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How do I prepare to move?
If you have a pre-authorized payment plan, please contact us by email at least 10 days before your next payment to cancel your plan. When selling or buying a property, your lawyer may require a tax certificate showing the status of a property’s taxes, such as the amount due, local improvement charges, and any arrears or penalties. When purchasing your property, please consult your lawyer to learn the amount of property taxes due. If you pay property taxes at your bank or financial institution (phone or online) please update your payment settings using your new roll number.
What if I got a bill for a property I don’t own?
If you sell your property, or the property changes ownership, please immediately send the property tax bill to the new owner or return it to the City of Guelph with the name of the new owner to avoid possible interest charges or late fees.
How does the City calculate property taxes?
Property taxes are calculated based on the assessed value of your property and include Provincial education taxes and Municipal taxes used to fund police, fire and ambulance services, roads, sidewalks, transit, parks, trails, museums, recreation centres, libraries, and all other City programs and services.
Learn more about the relationship between property values and property taxes.
Where do my tax dollars go?
For every dollar the City collects in property taxes, 16 cents goes to the province to fund education. The remaining 84 cents helps fund City services and programs. In 2024, this 84% for a single family detached property with a median value of $408,000 in Guelph amounts to $4,760.
| Service | Average property tax cost |
|---|---|
| Police | $977 |
| Capital funding | $687 |
| Social services | $490 |
| Fire Services | $466 |
| Transit | $413 |
| Corporate and governance services | $403 |
| Roads and sidewalks | $275 |
| Solid waste services | $200 |
| Parks | $183 |
| Library | $180 |
| Paramedics | $152 |
| Engineering and transportation services | $114 |
| Corporate fleet, facilities and security | $114 |
| Planning and building services | $85 |
| Recreation | $77 |
| Culture | $73 |
| Public health | $66 |
| Economic development and tourism | $58 |
| Long-term care | $43 |
| General corporate expense | $26 |
| Mayor and Council | $21 |
| Total | $5,103 |
2025 Average property tax cost by service
Why do I pay taxes for City services I don’t use?
All property owners help cover the cost of police, fire, and emergency services, libraries, recreation centres, roads, sidewalks and other valuable community assets. For example, businesses don’t have children, but a portion of their property taxes is used to cover the cost of public education; public education is an essential and valuable part of life in our community.
How much does the interim tax bill cover?
An interim tax bill can be as much as 50 per cent of your previous year’s total taxes. Your interim payment(s) will be deducted from your final bill.
Fees and charges
Tax documents
| Description | Fee |
|---|---|
| Tax certificate online | $95 |
| Tax certificate | $105 |
| Statement of account (no charge online) | $30 |
| Copy of a tax bill (no charge online) | $30 |
| Tax receipt | $30 |
| Search tax information (per property) | $75 |
| Local improvement property search | $100 |
| Title search | $150 |
| Commissioning – up to 2 signatures | $35 |
| Tax appeal application (Municipal Act Section 357 and 358) | $50 |
Banking fees
| Description | Fee |
|---|---|
| Non-Sufficient Fund (NSF) administration fee | $45 |
| Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or banking payment error (one free charge per year) | $25 |
| Mortgage company processing fee | $10 |
| Postdated cheque retrieval | $30 |
| Payment reversal fee | $40 plus transaction costs |
| Refund request (one free request per year) | $30 |
Changes to your tax account
| Description | Fee |
|---|---|
| Change pre-authorized payment plan or banking information (one free change per year) | $25 |
| Restart a pre-authorized payment plan (if cancelled) | $25 |
| Additions to the tax roll | $50 or 5.0% whichever is greater |
| New owner administration fee | $35 |
| New roll number administration fee | $50 |
| Transfer payments between roll numbers (one free charge per year) | $25 |
Accounts receivable
| Description | Fee |
|---|---|
| Collection transfer to tax letter | $50 |
| Interest on unpaid accounts receivable | 1.5% per month |
Water Arrears
Water, wastewater and stormwater charges are billed by Alectra Utilities Inc. on behalf of the City of Guelph. When charges are not paid, they are transferred to the property tax account and become collectible in the same manner as taxes.
What authority does the Municipality have to apply water arrears to the property tax account?
- Municipal Act 2001, Section 398(2), and Ontario Regulation 581/06. The Owner of the property is responsible for the any utilities used on the property.
How does this happen?
Alectra provides the City of Guelph with a listing of all accounts that have water arrears owing 90+ days. They are applied to the property tax account for collections.
Arrears from the Previous Owner:
- At the time of the sale of the property, if the final water bill has not been billed, Alectra will collect the meter reading on the closing date of the property and process a final bill. Should the previous owner fail to pay the remaining balance and when Alectra’s collection efforts are exhausted, the arrears are transferred to the property tax account to be paid.
- If a water certificate or status of water account is not requested at the time of closing and the account is not paid, charges will remain with the property and become the responsibility of the new owner.
- It is the responsibility of the new owner to contact their lawyer for assistance in recovering the funds for the arrears.
Arrears from Tenants:
- If a tenant account has not been paid in 90+ days, the arrears will be transferred to the property tax account and become the responsibility of the property owner.
For specific information on water charges such as time periods and consumption, please contact Alectra Utilities customer service at 519-822-3010, option 5.
How can I make a payment?
-
- Payment is to be made to the City of Guelph property tax account.
- How to Pay your bill
- If a payment was made to the Alectra Utilities account, please contact the City of Guelph.
Need more help?
[email protected] 519-822-1260 extension 5605 TTY 519-826-9771