The Markham Property Tax Rate and How Your Bill Is Worked Out

The short answer

Markham property tax comes down to one multiplication. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) sets your home’s assessed value. The City of Markham multiplies that value by the total residential tax rate, which combines a City portion, a Region of York portion and a provincial education portion.

For 2026 that total residential rate is 0.722889%. The City collects the whole amount and passes the Region and education shares along, so you get one bill from one office.

This post explains each piece: where the assessment comes from, what the 2026 rates are, a worked example, when the bills arrive, how to pay, what help exists for seniors and how property tax is handled when you buy or sell a home.

How Markham calculates your property tax

The City of Markham’s own formula is simple: assessment multiplied by tax rate equals total property taxes. Two sets of decision makers supply the inputs.

1. MPAC sets the assessment. MPAC runs the province wide assessment system and determines the value and classification of every property in Ontario. The City of Markham does not set assessed values.
2. Three bodies set the rates. The City sets a rate to fund its budget, the Region of York does the same and the rates for the education portion are established by Ontario’s Minister of Finance to help fund elementary and secondary schools.

The three rates are added together into one total rate for each property class, such as residential, commercial or industrial. The figures in this post are the residential rates.

What are the 2026 residential tax rates in Markham?

The City publishes the 2026 residential rates on its tax bill page and in its 2026 Final Tax Bill brochure.

Portion	2026 residential rate
City of Markham	0.177477%
Region of York	0.392412%
Education (Province of Ontario)	0.153000%
Total	0.722889%

Markham Council approved a 3.9 per cent property tax rate increase for the City portion in the 2026 Budget. The City says that increase works out to $54.99 for the average home. The Region of York takes the largest share: for the average 2026 residential bill, 54.28% went to the Region of York, 24.55% to the City of Markham and 21.17% to education.

The City gives the average 2026 residential assessment in Markham as $822,671, with a total 2026 tax bill of $5,947.00 on that value.

A worked example on a $1,000,000 assessment

The figures below are an illustration only, using a round assessed value of $1,000,000. They are not based on any real property. Remember this is the MPAC assessed value shown on your notice and tax bill, not the price you paid.

Portion	Calculation	2026 tax
City of Markham	$1,000,000 x 0.177477%	$1,774.77
Region of York	$1,000,000 x 0.392412%	$3,924.12
Education	$1,000,000 x 0.153000%	$1,530.00
Total	$1,000,000 x 0.722889%	$7,228.89

To estimate your own bill, take the assessed value from your MPAC notice or your tax bill and multiply it by 0.722889%. Other charges can appear on a tax account too. For example, the City adds water arrears to the property tax account.

Why your assessment is lower than your home’s value

If your assessed value looks low next to recent sale prices, the reason is the valuation date.

MPAC confirms that property assessments for the 2026 property tax year continue to be based on fully phased in January 1, 2016 current values. The province postponed the 2020 assessment update because of the COVID-19 pandemic and later extended that postponement, so there has been no province wide reassessment since 2016.

That does not mean your assessment never changes. MPAC describes the 2026 assessment as what the property would have sold for on January 1, 2016, in its current state and condition, including any major changes since then. An addition, a new structure or a demolition can all lead to a new notice.

According to the City, five factors account for about 85% of a residential property’s value: location, lot dimensions, living area, age of the property (adjusted for major renovations or additions) and quality of construction.

If you disagree with your assessment

You can ask MPAC to review your assessment free of charge through a Request for Reconsideration. For residential property you must file one before you can appeal to the Assessment Review Board.

• Deadline. MPAC states the Request for Reconsideration deadline for the 2026 property tax year was March 31, 2026. The deadline for any notice is printed on the notice itself. For a supplementary or omitted assessment notice, the City says the deadline is 120 days from the date printed on the notice.
• How to file. File online through MPAC AboutMyProperty (where you can attach photos and sales information) or mail MPAC’s form.
• The question to ask. MPAC suggests asking yourself whether you could have sold the property on January 1, 2016 for the assessed value on your notice.
• After the decision. If you still disagree, you have 90 days from MPAC’s decision to appeal to the Assessment Review Board.

The City notes that your tax account only changes once MPAC or the Board notifies it, so keep paying your taxes during a review to avoid penalty and interest.

Interim and final bills: when Markham property tax is due

Markham sends two property tax bills a year.

• The interim bill is issued in early January and is based on 50% of the previous year’s taxes. For 2026, it was 50% of your 2025 total tax levy.
• The final bill is issued in June and reflects the budget changes approved by the City, the Region and the Province.

