Property Tax in Windsor: Bills, Payment, and Deferrals

If you own a home in Windsor, you’ll receive two property tax bills from the city each year: an interim bill in January and a final bill in June, each payable in three installments. For 2026, the interim installments are due February 18, March 18, and April 15.¹ The final bill’s three installments typically fall in July, September, and November once council sets the year’s tax rates.² Miss a date and the city charges a 1.25 percent penalty the next day, with interest at the same rate every month after that.³

How the City Figures Your Bill

Your tax amount is your property’s assessed value multiplied by a combined tax rate. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) sets the assessed value for every property in Ontario, as required by the Assessment Act.⁴ MPAC compares your home to similar properties that have sold nearby.⁵ Ontario is still using a January 1, 2016 valuation date because planned reassessments have been postponed, so the assessed value on your notice may look nothing like current market prices.

City Council then applies the tax rate, which combines a municipal portion for city services, an education portion set by the province, and any special levies. The authority to collect comes from the Municipal Act, 2001.⁶

The Interim Bill and the Final Bill

The interim bill arrives in early January. For 2026, it equals 50 percent of what you paid in total property taxes in 2025.⁷ That lets the city keep operating before this year’s budget and tax rates are finalized.

The final bill goes out in June after the municipal and education rates are confirmed. It reflects any changes to your assessment and shows what you still owe after your interim payments are credited.⁷

When each bill arrives, check the 15-digit roll number and the property classification at the top. Mistakes in either field can misdirect your payment or produce the wrong tax calculation. Report problems to the municipal tax office right away.⁷

How to Pay

Windsor accepts property tax payments several ways:⁷

Online or telephone banking through your financial institution, using your 15-digit roll number as the account number.
Cheque by mail to the Tax Collector, City of Windsor Finance Department, 350 City Hall Square West, Suite 410, P.O. Box 1607, Windsor, Ontario N9A 6S1.
Cheque dropped off at the first-floor drop box at 350 City Hall Square West.

Pre-Authorized Payment Plans

If you’d rather have the money pulled automatically, the city runs three pre-authorized payment plans:²

An installment date plan that withdraws on the six regular due dates (typically February, March, April, July, September, and November).
A mid-month plan with ten roughly equal withdrawals on the 15th of each month from February through June and July through November.
An end-of-month plan with the same ten-month schedule, drawn on the last business day of each month.

You enroll by mailing in the application form. The ten-month plans spread the amount more evenly than six larger installments, which can make budgeting easier.

What Happens If You Pay Late

A late installment is hit with a 1.25 percent penalty the day after it was due. Any taxes carried over from a previous month also accrue interest at 1.25 percent per month.³ On a $3,000 installment, that’s about $37.50 after the first month, and the balance keeps growing.

Letting arrears sit for years is far more serious. Under the Municipal Act, once any portion of your taxes remains unpaid on January 1 of the second year after they were originally due, the city treasurer can register a tax arrears certificate on title. You then have one year to pay the full cancellation price, which includes arrears, current taxes, accumulated interest and penalties, and the city’s legal costs. If you don’t, the property can be sold at public auction.⁶ Tax sales are rare, but the process is real. Call the tax office before things get that far.

Tax Deferral for Low-Income Seniors and Persons With Disabilities

Windsor runs a deferral program for qualifying homeowners. It is a deferral, not a rebate, despite how some older material describes it. The program defers the year-over-year increase in your property taxes until the home is sold or changes hands, and the deferred amount does not attract penalty or interest while you remain eligible.⁸

You (or your spouse) qualify if you meet one of these:

You are at least 65 and receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement under the federal Old Age Security Act, or receive assistance under the Ontario Works Act.
You receive assistance under the Ontario Disability Support Program Act.

The property has to be your principal residence. Applications are due by the last day of February and cover the tax increase from the previous year, so for the 2025 tax year the deadline is February 28, 2026.⁸ The city will ask for supporting documentation after you apply, so have proof of your GIS, Ontario Works, or ODSP eligibility ready.

One detail catches people off guard: when you sell the home, the full deferred amount comes due immediately. If it isn’t paid on the date ownership changes, interest and penalties start accruing.⁸ Plan for it.

Disputing Your Assessment

If you think MPAC has your property valued too high, there is a formal process, and residential owners must follow it in order. You cannot go straight to a tribunal.

Start with a free Request for Reconsideration (RfR) through MPAC’s AboutMyProperty portal at mpac.ca, using the roll number and access key from your Property Assessment Notice. The deadline is printed on the notice; for the 2026 tax year it is March 31, 2026. MPAC generally responds within 180 days, with up to 60 more if it needs the time.⁹

Before filing, ask whether your property could have sold for the assessed value on January 1, 2016. If yes, a challenge is unlikely to succeed. If no, log into AboutMyProperty and compare the details MPAC has on file (lot size, square footage, bathroom count) against similar homes nearby. Factual errors are more common than you might expect.

If the RfR result doesn’t settle it, you have 90 days from MPAC’s notice to appeal to the Assessment Review Board. Residential owners who skip the RfR step will have their appeal rejected.⁹ The ARB filing fee is $132.50 per roll number, with a $10 discount for electronic filing.¹⁰

Taxes When You Buy or Sell

Property taxes keep running during a sale. The seller is responsible for taxes up to and including the closing date, and the buyer takes over the next day. Lawyers handle the split through the Statement of Adjustments: if the seller prepaid taxes covering time after closing, the buyer reimburses the difference; if taxes are owing for time before closing, the seller credits the buyer. Because the final bill doesn’t arrive until June, closings earlier in the year run on estimates, and the parties usually sign an undertaking to readjust once the actual numbers come in.

Your lawyer will also order a tax certificate from the city to confirm nothing is outstanding. In 2026, Windsor charges $100 for a standard certificate (five to ten business days) or $135 for an expedited one (one business day), plus HST.¹¹ It typically shows up in your closing disbursements.

1
City of Windsor. 2026 Interim Tax Bills in the Mail
2
City of Windsor. Pre-Authorized Payment Plan Application Form
3
City of Windsor. Late Payment Charges
4
Government of Ontario. Assessment Act, RSO 1990, c A31
5
Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. Residential Property Assessments
6
Government of Ontario. Municipal Act, 2001, SO 2001, c 25
7
City of Windsor. Property Taxes and Assessment
8
City of Windsor. Tax Rebates, Deferrals and Relief
9
Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. How to File a Request for Reconsideration
10
Tribunals Ontario. ARB Fee Chart
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City of Windsor. User Fees and Other Charges