What to do after you apply for the property tax deferment program

If you have submitted your application for the property tax deferment program, find information about next steps:

• Check the status of your application
• Registered owners agreement to defer property taxes
• What happens when your application is approved
• Changes to your property title
• What to do if your application is denied

Check your application status

After you apply, you can check your property tax application tax application status online using:

• Your confirmation number, or
• Your jurisdiction, roll number and last name

Check your application status

Important: Some applications may take over 24 hours to be updated in the system. 

Applications are reviewed and processed in the order they're received and it may take several months to review and process your application.

Registered owners agreement to defer property taxes

If there’s more than one registered owner of the property, each owner or their authorized representative (for example, a power of attorney) must agree to the application’s terms and conditions.

Each registered owner (or authorized representative) must enter into an agreement and agree to the terms and conditions within 28 days of the application date.

As the main applicant, you must share the following information with them:

• The confirmation number you received after you submitted the application
• This link for them to enter into an agreement: https://www.etax.gov.bc.ca/btp/ptd/?Link=PTDCON/

Enter agreement

If the owners have not entered into the agreement within 14 days from the application date, a reminder letter will be mailed to the address you provided on your application.

Your application will be cancelled if each owner does not enter into the agreement within the 28 days from the application date. You will receive a cancellation letter by mail. This letter will not be emailed.

If a registered owner is deceased, you must contact the Land Title Office or the Personal Property Registry (for manufactured homes) to remove their name from the property title or manufactured home registry. This must be completed and the title updated within 28 days of the application date. 

If your application is cancelled, you can re-apply for tax deferment up to December 31 for the current year, but late payment penalties will apply after your property tax due date. ​

What happens when your application is approved

If you applied for the first time on your property and your application is approved

1. We'll pay your property taxes on your behalf after the tax due date. Applications received on or prior to the tax due date will not receive a late payment penalty. Applications received after the tax due date may be subject to a late payment penalty. Contact your tax office for verification. Our office will place a restrictive lien on your property. This means you're limited in the types of changes you can make to your property title while you're in the tax deferment program.
2. You’ll receive an approval letter by mail. This letter will also indicate whether you have selected the auto renewal option and include other important information.
3. We will mail you an annual statement of account showing your account balance as of March 31 each year by early May. This statement is for your information only and will indicate whether or not you selected the automatic renewal option. If you wish to payout your account, contact us.

If you renewed your application

You will not receive an approval letter

You can check your application status online at any time.

Fees

If you applied for or renewed the Regular Program, a fee is added to your account. This fee is not required to be paid at the time of your application.

• $60 for new applications
• $10 for renewals

There are no fees for the Families with Children Program.

Interest

Simple interest is charged on the deferred tax amount starting from the date your property taxes are due or the date you applied to defer, whichever is later. Find out how interest is applied to your tax deferment loan.

Changes to your property

If you are approved to defer your property taxes, you can add your spouse to your property title without repaying your deferment account. Learn more about adding a spouse to the property title after deferring your taxes.

If the property title is registered as Joint Tenants or Tenants in Common, and one of the owners passed away, contact our office. The surviving owner registered on title must meet the tax deferment program eligibility requirements to continue with the tax deferment account. We may request the surviving owner to provide their date of birth and social insurance number (SIN).

If the tax deferment account is in the name of a sole owner and they passed away, the account will continue to accrue monthly interest rates until it is paid in full. No further property taxes may be deferred. Executors or administrators of the estate are not eligible to defer the property taxes.

For any other changes to your property title, once you are approved for the property tax deferment program, the lien on your property is restrictive. You’ll need to repay your tax deferment loan is you want to make any of the following changes to your property title:

• Selling your property
• Adding another person on title (other than a spouse)
• Removing a registered owner on title (other than a deceased owner)
• Refinancing your property
• Subdividing your property

Learn more about changing your property title while in tax deferment.

What to do if your application is denied

If your application is denied, you may try applying again next year.

If your application is denied after the tax due date, you'll be charged a late payment penalty for any unpaid taxes by your property tax office.