Home Owner Grant

The Home Owner Grant is one of the property tax assistance programs offered by the province. The program began in 1957 to help homeowners reduce the amount of taxes they pay on their home. Prior to 2021, it was administered by the District of Sooke. As of January 1, 2021, the Province of British Columbia will be administering the Home Owner Grant.

On December 8, 2020, the B.C. government introduced legislation to amend the Home Owner Grant Act. The province shares, “theses amendments are the first step to centralizing the homeowner grant program for the 2021 tax year. The proposed amendments do not change the eligibility criteria for the program.”

What this means:

  • The Province will be entirely responsible for the homeowner grant program for the 2021 tax year.
  • All homeowners will apply directly to the Province online or over the phone.
  • The provincial application will be available early in the new year, subject to the deposit of the regulations. The province reports that work on the regulations is currently underway.
  • Starting January 1, 2021, local governments can no longer accept retroactive or new applications for the grant and instead homeowners must go to www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant
  • Important: Early applications are not being accepted at this time. To be notified when the system goes live, subscribe to the Province’s What’s New in Property Taxes page.

Get ready to apply

The best time to apply is after you receive your property tax notice in the mail and before your property tax due date.

  1. Wait to receive your property tax notice in the mail.
  2. Keep your property tax notice on hand. It has important numbers you’ll need to apply.
  3. Once applications open, you can apply quickly and easily online.
  4. If you’re unable to apply online, call us at 1-888-355-2700 for assistance.

By centralizing this program within the B.C. government reports they will:

  • Ensure homeowners receive the grant amount they are eligible for, such as the additional grant for seniors or persons with a disability.
  • Automate the approval process for grants resulting in quicker application processing – this will help prevent ineligible homeowners from being penalized for late property tax payments.

Avoid Penalties

While this information is subject to change as new information is announced by the Province, typically your tax payment and Home Owner Grant application must be received on or before July 2 each year. Late, or delayed by mail, payments: are subject to a 10% penalty if not received by the July 2 deadline. With more information being made available by the province in the coming weeks, the District will update this page should any new information become available.