HOMEOWNERS AFFORDABILITY TAX CREDIT 

Click on this link Homeowners Affordability Tax Credit:                     

2026 HOMEOWNERS AFFORABILITY TAX CREDIT (HATC)

The province of Manitoba  introduced the New Homeowners Affordability Tax Credit (HATC) starting 2026, replacing the previous Education Property Tax Credit (EPTC) and School Tax Rebate programs.   This is completely a Provincial initiative, and the RM of Prairie Lakes will continue to ensure residents receive accurate information about this transition.  Since the changes were made by the Government of Manitoba , we will continue to share information as it becomes available to us in order to help our residents receive the credit they are entitled to.  

If you previously received the HATC on your property tax bill, the HATC will be automatically applied to your 2026 tax bill, no further action is required from you.  

If your principle residence has changed, please notify the RM of Prairie Lakes by June 30th, 2026 to ensure the credit is properly applied.  The required form and additional information are available on our website rmofprairielakes.ca.

The RM of Prairie Lakes remains  committed to supporting our residents through this transition and will share updates as they become available from the Province of Manitoba.  

We understand the transition period may raise questions, and we are here to help connect you with the right resources and information.  For local administrative questions, please contact our office.

Taxes are calculated from January - December, with the due date of October 31st each year.

Current year tax payments that are made in July are eligible for a 2% discount and payments made in August are eligible for a 1% discount.

Any outstanding taxes are subject to penalties of 1.25% per month after October 31st.

In Person: Payments of cash, cheques, credit and debit cards can be made at the Belmont municipal office (see office hours under the Administration & Staff page).  Payments of cash and cheques can be made at the Dunrea municipal office.

Notice: To offset the cost of payment fees when credit card payments are made through the debit/credit card machine, Council has decided that a charge of 1.5% will be applied to all credit card payments as of February 15th, 2019.

Example: If the ratepayer is making a payment of $100.00, the additional fee would be $1.50.

By Mail: Cheques or money orders made payable to the R.M. of Prairie Lakes along with the bottom portion of your Tax Notice can be mailed to Box 100, Belmont, MB R0K 0C0

Post-dated Cheques: Post-dated cheques dated for the due date or earlier are accepted.

On-line Banking: Most financial institutions now have the R.M. of Prairie Lakes available for on-line payments. Please contact your financial institution to see if this option is available to you. Please use your Roll Number as your account number, which can be found on your Tax Notice.

E-Transfer: Send E-Transfers to admin@rmofprairielakes.ca. Please include your Roll number(s) or Utility account number(s) in the Memo field.

It is the responsibility of the property owner to ensure their tax payment is received at the municipal office by October 31st of each year.

If you are over 65 years old and own your home, you may be entitled to the Seniors' School Tax Rebate. Please visit http://www.gov.mb.ca/finance/tao/sstrebate.html for more information.

If you own farmland in Manitoba, you may be eligible for a rebate on the farmland portion of your school taxes. Please call the Manitoba Agriculture Office in Killarney at 1-833-206-0466 for more information.

Properties with two (2) or more years of outstanding taxes will be eligible for Tax Sale proceedings.

It is important that our office be notified as soon as possible if your mailing address changes to ensure that all documents are sent to the correct address. Failure to receive a Tax Statement does not excuse the property owner from not paying the tax account by the due date or excuse them from applicable penalties.

In Manitoba, property is assessed at market value in accordance with The Municipal Assessment Act. Market value is the most probable selling price of the property had it been sold by a willing buyer to a willing seller. Regular reassessments ensure that property assessments keep pace with real estate market conditions, and taxes are distributed fairly to property owners.

Property owners who disagree with the assessment on their property should contact the Assessment Branch at the Brandon Assessment Office to discuss their concerns with an assessor (Phone: 204-726-6001 or Toll-Free: 1-866-262-9867; Fax: 204-726-7511; Email: assessmentbrandon@gov.mb.ca). If the property owner and the assessor are unable to agree on the value of the assessment the property owner has the right to appeal the assessment to the Board of Revision. The Board of Revision is composed of the council of the R.M. of Prairie Lakes. The board sits annually, usually in November each year to hear appeals.  Applications can be filled out at any time at the Municipal office.