Do I need to apply for the BC Home Owner Grant every year?

Yes. The grant is claimed annually through the province after your tax notice arrives, and an unclaimed grant is simply money left on the table. If you forget, you can generally still claim for the current year until the end of the year — check the province's site for the cut-off.

Is BC's property tax deferment still worth it after the 2026 changes?

It depends on your alternatives. New deferrals accrue interest at prime plus 2% compounded monthly — far above the old prime-minus-2% terms, but still typically cheaper than unsecured borrowing, and balances deferred for years before 2026 keep their original terms. If the choice is deferral or selling a home you want to stay in, deferral usually still wins; if you can comfortably pay, paying is now clearly cheaper.

Homeowner guide · British Columbia

Property taxes in British Columbia

British Columbia reassesses every property every year: BC Assessment values your home as of July 1 and mails notices each January, and a free complaint to the Property Assessment Review Panel — filed with BC Assessment by January 31 — is the first level of appeal. BC also has the country's best-known relief programs: the Home Owner Grant, which trims the bill on principal residences below a threshold ($2.075 million for 2026), and the property tax deferment program for homeowners 55+, surviving spouses, persons with disabilities, and families with children.

Deadline for a free PARP complaint to BC Assessment: Jan 31
2026 Home Owner Grant assessment threshold: $2.075M
Age for the regular property tax deferment program: 55+

BC's annual cycle and how to appeal

The BC rhythm is fixed: values as of July 1, notices in the first days of January, and a complaint window that closes January 31 (rolling to the next business day when that's a weekend, as it did in 2026). Filing is free and goes to BC Assessment — not the municipality — and the Property Assessment Review Panel hears complaints between February and mid-March, with decisions in early April. A further appeal to the Property Assessment Appeal Board is available after that.

Because the valuation date is July 1 of the previous year, a market that moved in the second half of the year won't show up in your notice — and isn't grounds for complaint. What is: sales of comparable properties around July 1 that undercut your assessed value, or errors in BC Assessment's description of your property. Both are checkable for free on bcassessment.ca before you decide whether to file.

The Home Owner Grant and tax deferment

The Home Owner Grant must be claimed every year — it isn't automatic. For 2026 the basic grant is $570 (up to $770 in northern and rural areas) and $845 for seniors 65+, veterans, and persons with disabilities, phasing out on homes assessed above $2.075 million. Claiming takes minutes on the province's site once your tax notice arrives; forgetting it is the most common self-inflicted overpayment in BC.

The deferment program lets eligible owners — 55 or older, surviving spouses, persons with disabilities under the regular program, and parents under the families-with-children program — postpone their taxes as a charge on the home, repaid on sale. Budget 2026 changed the economics: taxes deferred for 2026 and later accrue interest at prime plus 2%, compounded monthly, while amounts deferred for earlier years stay on the old terms (simple interest at prime minus 2% for the regular program, prime for families). Deferral can still be the right tool for staying in your home, but it's now closer to market-rate borrowing than the near-free program it used to be — run the numbers first.

The Canada-wide guideTimelines, negotiation, and the rules that apply everywhere.Explore British ColumbiaCities, neighbourhoods, and local insights.

When you'd rather hand it off

Find a pro in British Columbia

With Homeprint

Homeprint keeps every tax deadline from sneaking up on you

Everything above runs on dates: the appeal window on an assessment notice, instalment due dates, the grant you must claim every year. Homeprint reads your assessment notices and tax bills when you add them, tracks your assessed value and payments year over year, and reminds you before each deadline — while the window is still open, not after it closes.

Assessment notices and tax bills filed automatically, with your assessed value tracked year over year
Reminders ahead of instalment due dates and your province's appeal deadline — while you can still act
Your full assessment and payment history in one place when it's time to appeal or apply for relief

Property taxes in British Columbia — FAQ

Elsewhere in Canada

Property taxes in other provinces

Let Homeprint do the remembering

Add your documents once — Homeprint tracks the dates, the renewals, and the deadlines, and tells you when it's time to act.