Kamloops property tax is calculated by multiplying your property’s assessed value by a combined 2026 rate of roughly $6.85 per $1,000 for residential (Class 1) properties, with payment due Thursday, July 2, 2026. Most homeowners can shave up to $770 off the bill through the provincial Home Owner Grant, but you have to apply for the grant yourself, through the province, every year. Miss the deadline and the city adds a 10% penalty to any unpaid balance, including the amount of a grant you qualified for but didn’t claim.
How Your Bill Is Calculated
BC Assessment, not the city, sets the value of your property. It uses the market value as of July 1 of the previous year, so your 2026 bill reflects what the property was worth on July 1, 2025.1BC Assessment. Understanding the Assessment Process The city sets the rates applied to that value.
Rates are expressed per $1,000 of assessed value. For a residential property in 2026, the combined rate is 6.8535, made up of the following components:2City of Kamloops. Property Taxes
- Municipal: 4.6500
- School: 1.5977
- Thompson-Nicola Regional District: 0.2537
- Thompson Regional Hospital District: 0.3138
- BC Assessment Authority: 0.0381
- Municipal Finance Authority: 0.0002
On a home assessed at $600,000, the math is $600 × 6.8535, or about $4,112 before any grant. The municipal portion is about two-thirds of that total, with police and fire the largest cost drivers.3City of Kamloops. City of Kamloops Financial Plan Bylaw No. 16-331
When It’s Due and What a Late Payment Costs
Tax notices are mailed in the last week of May.2City of Kamloops. Property Taxes Payment is due on the first business day after July 1, which is July 2, 2026.
A 10% penalty applies to any amount unpaid after the due date. The penalty is not discretionary; city staff and council cannot waive it. It applies to the full outstanding balance, which includes any Home Owner Grant amount you were eligible for but didn’t claim in time. Mailed payments must arrive at the Finance Department by the deadline. Postmarks don’t count.
Ways to Pay
The city accepts several payment methods:4City of Kamloops. Payment Options
- Online banking, by adding the City of Kamloops as a payee and using your 10-digit folio number (no dashes) as the account number. Confirm it matches your current notice before submitting.
- Credit card (Visa or Mastercard), online or in person, with a non-refundable 2.75% service fee. That’s $110 on a $4,000 bill.
- In person at City Hall, 7 Victoria Street West, or at the Tournament Capital Centre, 910 McGill Road.
- Cheque drop boxes at several city locations; no cash.
- By mail to the Revenue Division, 7 Victoria Street West, Kamloops, BC V2C 1A2. Cheques, money orders, or bank drafts only.
- In person at most financial institutions, with your original tax notice.
- Through your mortgage lender, if your lender collects and remits property taxes. Confirm the amount with them each year.
Monthly Prepayment Through TIPS
If a July lump sum is hard to manage, the city’s Tax Installment Plan Services program lets you prepay in monthly automatic debits from July 15 of the prior year through May 15 of the tax year.5City of Kamloops. City of Kamloops Bylaw No. 63-1 Each payment must be at least $10, and the total can’t exceed the forecasted net taxes for the coming year. The prepaid balance earns simple interest at four percentage points below the Bank of Canada prime rate, capped at 1.5%, credited against your tax bill. To enroll, your current taxes and any special charges must be fully paid. Two consecutive failed payments can get you removed from the plan. Any balance left after May 15 appears as the amount due on your July notice.
Claim the Home Owner Grant Separately
The Home Owner Grant is a provincial program that reduces what you owe the city. It isn’t automatic. You apply through the province, not through Kamloops, and you have to do it every year.
To qualify, you must be the registered owner, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, living in BC, and occupying the home as your principal residence.6Province of British Columbia. Home Owner Grant Investment properties, vacation homes, and rental properties you don’t live in don’t count.
