A Burnaby property tax inquiry starts in one of two places: the City’s My Property Portal, if you want your full account with payment history, or the Property Information Inquiry tool, if you just need a quick look at assessed value and the current levy. Either way, your 2026 taxes are due July 3, and a 5% penalty is applied to any unpaid balance on July 4.1City of Burnaby. Property Taxes
What You Need Before You Look
Two numbers unlock everything: your folio number and your access code. Both are printed on your annual property tax notice, below your name and address.2City of Burnaby. How To Pay They log you into the online system, and staff will ask for them if you phone or drop by City Hall. Keep a photo of the notice on your phone so you’re not hunting for it in July.
Have the legal property address and the registered owner’s full legal name ready as well. Staff verify these against municipal records before releasing any account information. Ownership and mailing address come from the Land Title and Survey Authority, so if you’ve just bought the place or changed your name, update your details through the LTSA rather than assuming the City will catch it.3Province of British Columbia. Update Your Property Tax Account Information A wrong address means your notice goes somewhere else, and not receiving it doesn’t stop the penalty.
Where to Check Your Balance
The City’s My Property Portal lets you register an account using your folio number and access code.4City of Burnaby. My Property Portal Once you’re in, you can see the current balance, past payments, and utility charges alongside your taxes. Own more than one property in Burnaby? You can link multiple folios to the same login.
If you don’t want to set up an account, use the Property Information Inquiry tool instead. Search by civic address, folio number, or PID and you’ll get a report with the assessed value and tax levy.5City of Burnaby. Property Information Inquiry This is the tool to use when you’re looking at a property you might buy and want to know what the current owner is paying.
For anything more involved, historical statements, a balance that doesn’t match your records, a payment that hasn’t shown up, contact Revenue Services or visit City Hall at 4949 Canada Way.6City of Burnaby. Revenue Services An in-person visit is worth it when you need physical copies or want a clerk to walk through the full account with you.
The Deadline and the Penalty
Tax notices are mailed in mid-to-late May.7City of Burnaby. Property Taxes Are Due Thursday, July 3 Payment in full is due by July 3, 2026. On July 4, a 5% penalty is applied to any unpaid amount, including any part of the home owner grant you were entitled to but didn’t claim in time.1City of Burnaby. Property Taxes The penalty is automatic. Staff cannot waive it for a forgotten deadline or a vacation.
Under the Community Charter, any balance still owing at year-end becomes taxes in arrear and starts accruing interest.8BC Laws. Community Charter If it’s still unpaid the following December 31, it becomes delinquent and keeps accruing. Every month you wait costs more.
The Home Owner Grant
The provincial home owner grant reduces your bill on your principal residence. In the Metro Vancouver Regional District, which includes Burnaby, the regular grant is $570.9Province of British Columbia. Home Owner Grant Seniors 65 or older, veterans, people with disabilities, and those living with a spouse or relative who has a disability may qualify for an additional grant that replaces the regular one at a higher amount.
You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and the property must be your principal residence. Apply every year: it does not carry over. Above an assessed value of $2,075,000, the grant shrinks by $5 for every $1,000 over the threshold and eventually phases out entirely.
Veterans honourably discharged from the Canadian Armed Forces may also qualify for a veterans supplement of up to $275 if adjusted net income is $32,000 or less. First-time applicants submit a copy of the discharge letter with form FIN 79, and the supplement application deadline is December 31 of the current tax year.10Province of British Columbia. Supplement for Veterans Under 65
If You Can’t Pay in Full: Deferment
If you qualify for the home owner grant but the lump sum is beyond reach, BC’s property tax deferment program pays your municipality on your behalf through a provincial loan. You repay when you sell or transfer the property.11Government of British Columbia. Property Tax Deferment Program
Two streams exist. The regular program is for homeowners 55 or older, surviving spouses, and persons with disabilities. The families with children program is for homeowners financially supporting a dependent child. Apply by the July 3 tax due date to avoid a late penalty on the current year.
Starting in 2026, the province charges compound interest on deferred taxes at prime plus 2%, which accrues for as long as the deferral stays in place. It’s real relief for fixed incomes, but the balance grows.
How to Pay
Online banking is the common route: add the City of Burnaby as a payee using your folio number and schedule the payment to arrive before July 3. The City counts the date it receives the payment, not the date you sent it, so build in a few business days.
Prefer paper? Drop a cheque or money order in the 24-hour drop box at City Hall, or mail your payment to Revenue Services at 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC V5G 1M2.6City of Burnaby. Revenue Services Give mailed payments at least a week of transit time. You can also pay in person at the treasury desk during business hours.
Pre-Authorized Debit Plan
Instead of a single July payment, you can enroll in Burnaby’s Pre-Authorized Debit plan. The City withdraws 10 equal monthly payments and then a final variable payment on July 1 for the remaining balance. Prepaid amounts earn interest at prime minus 3.5%, with a floor of 0.25% and a cap of 4%.2City of Burnaby. How To Pay
One condition: you have to enroll both property tax and utility charges together, not just one. Submit the application form with a void cheque by the 22nd of a month to start the following month. Any arrears or delinquent balance on the account has to be cleared before the City will accept the enrollment.2City of Burnaby. How To Pay
Two Other Deadlines Worth Knowing
Your assessed value comes from BC Assessment, not the City. If you think it’s too high, the deadline to file a Notice of Complaint is January 31, though the 2026 deadline moved to February 2 because the 31st fell on a weekend.12BC Assessment. Appeals Contact BC Assessment first: a factual correction sometimes fixes the issue without a formal hearing. If you do file, the complaint goes to a Property Assessment Review Panel.13Government of British Columbia. Property Assessment Review Panel Most people miss this deadline because they don’t open the January notice until much later.
Burnaby also falls within the area covered by BC’s Speculation and Vacancy Tax. Every owner of residential property has to complete an annual declaration by March 31, even if you live in the home full-time and owe nothing.14Province of British Columbia. Speculation and Vacancy Tax Skip the declaration and you can be taxed at the default rate, which is much higher for foreign owners and satellite families than for Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in BC.
The federal Underused Housing Tax is a separate matter and no longer applies the way it once did. Effective 2025, the filing requirement has been eliminated for affected owners, so no UHT return or payment is required for the 2025 calendar year onward.15Canada.ca. Underused Housing Tax Notices
If You Keep Ignoring It: Tax Sale
Burnaby is required by law to hold an annual tax sale for any property with taxes unpaid for two years prior to the current year. The 2026 tax sale is set for September 28, 2026 in Council Chambers.16City of Burnaby. Tax Sale The property is sold to recover the outstanding taxes. You keep possession for a one-year redemption period, but reclaiming the property means paying all arrears plus interest at the prime lending rate plus 3%.17Government of British Columbia. Municipal Property Tax Sales: An Introduction and Best Practices
Most owners never come close. But if you’ve been carrying a balance for a while and setting the notices aside, the two-year window is shorter than it sounds.