Municipal tax payment leniencies vary city by city in Quebec this year

Quebec municipalities have varying rules this year on when homeowners need to pay their municipal taxes -- and how many installments they can break the payments up into.

Last year, due to financial difficulties faced by families because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Quebec's larger cities announced they would give taxpayers and businesses a few months' respite to better plan their budgets.

For example, in mid-January 2021, the City of Montreal announced that homeowners could make their first payment by June 1 instead of March 1, and the deadline for the second payment would be Sept. 1 instead of June 1.

However, this year Montreal states things will go back to pre-pandemic rules with the first payment due by March 1 and the second by June 1.

In Quebec City, homeowners can pay in four installments on March 3, May 3, July 4 and Sept. 6.

Longueuil residents will have their tax bills due Feb. 23, April 25, June 23 and Aug. 22; in Sherbrooke, the deadlines are March 2, May 2, July 4 and Sept. 2.

The two-installment payment system remains in place in Laval, but the deadlines have been extended again this year to June 15 and Sept. 13.

In Trois-Rivières, payments are due Feb. 4 and July 4; in Saguenay, on Feb. 17 and June 15.

In Gatineau, the first installment is due by March 23, but the rest of the municipal tax payment schedule has not yet been decided.

In Gaspé, the first payment will be due within 30 days of the March 30 mailing date. The other three payments are due within 60 days of the May 29, July 28 and Sept. 26 mailings.

In addition, most cities advise taxpayers that if their tax bill is less than $300, they will be required to pay the entire balance in one payment.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 27, 2022.