Payment Options

Sign up for Property Tax E-Billing

May 28,2024 TIPPS withdrawal issue

We were notified this morning by some residents that their monthly tax payment for June 2024 was deducted from their bank account on May 27, 2024 in error. The reason for this was a software glitch that resulted in a withdrawal date error.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please be assured that the affected funds will be returned to the respective bank accounts overnight tonight.

If you have incurred NSF charges due to this error, please collect the necessary documentation and submit it to our Financial Services department. We will ensure that any additional charges incurred are refunded. Please send your documentation to: taxation@citypa.com.

What is e-billing?

E-billing occurs when you receive an emailed version of your bill instead of a paper bill. It contains the same information as your paper bill and can be viewed, downloaded and saved in a PDF format.

You can still pay your bill a number of different ways, as outlined below.

What are the benefits of e-billing?

Fast and easy - fill out a simple property tax e-bill form and you're done
Convenience - property tax e-statements will be emailed right to your inbox
Environmentally friendly
Secure
Reduce paper clutter

Receive your property tax notice electronically by signing up today:

E-Billing

Keep these important facts in mind regarding e-billing:

Tax notices are sent out annually in May
If you own more than one property you will receive a separate email for each property
We charge a fee for duplicate notices or statements of accounts
It is your responsibility to update email address changes with the tax department at City Hall. You can do so by contacting our Taxation department.
Notices are deemed delivered regardless if the mailbox is full and mail is returned
If your mortgage company is paying your property taxes, you will not receive a tax notice

Property Tax Payment Options

There are a number of ways that you can pay your tax bills:

Pre-authorized monthly payments (TIPPS)

We offer an equalized payment plan through our Tax Installment Payment Plan (TIPPS) program. This program will automatically withdraw your payment amount directly from your bank account on the 1^st of each month. Your tax levy is spread out over 12 equalized payments for your convenience.

How to apply

Complete an application form and send it to us with a void cheque or direct deposit form from the bank. Depending on what month you sign up, you may need to make up payments for the months of the year already passed.

Please contact us before signing up so that we can make sure that you have the correct amounts.

To learn more about our TIPPS program, contact us or view our brochure.

Pay through your bank

You can pay your tax bill at your branch or through your financial institution's telephone or online banking services. You need your roll number to make payments through your bank.

Please ensure that you make your payment five days before the due date to avoid interest charges. We consider payments complete once they are received in our office.

At Your Financial Institution:

Use the following payee information when setting up at the following institutions

RBC – City of Prince Albert – Tax Dept

TD – Prince Albert (City of) Taxes

Scotia – City of Prince Albert Taxes

BMO – Prnc Albert Tax

CIBC – Prince Albert (City of Tax)

Credit Union – Prince Albert City Tax Dept

Pay by mail

If you chose to pay by cheque, please make it payable to the City of Prince Albert and either include your tax bill stub with your payment or print your roll number or civic address you are paying on the cheque.

Mail your payment to City Hall. Our office must receive your payment by the due date to avoid any penalties or interest charges. We accept post-dated cheques.

Pay in person

Payments can be paid at the cashier counter in the Financial Services department on the main floor of City Hall. We accept cash, cheque, money order or interac (debit) payments. Credit card payments are not accepted. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (excluding holidays).

Pay at the City Hall drop box

After office hours, payments can be left in the drop box located outside the City Hall Main door (West Entrance). Only cheques or money orders are accepted. Please make them payable to the City of Prince Albert. Do not put cash payments in the drop box.

Payment Types

We do not accept credit card payments for property taxes.

The following forms of payment are accepted:

Cheque (can be post dated)
Cash
Interac
Online banking
Paying at your branch

Please allow extra time for your payments to get to our office on time if you do not make your payments at City Hall. Payments must be received in our office by the end of the day of the deadline or there will be a penalty.

Tax Notices, Deadlines and Penalties

The deadline to pay your property taxes each year is June 30^th. Payments must be received in our office by the end of the day of the deadline or a penalty will be incurred.

Every property owner gets a copy of their tax notice mailed to them for information purposes, including those that signed up for the monthly TIPPS program and those that pay early. If the taxes were prepaid earlier in the year, the balance that was paid would have been an estimate; therefore, there may be a difference that remains outstanding.

The only exception are those that have their taxes paid by their mortgage company. If your mortgage company is paying the taxes, you should not be getting a tax notice. You should contact your mortgage company to confirm they are paying the taxes for you, or you could contact us to confirm that we have the mortgage company on your account.

Once a mortgage company pays the taxes, we will send out a statement to the owner to show they are paid. The statement looks different from a property tax notice.

Discounts

A discount rate of 1.25% applies to the municipal portion of your taxes on payments received in the month of January.

Penalties

Penalty interest of 1.9% per month compounding is charged on current outstanding balances beginning July 1st of the current year. If there are arrears on the account, then the interest charged is 1.5% per month compounding.

If you are behind on paying your property taxes, please contact the Taxation division to discuss the status of your account.

Local Improvement Levies

Your Tax Notice may include one or more additional levies for Local Improvement works. Usually, these are levies for special projects that have been carried out in your neighborhood. Typically, they include paving and sidewalk projects or dust suppression applications for unpaved streets or avenues. These Local Improvement levies have been implemented by Bylaw after the property owners have had the opportunity to make their views known to City Council.

What if I don't agree with the assessment on my tax notice?

Contact the Assessment department to discuss the assessment on your property.

Other tax payment information

Keep these important facts in mind when it's time to pay your taxes:

If your bank returns a cheque, we charge a fee to your tax account
Keep your notice as your receipt for income tax purposes
We charge a fee for duplicate receipts or statements of accounts
Received payments apply to all arrears amounts firstly
Allow additional time for electronic payment to avoid getting a late penalty for payments not received by the due date
We add a 1.5% penalty charge on the 1^st of each month for amounts in arrears until paid
We add a 1.9% penalty charge on the 1^st of each month following the tax deadline until the amount is paid in full
Ensure your roll numbers are correct, especially if you are paying more than one property