▼

Taxation

Show All Answers

1. How do I update my mailing address?

Complete the Change of Address Form and contact the Calgary Land Titles Office at 403-297-6511 to update your Certificate of Title. 

2. Why does my assessment say "improved?"

An Assessment Notice that has "Improved" identifies that the land has a building and that it is not vacant. Improved does not mean a change has occurred it only reflects that a structure of some type exists on the land.

3. Why did I receive a tax bill or assessment notice when I sold the property?

You may receive an assessment notice or a tax bill because at the time they were printed the Town had not yet received the Certificate of Title with the new owner’s information. Our records are updated twice a month with ownership changes received from the Calgary Land Titles Office. 

4. How do I update my school support declaration?

Contact the Tax Department with your update.

5. How can I get another copy of my tax bill or assessment notice?

You may request a copy from the Tax Department . 

Visit eServices and sign into your account to view and print off account details (assessment values, tax levy, tax payments, etc).

6. How do I view historical assessment values for my property?

Sign into your eServices account and you will be able to view historical assessment values under the assessment tab.

7. How and where can I pay my taxes?

The Town of Cochrane offers a variety of payment methods for property taxes (CREDIT CARDS & INTERAC E-TRANSFERS ARE NOT ACCEPTED) 

• In Person Visit the Town administration office at the Cochrane RancheHouse, 101 RancheHouse Road, between 8:30am and 4:30pm, Monday to Friday and pay by:

Interac: please bring your property tax bill and ensure that your daily limit is large enough to pay your bill. 

Cheque: we accept cheques post-dated on or before the due date indicated on the tax bill

• In person after office hours Drop your money order, cheque or bank draft in the drop boxes outside of the West entrance of the Ranchehouse or FCSS; remember to include the remittance portion of your notice. Do not drop off cash.
  • Cochrane RancheHouse
    101 RancheHouse Rd
    
  • FCSS
    209 Second Ave W
    
• Mail (include your payment and the remittance portion of your notice)
  Town of Cochrane, 101 RancheHouse Road Cochrane AB T4C 2K8
• At your bank or credit union
  Set up the Town as a bill payee through your regular bill payment system; your roll number is your account number. Allow three business days before the penalty date to ensure payments are processed on time. Please retain all documentation.
• TIPP
  Register for the Tax Installment Payment Plan (TIPP) to pay your property taxes in equal monthly installments instead of a single annual payment. register to avoid penalties. 

8. How are property assessments and taxes related?

The property taxes each resident pays is calculated in proportion to the value of the real estate property they own. Determining the value of a property for taxation purposes is known as assessment. Assessed values are a means of fairly distributing the town tax burden and ensuring that each property owner pays a fair and equitable level of tax. Find out how your property assessment is determined. 

Annual assessment notices are mailed to property owners by the end of January each year. The assessed value reflects the value of your property based on economic conditions as of July 1 and physical condition of December 31 of the previous year.

9. When are taxes due?

Your annual tax bills will be mailed at the end of May and taxes are due at the end of June. The taxes billed will cover the period January 1 to December 31 of the current year. Supplementary bills will be mailed end of October and due  end of December, as per Important Dates.

10. What affects my tax bill?

There are a number of factors that can have an impact on tax bills:
• Any change in your property's annual market value assessment
• Council's decision to raise, lower, or maintain the amount of tax revenue needed to balance the Town's annual budget
• The amount of revenue required by the provincial government for education purposes may also affect your tax bill. (Find out more about the education portion.)

11. What do my taxes pay for?

Municipalities levy taxes to help pay for services such as police, fire protection, parks, recreation, and public works. Each year, Town Council reviews and approves the amount required to fund and support these services. From this amount, sources of revenue other than property taxes, such as provincial grants, license fees and user fees, are subtracted. The balance is the amount to be collected through property taxes.

12. Why do I pay school taxes when I don't have children going to school?

Provincial legislation specifies that the funds for schools are to be collected by municipalities. The province and separate school boards requisition revenue they require from the Town and the total levy is distributed among taxpayers through their property tax bills. The Education Portion collected by the town on behalf of the provincial government is approximately 34% of your Property Tax Bill. People who do not own property contribute indirectly through their rental or lease payments. If you have any questions regarding school taxes, please contact Alberta Education directly at 1-780-422-7125 or toll free by dialing 403-310-0000, then enter 780-422-7125.

13. Is there a penalty if I miss the property tax due date?

Yes, there is a penalty if you miss the property tax due date.

The due date for property tax payment is the date shown on the front of your tax bill. To avoid a penalty, payment must be received no later than the due date. If your bank is paying your taxes you are still responsible for ensuring they are paid on time.

Penalties are imposed under the authority of the Town of Cochrane Tax Penalties Bylaw 08/2008, which was passed pursuant to provisions of the Municipal Government Act and cannot be waived by the Town of Cochrane Tax Department.

Property tax account balances remaining outstanding after the due date are subject to the following penalties:

• 7% applied July 1 to current outstanding amount
• 8% applied October 1 to current outstanding amount

Arrears:

A further penalty of 15% is applied on January 1 to the total outstanding balance as of December 31 (including taxes and applied penalties).

14. What if there’s a revenue surplus? Will my taxes go down?

The Town recognizes that surpluses are not continuous sources of funding. If the Town depends on a one-time surplus to pay for annual operating costs, it puts off any increased operating costs into the next fiscal year, where a tax increase would likely be required. In recognition of this, and to plan responsibly for the future, Council approved Operating Reserves Policy 1705-01, which requires any surplus to be placed in facilities lifecycling capital reserves. This reserve fund is used to prepare for new facilities included in the 10-year financial strategy.

15. Can I pay my tax bill via a credit card?

No, we can not accept property tax payments on credits cards. Check our Methods of Payment page for all the ways you can pay your property tax bill.  

16. What if I'm paying property taxes as part of my mortgage?

If you are paying principal, interest and taxes (PIT) to your mortgage company, you will receive the original tax bill for your records and the mortgage company will receive an invoice for your taxes. Your tax bill will show the name of the company we are invoicing.

If you believe you are paying PIT and the mortgage company name does not appear on the bill, contact your mortgage company immediately.

If a mortgage company is indicated on your bill and this firm is no longer responsible for your tax payments, you are responsible for paying the bill.

17. How can I find the amount I paid in property tax last year?

Your previous tax information is here on the Town website:

1. Go to eServices
2. Click on the blue Sign in box
3. If you know your User Name and Password, enter it

Don’t know or don’t have an Username and Password? 

No problem. You can register and access your information immediately by clicking on the blue Activate word. All you need is your recent Assessment Notice or Tax Bill. 

1. To register, go to eServices and click on the blue Sign in box
2. Then click on the blue word Activate
3. Then fill out the Log On Information form and click Next
4. Then from the information listed on your bill, select an account type, enter the account/roll number, and either the Customer ID for taxes or the name on the bill for Utilities (exactly as it is shown on the bill)
5.  Then click the box - I certify that I am the above-mentioned person and that all information provided is accurate
6. Then click the box I’m not a robot and answer the verifying questions
7.  Click Next
8. Follow the instructions noted in the email you will receive.

Note: Keep your Under Name and password handy for future logins

To find your property tax balance, levy, or payments once you are logged in:

1. Click on the blue roll number
2. Select the blue Balances / Transactions tab at the top
3. Your current year’s tax balance will be listed first
4. To view your levy, assessment value, payments go to Transaction History by scrolling half way down the page
5. Log off