Kamloops sits outside the Capital Regional District, Metro Vancouver, and the Fraser Valley, so homeowners here receive the higher grant tier. The basic grant is up to $770. Seniors 65 or older, persons with a permanent disability, and certain veterans or surviving spouses can claim an additional amount, bringing the total up to $1,045.6Province of British Columbia. Home Owner Grant
Watch the high-value threshold. If your property’s assessed value exceeds $2,075,000, the grant drops by $5 for every $1,000 above that figure. The basic grant disappears entirely at $2,229,000 in Kamloops, and the additional senior/disability grant disappears at $2,284,000.6Province of British Columbia. Home Owner Grant
You apply online at etax.gov.bc.ca. You’ll need the jurisdiction number and roll number from your tax notice or BC Assessment notice, plus your social insurance number.7Province of British Columbia. Apply for the Home Owner Grant The best time to submit is after you receive your tax notice in late May and before the July 2 deadline.
This is where owners most often slip up. Because the application goes to the province, paying your city bill does nothing for the grant. If you pay in full but forget to apply, you forfeit the grant for that year, and the city adds its 10% penalty to the unclaimed grant amount as well.
If You Can’t Pay in Full: Deferment
The province runs a separate program that lets eligible homeowners postpone payment. Deferred taxes aren’t forgiven; they become a lien on the property and accrue interest until paid, usually at sale.
The regular program is open to owners who are 55 or older during the tax year, surviving spouses of any age, and persons with disabilities. The families-with-children program is open to parents or stepparents financially supporting a child under 18, an adult child in post-secondary studies, or an adult child with a qualifying disability. Both require Canadian citizenship or permanent residence, at least one year of BC residency, and all prior years’ taxes paid in full.8Province of British Columbia. Property Tax Deferment Program Eligibility
For taxes deferred in 2026 and later, both programs charge compound interest at 2% above the prime rate of the government’s principal banker. The rate adjusts quarterly on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1, with interest calculated daily and compounded monthly.9Province of British Columbia. Interest and Fees for Property Tax Deferment Over a long deferral, compounding can eat a meaningful share of your home equity, so the program works best as a bridge, not a permanent strategy.
If You Think Your Assessment Is Wrong
Assessment notices arrive each January. If the valuation looks off, start by contacting BC Assessment to discuss it informally. If that doesn’t resolve things, file a formal complaint with the Property Assessment Review Panel, the first level of appeal in British Columbia.10Province of British Columbia. Property Assessment Review Panel Complaints go through BC Assessment and are due by January 31. The 2026 deadline shifted to February 2, 2026, because January 31 fell on a weekend.11BC Assessment. Appeals Miss the deadline and you live with the assessed value for the full tax year.
While you’re updating records, make sure your mailing address is current with BC Assessment through their Change of Address Notification e-Form, so both your assessment notice and your tax notice reach you.12BC Assessment. Mailing Address Changes
What Happens if Taxes Stay Unpaid
After December 31, unpaid taxes from the current year become taxes in arrears and start accruing interest. If they’re still unpaid at the next December 31, they become delinquent and continue bearing interest at the provincial prime lending rate plus 3%.13Province of British Columbia. Municipal Property Tax Sales: An Introduction and Best Practices Delinquent properties can be sold at the municipal tax sale, held on the last Monday in September. The city must notify the owner at least 30 days before the sale.
The practical timeline:
- Year 0: taxes billed, due July 2, penalty applied if unpaid after that date.
- January 1, Year 1: unpaid taxes become arrears and begin accruing interest.
- January 1, Year 2: still-unpaid taxes become delinquent.
- Last Monday of September, Year 2: tax sale if delinquent taxes remain unpaid.
A tax sale isn’t the end. The original owner has one year from the sale date to redeem the property by paying the full upset price plus any costs the purchaser incurred for maintenance, any taxes the purchaser advanced, and interest to the date of redemption.14Province of British Columbia. Municipal Property Tax Sale If you don’t redeem within the year, ownership transfers permanently. The timeline is shorter than many owners realize. If paying is a problem, the deferment programs are a far better route than letting a balance drift toward delinquency.