Vacancy Tax Calculator
Three vacancy taxes can apply to an empty home: the BC speculation and vacancy tax, the City of Vancouver Empty Homes Tax and the City of Toronto Vacant Home Tax. Pick one, enter the assessed value and tick any exemption you meet.
Property details
BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax, 2026 tax year
Tax payable for the year if no exemption applies and the property is vacant.
- Declaration deadline
- March 31
- Payment
- July 2 of the following year, or 30 days after the notice of assessment if that is later and you declared on time
BC has announced a 4% rate for foreign owners and untaxed worldwide earners from 2027; the citizen and permanent resident rate stays at 1%.
Exemptions checklist
Tick any exemption you meet. You still declare every year, and the agency can ask for evidence.
Your principal residence, as a B.C.-resident Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is not an untaxed worldwide earner. Only the home you live in longest that year.
Anyone living in the home as their principal residence has a qualifying disability (CPP, provincial disability assistance or the federal Disability Tax Credit). Applies whatever the owner's citizenship or residency.
A renter or non-arm's length tenant occupied the home for at least six months of the calendar year and the tenancy requirements are met.
Uninhabitable for 60 consecutive days in the year from a disaster or hazard beyond your control.
Bought in the tax year and paid (or were exempt from) property transfer tax, or legally inherited it that year.
Spouses who separated and lived apart at least 90 consecutive days in the year and did not reconcile.
An owner died: all owners are exempt in the year of death and the following calendar year.
Periodically occupied by you, your spouse or child to get medical treatment at a nearby facility, with written documentation from a medical practitioner.
The owner is a trustee in bankruptcy, or the property was vested in a trustee as of December 31 or for at least 60 consecutive days.
Held by a trustee under a will for a minor child, for as long as the child is a minor.
A strata accommodation property operated as a hotel and reported to BC Assessment.
The property includes a licensed and operating child daycare.
Accessible by water and more than 100 metres from an existing road.
Vacancy tax rates
| Tax | Owner | Rate | Tax year shown | Applied to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax | Canadian citizen or permanent resident (not an untaxed worldwide earner) | 1% | 2026 | BC Assessment assessed value |
| BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax | Foreign owner or untaxed worldwide earner | 3% | 2026 | BC Assessment assessed value |
| Vancouver Empty Homes Tax | All owners | 3% | 2025 | assessed taxable value |
| Toronto Vacant Home Tax | All owners | 3% | 2025 | Current Value Assessment (CVA) |
BC has published its 2026 rates. Vancouver and Toronto have not published a rate or deadlines for a later year than 2025 yet, so the 2025 tax year is shown; both cities describe their rate as continuing. On a $1,000,000 assessed value, BC's tax is $10,000 for a citizen or permanent resident and $30,000 for a foreign owner or untaxed worldwide earner.
Deadlines and penalties
| Tax | Declare by | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax | March 31 | July 2 of the following year, or 30 days after the notice of assessment if that is later and you declared on time |
| Vancouver Empty Homes Tax | February 3, 2026 (for the tax year shown) | April 16, 2026 (for the tax year shown) |
| Toronto Vacant Home Tax | April 30 each year | three equal instalments on September 15, October 15 and November 16, 2026 (for the tax year shown) |
BC adds a 10% penalty plus interest to tax unpaid after the due date. Toronto charges interest on overdue tax and can fine a false declaration up to $10,000.
Where the BC tax applies
The speculation and vacancy tax applies only to residential property in designated taxable areas. BC lists the municipalities and offers an interactive map to check an address.
- Metro Vancouver Regional District: including the City of Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond, North Vancouver and the University Endowment Lands.
- Capital Regional District: including Victoria, Saanich, Langford and Oak Bay.
- Fraser Valley: Abbotsford, Chilliwack and the District of Mission.
- Central Okanagan and nearby: Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country, Peachland, Penticton, Summerland, Vernon, Coldstream, Kamloops and Salmon Arm.
- Vancouver Island and Sea to Sky: Nanaimo, Lantzville, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland, Duncan, North Cowichan, Ladysmith, Lake Cowichan and Squamish; also Lions Bay.
Reserve, treaty and self-governing Indigenous Nation lands, islands reachable only by air or water (other than Vancouver Island) and the Predator Ridge resort in Vernon are excluded.
Not the federal Underused Housing Tax
The federal Underused Housing Tax was eliminated for 2025 and later years, but the 2022 to 2024 returns still stand. Read the Underused Housing Tax filing guide for the back-year deadlines and penalties. The three taxes above are separate and still apply.
Vacancy tax FAQ
Do I pay the BC speculation and vacancy tax and the Vancouver Empty Homes Tax on the same home?
Possibly. The two taxes are separate: you declare for each one, you may be exempt from one and still owe the other, and the City of Vancouver says the provincial tax is in addition to its own. A home in the City of Vancouver is inside the BC taxable area.
What is the speculation and vacancy tax rate in 2026?
For 2026 the rate is 3% of assessed value for foreign owners and untaxed worldwide earners, and 1% for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who are not untaxed worldwide earners. BC has announced 4% for the first group from 2027, with the second group staying at 1%.
Which BC areas pay the speculation and vacancy tax?
Designated taxable areas: Metro Vancouver, the Capital Regional District (Greater Victoria), the Fraser Valley cities, the Okanagan and Kamloops area, and the larger central Vancouver Island municipalities plus Squamish. Reserve and treaty lands, islands reachable only by air or water (other than Vancouver Island) and the Predator Ridge resort in Vernon are not taxed. BC publishes the full municipal list and an interactive map.
Is there a minimum property value for the BC tax?
Property assessed at $150,000 or less is excluded from the tax.
What is the Toronto Vacant Home Tax rate?
3% of the property's Current Value Assessment, which the City states as the rate beginning with the 2024 taxation year. Owners must declare occupancy every year by April 30, even if they live in the home; a missing declaration is treated as vacant. A false declaration can bring a fine of up to $10,000. Older sources quote different rates and dates for earlier years; this page only uses the figures on toronto.ca today.
What is the Vancouver Empty Homes Tax rate?
3% of the property's assessed taxable value. For the 2025 reference year the declaration deadline was February 3, 2026. The City has not yet published a later year's deadline.
What happens if I do not declare?
In all three programs a missing declaration is treated against you. Toronto deems the property vacant. BC charges the maximum rate for your situation. Vancouver's tax applies to properties deemed, determined or declared empty. BC adds a 10% penalty plus interest on unpaid tax after the due date.
What about the federal Underused Housing Tax?
The federal UHT no longer applies from 2025: Parliament eliminated it for 2025 and later years. Returns for 2022 to 2024 are still required. See our Underused Housing Tax guide for the back-year rules. The three taxes on this page are provincial and municipal and are separate from it.
Related Calculators
Sources
- BC — Speculation and vacancy tax
- City of Vancouver — Empty Homes Tax
- City of Toronto — Vacant Home Tax
This calculator estimates the tax from the figures you enter and the exemptions you tick. It does not decide whether an exemption applies to you; the agency and the bylaw or Act do.