For 2026, the Clarington property tax rate on the municipal portion of a residential bill is 0.485458 percent of assessed value, with the Region of Durham levy and the provincial education levy added on top to form the total rate that appears on your bill.1Municipality of Clarington. Understanding Your Tax Bill The total rate depends on your property class, and the dollar amount you owe depends on the assessed value MPAC has on file for your property.
Where Each Dollar Goes
Clarington bills are split three ways. Roughly 50 percent of what you pay funds Durham Region services, including police, social housing, and public health. About 33 percent stays with the municipality for local roads, fire services, libraries, and parks. The remaining 17 percent goes to local school boards for education.1Municipality of Clarington. Understanding Your Tax Bill Each portion is itemized on the bill.
Clarington only sets its own share. When council announces a budget increase, that figure applies to the municipal portion, not the whole bill. Durham Region and the province set the other two. For 2026, Clarington reduced its local tax levy increase to 3.00 percent, down from a previously approved 4.07 percent.2Municipality of Clarington. Clarington Budget
Rates Vary by Property Class
The total rate depends on how your property is classified. Residential, multi-residential, commercial, and industrial each carry their own rate, with commercial and industrial properties paying the highest. Farmlands and managed forests carry significantly lower rates.3Municipality of Clarington. Property Taxes and Assessments
Rates are updated every year once council passes the budget, so the exact percentages shift annually. The full rate schedule by class is published on the municipality’s website. If you own anything other than a standard home, check the current schedule before you budget.
How the Bill Is Calculated
Your bill equals your assessed value multiplied by the total tax rate for your class. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) sets the assessed value for every property in Ontario.4Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. Municipal Property Assessment Corporation
One detail trips up a lot of owners: MPAC values for 2026 are still based on what your property would have sold for on January 1, 2016. The province has repeatedly postponed a province-wide reassessment, most recently extending the freeze through the current cycle.5Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. The Assessment Cycle Your assessed value likely does not reflect what your home is worth today. For 2026, the average assessed value of a Clarington home is $402,507.1Municipality of Clarington. Understanding Your Tax Bill
Major renovations, additions, or changes in use can trigger a supplementary assessment and an additional tax bill mid-year. New construction almost always generates a supplementary bill once MPAC inspects the completed work.
2026 Due Dates
Clarington issues an interim bill early in the year based on the previous year’s rates, then a final bill once council approves the current budget. The four 2026 instalment dates for residential, commercial, and industrial properties are:3Municipality of Clarington. Property Taxes and Assessments
- February 19, 2026
- April 23, 2026
- June 18, 2026
- September 17, 2026
Miss any of them and a penalty applies to the outstanding balance. Under Ontario’s Municipal Act, the standard rate is 1.25 percent per month, added on the first day of the month after the missed deadline. That compounds quickly on a large balance.
How to Pay
You can pay through online or telephone banking by adding the municipality as a payee and using your 19-digit roll number as the account identifier. Cheques can be mailed or dropped in the secure box at the municipal building at 40 Temperance Street in Bowmanville.3Municipality of Clarington. Property Taxes and Assessments
Clarington also offers four pre-authorized payment plans:6Municipality of Clarington. Payment Options
- A monthly plan that withdraws on the first of each month from December through November.
- An instalment plan that withdraws on the four due dates printed on your bill.
- A supplementary plan built for newly constructed homes expecting supplementary bills.
- An arrears plan for catching up on overdue taxes, with penalty and interest still accruing while you pay down the balance.
To enrol, submit a pre-authorized payment application through the municipality’s website or call Taxation Services at 905-623-3379, extension 2650.6Municipality of Clarington. Payment Options
If You Think Your Assessment Is Too High
Because tax owed is assessed value times rate, challenging your value is the main way to lower your bill. The question to ask is whether you could have sold your property on January 1, 2016 for the amount shown on your notice. If not, you have grounds to challenge it.7Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. How to File a Request for Reconsideration
Request for Reconsideration With MPAC
For residential, farm, and managed forest properties, the first step is a Request for Reconsideration filed directly with MPAC. It is free, and you can file through the AboutMyProperty portal or by mail using the roll number and access key from your assessment notice.7Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. How to File a Request for Reconsideration MPAC typically completes a review within 180 days, with a possible 60-day extension.
For commercial, industrial, and multi-residential properties, the reconsideration step is optional and you can go straight to the formal appeal.8Tribunals Ontario. Filing an Appeal
Appeal to the Assessment Review Board
If reconsideration doesn’t resolve the issue, you can appeal to the Assessment Review Board. For residential properties, reconsideration must come first, and the appeal deadline is 90 days from MPAC’s notice of the outcome.8Tribunals Ontario. Filing an Appeal For property types that skipped reconsideration, the deadline to file directly with the ARB is March 31 of the tax year.
Filing fees depend on property type:9Tribunals Ontario. ARB Fee Chart
- Residential, farm, or managed forest: $132.50 per roll number, or $122.50 if filed electronically.
- Commercial, industrial, or multi-residential: $318.00 per roll number, or $308.00 if filed electronically.
Given the fee and the time involved, an appeal makes the most sense when you have comparable sales data showing your assessed value is meaningfully out of line with similar properties.
Relief Programs
The Ontario Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grant provides up to $500 a year for homeowners aged 64 or older with lower incomes, claimed through your personal income tax return. Your adjusted family net income must be below $50,000 if you are single or below $60,000 for a couple. The full $500 goes to single filers earning $35,000 or less and couples earning $45,000 or less, with the amount decreasing gradually above those thresholds.10Government of Ontario. Senior Homeowners Property Tax Grant
Ontario’s Municipal Act also requires municipalities to pass bylaws offering property tax deferrals for low-income seniors and low-income persons with disabilities who face hardship from assessment-related tax increases. If you may qualify, contact Clarington’s Taxation Services for the local terms set by bylaw.