Top 5 Ways to Lower Your Property Tax in Ontario (2027)

By Jatin Dua · Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty · Updated 2 November 2026 · 10 min read — Five legitimate ways to lower your Ontario property tax in 2027, from an MPAC reconsideration to rebates, with costs and deadlines.

This is for homeowners in Toronto and across Ontario who think their property tax bill is too high and want to know what they can actually do about it in 2027. You will get the five legitimate ways to lower it, what each one costs, the deadlines that matter, and an honest view of when each is worth the effort.

How is your Ontario property tax bill worked out?

Your bill is your assessed value multiplied by the tax rate. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) sets the assessed value. Your city or town, and the Province for the education part, set the rate each year.

That gives you only two levers. You cannot change the rate, which is set by council. But you can make sure your assessed value is correct, ask for an adjustment when something happens to your home, and claim every credit or relief program you qualify for.

One fact shapes everything below. MPAC says assessments for the 2026 tax year are still based on values as of 1 January 2016, because the Province postponed the province-wide reassessment. So your assessment reflects what your home was worth in 2016, not today. Detached prices fell in nearly every GTA municipality in 2026 (Brampton’s median was down 8.9% for January to October, per TRREB MLS data via REALM), but a falling market today does not lower a 2016-based assessment. My explainer on why your Ontario assessment still says 2016 goes into how the bill is built.

What are the five ways to lower your property tax, at a glance?

Source: MPAC; Tribunals Ontario ARB fee chart; City of Toronto property tax pages; Canada Revenue Agency. Checked November 2026.

What a lower assessment is worth depends on your city’s rate. In Toronto, the 2026 total residential rate is 0.767311%, so every $10,000 cut from your assessment saves about $77 a year. Rates are higher in many other GTA municipalities, which you can see in my GTA property tax rates comparison.

1. Check the facts MPAC has on file for your home

The fastest win is often a simple error. MPAC values homes from records: lot size, living area, number of bathrooms, whether the basement is finished, garage, pool, age and condition. If MPAC thinks you have a finished basement you never built, or more square footage than you have, your assessment may be too high.

You can see your property’s details by logging in to MPAC’s AboutMyProperty portal. Compare every line with your home. Look especially at:

• total living area and number of storeys;
• number of full and half bathrooms;
• basement finish, garage type and any pool;
• quality and condition notes, if shown.

MPAC says wrong property data is one of the reasons to file a Request for Reconsideration, which is the formal way to get the record fixed. Take dated photos and keep them.

2. How do you file a Request for Reconsideration with MPAC?

A Request for Reconsideration (RfR) asks MPAC to review your assessment. It is free. MPAC says the deadline for each tax year is printed on your Property Assessment Notice, and you can download a copy of your notice if you do not have it.

You can file online through AboutMyProperty, which is fastest and lets you track the request, or mail a paper form. MPAC suggests including:

• photos showing differences from MPAC’s records;
• sales of your home or similar homes, and the assessed values of comparable homes;
• a recent appraisal;
• repair estimates if your home has significant damage.

Because values are still based on 2016, the strongest evidence compares your assessment with how MPAC assessed similar homes nearby, or with sales around January 2016. Today’s sale prices are less useful. MPAC says it usually responds in writing within 180 days, with up to 60 more days if it needs them, and it has noted delays on some requests.

Keep paying your tax bills while you wait. The City of Toronto says taxes must be paid in full as billed, and any adjustment from a successful review is processed separately.

3. Can you appeal your assessment to the Assessment Review Board?

Yes, if the RfR does not fix it. The Assessment Review Board (ARB) is an independent tribunal. For residential property, MPAC says you must file an RfR first, then you have 90 days from the date MPAC issues its RfR result to appeal to the ARB. The results letter confirms your exact deadline.

The ARB’s fee for a residential property is $132.50 per roll number, with a $10 discount for filing online. An appeal takes time and preparation, so it makes the most sense when the gap between your assessment and a fair value is large. On a Toronto home, a $50,000 reduction is worth about $384 a year at the 2026 rate.

4. When can you get taxes cancelled, reduced or refunded?

This route is about events, not opinions on value. Under the Municipal Act, owners can apply to their municipality when something changes during the year. The City of Toronto lists these grounds, among others:

• the building was made substantially unusable by demolition, fire, natural events or other damage;
• repairs or renovations stopped normal use of the property for at least three months;
• the land became vacant or excess land, or its tax class changed;
• you were overcharged because of a gross or manifest clerical or factual error.

Errors of judgment in valuing the property do not qualify; those go through MPAC instead. In Toronto, applications go to Revenue Services by the legislative deadline, with supporting documents such as a demolition permit and a contractor’s letter, or fire and insurance reports. Late applications are not accepted. If the municipality refuses, the ARB’s fee to appeal most of these decisions is $25, and there is no fee for an appeal based on sickness or extreme poverty.

The most common case I see is a major renovation or a teardown. If you are gutting a house or rebuilding, ask your city about this the same month the work starts.

5. Which property tax credits and relief programs can you claim?

Ontario credits through your tax return. The Canada Revenue Agency administers two Ontario programs for homeowners. The Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit is part of the Ontario Trillium Benefit, and you apply by filing your income tax return with Form ON-BEN. The Ontario Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grant pays up to $500 a year to homeowners who were 64 or older on 31 December of the prior year, owned and lived in their Ontario home, and paid property tax on it. Both are easy to miss if your return is filed without ON-BEN.

City programs. Most GTA municipalities offer rebates or deferrals for low-income seniors or people with disabilities. In Toronto, the Property Tax and Utility Relief Program requires a combined household income of $62,000 or less and at least one year of ownership and occupancy. The tax increase cancellation also requires an assessment under $975,000. The deadline for the 2026 tax year was 2 November 2026, and you must reapply every year. My city-by-city guide to property tax relief for seniors in the GTA lists the programs in Peel, York, Durham and Halton.

What extra charges can you avoid on your tax bill?

Some of the biggest jumps on a bill are not property tax at all. In Toronto, every residential owner must declare their home’s occupancy status each year. If you do not declare the 2026 status by 30 April 2027, the City assumes the home was vacant and bills the Vacant Home Tax at 3% of its assessed value. On a home assessed at $700,000, that is $21,000. If that bill is paid late, the City adds 1.25% on the first day it is overdue and 1.25% interest each month after. See my guide to the Toronto Vacant Home Tax declaration.

What to do next

1. Log in to MPAC’s AboutMyProperty and compare every detail on your property with your actual home.
2. Find your latest Property Assessment Notice and note the RfR deadline printed on it.
3. Compare your assessment with three or four similar homes nearby; file an RfR with photos and comparables if yours is out of line.
4. Make sure your income tax return includes Form ON-BEN, and check your city’s senior or low-income relief deadlines for 2027.
5. If you live in Toronto, put the 30 April 2027 Vacant Home Tax declaration in your calendar now.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• MPAC: How to file a Request for Reconsideration
• MPAC: The assessment cycle
• Tribunals Ontario: Assessment Review Board fee chart
• City of Toronto: Property tax appeal, cancellation, reduction or refund of taxes
• City of Toronto: Property Tax and Utility Relief Program
• Canada Revenue Agency: Ontario programs (OEPTC and Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grant)
• City of Toronto: Property tax rates and fees
• City of Toronto: Vacant Home Tax

Related reading

• Top 5 Best Neighbourhoods to Live in Mississauga in 2027
• Top 5 Best Neighbourhoods to Live in Brampton in 2027
• Top 5 Best Neighbourhoods to Live in Markham in 2027
• Top 5 Best Neighbourhoods to Live in Oakville in 2027