For residential properties the 2026 due dates published by the City were:

Bill	First instalment	Second instalment
2026 interim	February 5, 2026	March 5, 2026
2026 final	July 6, 2026	August 5, 2026

If a payment is late, the City adds a 1% penalty to the unpaid amount of that instalment, then charges 1.25% interest on the outstanding amount on the first day of every month it stays unpaid. The City states that Council and staff cannot waive these charges. You are also responsible for paying even if a bill never reaches you, so keep your mailing address current with the City when you move.

How to pay your Markham property tax

The City accepts payment:

• through online banking, using your 20 digit tax roll number that starts with “36” as the account number
• in person at your bank
• by cheque by mail to the Tax Department at the Markham Civic Centre
• at the Civic Centre cashier counter or in the drop box at the Thornhill entrance
• through a Pre-Authorized Tax Payment Plan

The City does not accept cash for property taxes. When paying through a bank, it recommends paying five business days before the due date.

The Pre-Authorized Tax Payment Plan

With the pre-authorized plan the City withdraws your payments from your bank account automatically. Residential owners can choose 4, 6 or 11 instalments.

Plan	Interim bill withdrawals	Final bill withdrawals
4 instalments	February and March	July and August
6 instalments	February, March and April	July, August and September
11 instalments	First of each month, February to June	First of each month, July to December

The City’s own illustration for a $5,000 annual bill is $454.55 a payment on 11 instalments, $833.33 on 6 and $1,250.00 on 4. Your account must be paid in full to join. According to the 2026 Final Tax Bill brochure, the application deadline is December 4, 2026 and payments under new applications begin in February 2027. A line of credit or credit card cheques cannot be used. If you sell, you need to cancel the plan and apply again for your new property.

What happens to property tax when you buy or sell

When a home changes hands partway through the year, the seller may already have paid property tax for part of the year after closing. CMHC explains that adjustments at closing are meant to reimburse the seller for amounts already paid, such as property taxes. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada lists property tax adjustments among the closing costs buyers should expect, so budget for it alongside land transfer tax and legal fees and ask your lawyer to explain the figure before closing. Our guide to closing costs when buying a home in Markham covers the full list and our post on land transfer tax in Markham explains the largest one.

A few Markham specific points help the handover go smoothly:

• Tax certificate. A tax certificate shows yearly tax amounts and anything owing on the property. A lawyer can buy one from the City online. The fee as of January 1, 2026 is $146.00.
• Update the City. When you buy, make sure your ownership and contact details are current with the City. It has online forms for ownership and mailing address changes. Its fee schedule lists a $70.50 ownership change administration fee per update.
• Payment plans do not transfer. A seller on the pre-authorized plan must cancel it and a buyer must apply for their own.

Buying a newly built home

New construction works differently. After occupying a new home, the City says your tax bills might only cover the land for the first 12 to 18 months while MPAC assesses the building. Land taxes are usually about one third of the total bill, depending on the type of house.

Once MPAC assesses the structure you receive a Property Assessment Notice, followed by a supplementary tax bill based on the assessed value at your occupancy or closing date. The City strongly encourages new owners to budget for it. Our guide to buying new construction in Markham covers what else to plan for when buying from a builder.

Property tax help for Markham seniors and low income owners

The City lists two programmes for owners who qualify.

Low-Income Seniors Property Tax Assistance Program. For owners who are 65 or older as of January 1, 2026, own and live in a home in Markham as their principal residence and receive the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement. Approved seniors have late payment charges on existing arrears forgiven, can use an interest free repayment plan and can then choose to enrol in the tax deferral program. For 2026, applications were due by March 30, 2026.

Seniors and Low-Income Tax Deferral Program. For owners who are up to date on their taxes. It can let a senior who receives the Guaranteed Income Supplement defer the tax increase for the year. A low income person with a disability who receives qualifying benefits may also qualify. The key rules the City publishes:

• the home must be the owner’s principal residence on January 1 of the year
• deferred and outstanding taxes together cannot exceed 75% of the assessed value
• deferred taxes must be paid when the property is transferred, unless it goes to a spouse
• all taxes for the year must be received in full by September 30 and the application is due September 30 of the current year, which for 2026 is September 30, 2026

If you are a senior thinking about selling, remember that any deferred taxes come due on the transfer. Our downsizing service can help you plan the sale around that.

What to do next

1. Find your assessed value on your latest MPAC notice or tax bill and multiply it by 0.722889% to check your 2026 total.
2. Log in to MPAC AboutMyProperty to see the details MPAC holds on your home and compare it with similar properties.
3. Decide whether a pre-authorized plan would make your budgeting easier and note the application deadline.
4. If you are buying, ask the seller’s agent for the current tax figure early and budget for the adjustment on closing. First time buyers can find more planning help on our first time home buyers guide.
5. For anything specific to your own taxes, confirm with the City’s Tax Department, MPAC or your lawyer.

If you are weighing what a Markham home will really cost to own each year, contact us and we will talk it through with you.