities of the amount of education taxes they are required to collect. Each municipality then establishes a local education property tax rate. This tax rate is calculated by dividing the required amount by the municipality’s current taxable assessment.

The municipality then applies its local education tax rate to the assessed value of each property to determine the amount of education taxes each property owner is required to pay for the year. The education property tax is included on the annual Combined Property Assessment and Tax notice that is sent to property owners. The education tax dollars are collected from the ratepayers and sent to the province or to a separate school board. All separate school boards in the province have “opted out” of the Alberta School Foundation Fund, which means they requisition and collect property tax money from the municipalities directly.

Source: The Government of Alberta

All property owners pay the education property tax. People who rent or lease property contribute indirectly through their monthly rent or lease payments. As the education system benefits all Albertans, people without children in school also pay the education property tax.

Seniors who own property must pay the education property tax, however there are a number of options which may provide assistance.

The Government of Alberta has established the Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program which allows eligible senior homeowners to defer all or part of their property taxes through a low-interest home equity loan with the Alberta government. The Government of Alberta then pays the property taxes on behalf of the eligible home owner. The loan does not have to be repaid until the property is sold or sooner if the home owner chooses.

The Government of Alberta also provides financial assistance to low-income seniors through the Alberta Seniors Benefit. The Alberta Seniors Benefit provides monthly cash benefits, which can help seniors with their property taxes or other expenses. It provides support in addition to the federal benefits received including Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement.

For more information about the Alberta Education Property Tax call toll free by dialing 310.0000 and then 780-422-7125.

Seniors can contact Alberta Seniors toll-free at 1-877-644-9992 or visit their website for more information on:

• Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program
• Alberta Seniors Benefit
• Other provincial programs and services for seniors