Pre-authorized Withdrawals (PAWS)

Pre-Authorized Withdrawals (PAWS) is an optional payment plan that allows property taxes and user rates to be paid through automatic withdrawals from a bank account. Property taxes are collected as regular prepayments throughout the year, while user rates charges are withdrawn on the bill due date. 

How it Works

With PAWS:

• Payments are automatically withdrawn from your bank account
• Withdrawals follow a scheduled payment plan
• You continue to receive your User Rates Statement or Tax Notice for your records

Who Can Enroll

You can enroll in PAWS if:

• You are the property owner or authorized account holder
• Your account is in good standing (no overdue balances)
• For property taxes, you may enroll if your account is in arrears or delinquent, however, the monthly installment will be set to get your account in good standing by the upcoming tax due date

Enrollment & Changes

To enroll or make changes:

• Complete the PAWS application form
• Submit it with your banking information
• Changes and new applications must be received at least 10 business days before the upcoming withdrawal
• Please ensure you have read the Terms & Conditions before enrolling in the plan.

Important Deadline for Taxes

• Requests for changes must be received by April 30 each year to make changes to the May 15 and June 15 prepayments
• Requests received after this date may not apply until July 15 for the following taxation year

Updating or Cancelling Your Plan

To change or cancel your PAWS agreement:

• Submit your request at least 10 business days before the upcoming withdrawal date

Important Information

Payment Responsibility

Even if you are enrolled in PAWS:

• You are responsible for ensuring your property tax account is paid in full by the tax due date
• You should review your User Rates Statement and Tax Notice each billing

Property Sales

If you are buying or selling a property:

If there is a balance outstanding on your tax account when the Tax Notice is issued (end of May), the City will not withdraw the remaining balance, and a manual payment must be made.

It is the responsibility of the registered owner to claim the Home Owner Grant (if eligible) before the tax due date each year to avoid penalties.

Example:

Jan 7, 2026: Property owner applies for installment plan. The City requires 10 business days notice before the upcoming scheduled withdrawal date to add the property to the plan. The City estimates the 2026 Taxes to be collected via installment plan to be  $3,400.00.  That total of $3,400 will be divided by 5 months. The monthly prepayment amount will be $680.00 based on this estimate. 

Feb 15, 2026: First installment payment of $680 is withdrawn. This amount will be withdrawn on the fifteenth (15) of March, April, May and June.

Late May 2026: Property owner receives their tax notice. The total prepayment amount includes the 5 withdrawals plus interest earned. Note: The May and June withdrawals will be reflected on the tax notice even though they may not have been withdrawn. Property owner is responsible for ensuring that the 'Total Taxes Due' is 0 or is showing a credit balance. If not, the property owner is required to make a separate manual payment and claim the Home Owner Grant (if eligible) by the tax due date to avoid penalties. 

The tax notice will reflect the upcoming monthly withdrawal effective July 15. The upcoming year's taxes will be divided by the full cycle of 12 months from July 15 to June 15 inclusive. 

Application Forms

You will have the option of enrolling in both the Property Tax and the User Rates Auto-Debit plan when completing either of the forms below; however, if you are enrolling in one of the plans only please select the appropriate form.

All application forms below provide the option to modify your existing plan or banking information.

• Online form: Pre-Authorized Withdrawals - Property Tax
• Online form: Pre-Authorized Withdrawals - User Rates
• PDF form: Pre-Authorized Withdrawals

Please check our FAQ page for more information.