To apply for a pre-authorized payment plan, you must be the owner of a property and your property tax account must be up to date. Please complete the Pre-authorized Payment Application and submit it to:

Town of Whitby
575 Rossland Rd E
Whitby, ON L1N 2M8

You may also apply by email to tax@whitby.ca or by fax at 905.686.7005.

Please include a void cheque or a banking form with a teller's stamp on it to verify the banking information. Please ensure that the name on the bank account matches the property ownership.

Download a copy of the Pre-authorized Payment Application.

Application deadlines

There are four times during the year when you can start a pre-authorized payment plan:

• Before December 31 for a start date of January 15
• Before March 31 for a start date of April 15
• Before May 31 for a start date of June 15
• Before August 31 for a start date of September 15

If you change banks or banking information, you'll need to update your pre-authorized payment plan. Please complete the Bank Change form and submit it along with your void cheque or a banking form with a teller's stamp on it to verity the banking information to:

Town of Whitby
575 Rossland Rd E
Whitby, ON L1N 2M8

You can also send your form to tax@whitby.ca with your property address, the new banking information (as noted above) and the effective date of the change. Please ensure that the name on the bank account matches the property ownership.

We must receive banking changes by the end of the month before the month you want the changes to take effect.

Contact us for a copy of the Bank Change form.

If you sell your property, you'll need to cancel your plan in writing. Please complete the Pre-authorized Payment Plan Cancellation Request form and submit it to:

Town of Whitby
575 Rossland Rd E
Whitby, ON L1N 2M8

You can email your request to tax@whitby.ca with your property address and the effective date that you would like your payments to stop.

We must receive all cancellations requests by the end of the month before the month you want the cancellation to take effect.

Please remember that when you cancel, your tax account will go back to the four regular installment due dates and you may have an extra balance to pay to pay off the remaining amount of an installment.

Contact us for a copy of the Pre-authorized Payment Plan Cancellation Request form.

How the plan works

With a pre-authorized payment plan, your monthly tax installments will be withdrawn on the 15th of each month from January to November. There are no withdraws in the month of December. You'll receive a notification in December letting you know what your monthly payments will be starting in January.

Once the final tax levy has been calculated for the year, your payments for the rest of the year will be adjusted accordingly, and a revised payment schedule will appear on the back of your final tax bill. All remaining installments will reflect the amount of the final tax levy.

How much will my monthly payment be? Will it change?

You'll receive notice of your monthly payment for the upcoming year in late December or early January. Once the final tax levy is available, you'll receive an updated payment amount on your final tax bill.

What are the benefits of a pre-authorized payment plan?

With a pre-authorized payment plan, you don't need to worry about missing a payment date or making a late payment. The amount will be automatically withdrawn on the 15th of each month.

Monthly payments also allow for easier budgeting. You can pay your taxes in 11 smaller monthly installments instead of four larger installments on the tax due dates.

Is it confidential and safe?

Yes, the Town's bank handles all payment transactions. Access to your account is limited to the withdrawal of monthly payments as authorized. The Town doesn't have access to account balances or other transactions.

What if I pay my taxes through a mortgage company?

You'll need to contact your mortgage company to see if you can change how you pay your property taxes in order to join the pre-authorized payment plan.

What if there isn't enough money in my account for the withdrawal?

If a withdrawal amount is returned to the Town of Whitby, we will send written notification to the mailing address on record. You'll need to pay an administration fee and the replacement payment directly to our office on or before the end of the month that the withdrawal occurred.

If the replacement payment is not received within the current month, the account is automatically removed from the pre-authorized payment plan and it will change to the instalment due dates and penalty/interest charges will apply on any past due balances.

Many banks offer overdraft protection services to protect you from insufficient funds in your account and they will cover the monthly payment withdrawal. Talk with your bank to learn more about overdraft protection.