There are several ways to pay your taxes:

By Mail

Send your cheque, bank draft, or money order, payable to the Minister of Finance , to the Surveyor of Taxes at:

PO BOX 9446 STN PROV GOVT
VICTORIA BC  V8W 9V6

A return envelope is provided with your property tax notice. To be considered on time, your payment must be postmarked on or before the due date.

Please enclose the remittance coupon from the bottom of your tax notice and write your account number on your cheque, so your account can be easily identified for processing your payment.

In Person

Payments may be made in person by cash, cheque, bank draft, money order or Interac direct payment (debit card) at:

• Service BC – Government Agent offices
• Surveyor of Taxes office in Victoria (through a drop box only)
• Financial institutions or automatic teller machines (ATMs). Please see the brochure Paying Your Rural Property Taxes at Financial Institutions.

Note - At this time, payment of taxes cannot be made with a credit card.

Via Drop Boxes at 1802 Douglas Street in Victoria

Payments made by cheque, money order or bank draft may be deposited in the drop boxes. We cannot accept cash, debit card or credit card payments or issue receipts at this location.

Please enclose the remittance coupon from the bottom of your property tax notice and write your account number on your cheque, so your account can be easily identified for processing your payment.

Through your Mortgage Agreement

Your financial institution can pay your taxes on your behalf if you arrange this through your mortgage agreement. However, if the financial institution makes a payment error, you are still responsible and the penalty will not be waived. You also need to apply for the Home Owner Grant by the property tax due date.

By Internet/Telephone Banking

You may have access to Internet or telephone banking from your financial institution. Check with your financial institution for details.

The payee should be listed as one of the following:

• Prov BC - Rural Property Tax
• BC - Rural Tax

Please enter the complete 15 or 16 digit account number that appears on your tax notice, but without spaces or decimals.

You will also need to complete your Home Owner Grant application. Alternatives are:

• Online
• By mail using the coupon portion at the bottom of your tax notice or statement to the Surveyor of Taxes
• By mail or in person at a Service BC – Government Agent office (opens in new window).

Electronic Funds Transfer

If you wish to transfer money from a financial institution to the Province of British Columbia for payment of your Rural Property Taxes, please follow the instructions for payments made from outside Canada or within Canada (open in new windows).

If you do not receive your tax notice by the middle of June, please contact us. The Rural Property Tax due date is July 2. A penalty of 5% is added to unpaid taxes after that date. A further 5% is added to any unpaid balance after October 31 of the current tax year.

You should receive your tax notice by mid-June. If you are going to be away, you can send a post-dated cheque before the due date. A reasonable estimate would be last year's amount plus ten percent.

You can also make one prepayment per month of $50 or more from January 1 to May 15. Any prepayment made after April 30 will not reflect on the current year tax notice. You will receive interest from the prepayment date through to June 30. You must have no outstanding unpaid taxes from previous years.

You can apply for the Home Owner Grant once you receive your tax notice. Please see the Home Owner Grant pages for information about early applications.

For credits of $100 or more, refunds are automatically processed. The process takes approximately 30 to 60 days from the time the credit originates on the account. During the peak period of June 1 to August 31, it may take longer given the increased volume of credits at that time.

For credits of less than $100, the credit will remain on the account and apply to future tax liabilities unless a request for refund is made. Please see our Refunds page for more information.

If you share ownership of a property, it is up to all owners to agree on what share of taxes each will pay. As each of you will receive a tax notice, it is best to make one owner responsible for making the payment.

Make sure the taxes are paid in full as all owners are jointly and individually liable for any unpaid taxes.

Tax collection procedures will be taken if your property tax account is not paid by the due date. Even if you are unable to pay, you should still apply for the Home Owner Grant, if eligible, to avoid paying a penalty on this portion of the account.

Payment plans are available for overdue or delinquent property taxes. These plans are designed to pay the outstanding debt before further taxes are billed and the debt becomes too large. For further details, please contact the Receivables Management Office at 250 387-0613 or your local Service BC – Government Agent office. Penalties still apply, but you will avoid further collection action.

If you have an outstanding balance, there are several ways for you to make a payment of your overdue Rural Property Taxes:

• Pay in Person - Government Agents Office
• Pay in Person - Bank, Credit Union or Trust Company
• Pay by Money Order/Bank Drafts/Certified Cheque
• By Post-Dated Cheque

If you have any questions or concerns about your outstanding balance please see our Frequently Asked Questions or contact us.

Pay in Person - Government Agents Office

You can pay your bill in person at any Government Agent/B.C. Access Centre (opens a new window) using your bank card, personal cheque, cash or money order. Please note credit cards are not accepted.

Please bring your Notice of Assessment, Statement of Account or legal notice with you.

Pay in Person - Bank, Credit Union or Trust Company

You can pay your outstanding bill at most banks, credit unions, trust companies or automated tellers in B.C.

You must bring your complete Notice of Assessment or Statement of Account with you as your financial institution will need this information in order to process the payment.

Please note a fee for this service may be levied by your financial institution. These fees may vary between financial institutions.

Please be aware that smaller financial institutions may hold payments until a volume or dollar amount has been reached. Please confirm with your financial institution to ensure your payment will be processed by the due date indicated on your notice or bill.

Pay by Money Order/Bank Draft/Certified Cheque

You can pay your bill by money order, bank draft, certified cheque or post-dated cheque.

Please write your account number in the memo area on the front of your cheque, money order or bank draft. You must include your original notice of assessment, Statement of Account or a copy of the legal notice with your payment.

Please make your payment payable to the Minister of Finance and mail to the following address -- please do not mail cash:

Revenue Services of British Columbia
PO BOX 9401 STN PROV GOVT
VICTORIA BC  V8W 9V1

Pay by Post-Dated Cheque

A payment arrangement must be made with the Collection Analyst or Officer looking after your account prior to submitting post-dated cheques.

Please contact the number listed on your Notice of Assessment or legal notice letter, or phone 1-866-361-5050.