Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
Property tax in Montreal is your assessed value times a rate that depends on your borough and property type, and the city sends the bill around late January. We couldn’t read the 2026 rate figures on the city’s site, so this page shows how the bill is built and lets you plug in your own rate.
How is Montreal property tax worked out?
The city takes the value from the assessment roll, applies a phase-in, and multiplies the result by its rates. Those rates change with the property category (residential, non-residential, vacant land) and with the borough you live in. The borough part is a tax on top of the city-wide rate, and it applies the same way to every category inside that borough.
In plain terms: bill = phased-in value times your combined rate. If a neighbour two boroughs over has the same house, their bill can still differ by a few hundred bucks because the borough add-on isn’t the same.
The city also says rates are set each year with the total value of all properties in mind. So a jump in your own assessment doesn’t mean your bill jumps by the same amount. If every property rises by about the same, the rate can fall to bring in the money the budget needs.
What is the three-year phase-in?
A new assessment roll comes out about every three years. When your value goes up, the city doesn’t charge the full rise at once. It spreads the change over 36 months, and your tax is based on that stepped value.
The city’s own example is a home listed at $560,000 on the 2023 to 2025 roll and $620,000 on the 2026 to 2028 roll. The taxable base rises by roughly $20,000 a year and reaches $620,000 in 2028. The table below uses that example with an invented rate of 0.80% (yours will differ).
| Year | Taxable base | Tax at 0.80% |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 (old roll) | $560,000 | $4,480 |
| 2026 | $580,000 | $4,640 |
| 2027 | $600,000 | $4,800 |
| 2028 | $620,000 | $4,960 |
That rate is made up. Use the rate for your borough from the city’s “Taux de taxes 2026” document, then type it into the property tax calculator with your phased value.
Notice the size of the steps. A $60,000 rise on the roll lands as three yearly steps of $20,000, and each step adds only $160 to the bill at the made-up rate ($20,000 times 0.80%). That’s the whole point of the phase-in: you feel the change in small bites, not one big one.
When do you pay the Montreal property tax bill?
Bills normally go out at the end of January to everyone on the roll.
If the total is $300 or more, you can pay in one or two instalments without interest or penalty. Under $300, the full amount is due on the date of the first instalment. If the 2026 bill in the table above were split evenly in two, that would be $2,320 a pop.
We didn’t confirm the exact 2026 due dates, so read them off your bill. Bought recently? The city has a separate page for new owners.
Why did my bill rise when the rate went down?
It happens. The rate moves to balance the city’s budget against total property value, and your own phased-in value moves separately. If your value rose faster than the city average, your bill can climb even while the headline rate drops. The reverse is also true, so check both numbers on the notice before you assume something went wrong.
What does the bill not include?
Property tax is only one cost of buying. The Quebec transfer duty (the “welcome tax”) is a one-time charge when you buy, and our welcome tax calculator covers it. Condo owners also pay monthly fees that sit outside the bill, which the condo ownership cost calculator adds up.
If you’re weighing a purchase against renting, put the tax into the rent vs buy calculator so the comparison includes it. It’s real money, every single year, and people forget it.
Common mistakes with a Montreal bill
Three things trip people up.
The biggest one is treating the roll value as the market price. The roll is an estimate of value on a set date. A buyer might pay more or less today. The tax uses the city’s number regardless.
Another is comparing a neighbour’s bill with yours. Different boroughs have different add-on rates, and a phase-in may be at a different step. And watch for a change in category: a building with a rented unit may be classed differently from a plain single-family home. We didn’t confirm how the city draws that line, so ask the city if yours is a mixed building.
Think your value is wrong? Ask for a review. The city’s assessment pages explain how, though we didn’t confirm the deadlines, and a deadline you learn about late is a deadline you’ve already missed, so check early and keep your roll notice where you can find it, since the review request will probably refer to it.
Sources, and how we checked them
The process described here comes from the City of Montreal’s pages on how municipal taxes are calculated, its 2026 rates article and its payment pages. The phase-in example is the city’s own. Rates and due dates for 2026 weren’t readable in the sources we could open, so none are stated as fact. This is an independent guide and has no tie to the city or any government.
Frequently asked questions
When does Montreal send property tax bills?
Usually at the end of January, to everyone on the assessment roll. Your own bill shows the exact due dates.
Can I pay in instalments?
If the total is $300 or more you can pay in one or two instalments with no interest or penalty. Below $300 you pay it all by the first due date.
Why did my value rise but my tax barely move?
The city sets rates with the total value of all properties in mind, and it phases in increases over 36 months. A rise near the city average often changes little.
Is the assessed value the same as market value?
No. The roll gives a value at a set date, and the tax uses it even if the market has moved since.
Where do I find my borough rate?
The city publishes a document called Taux de taxes 2026. Rates depend on property category and borough.
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