Every spring, North Shore homeowners open their property tax notice and see a line about the home owner grant. It’s real money off your bill, but it isn’t automatic. You have to claim it every single year, and if your home is assessed near the threshold, you might get only part of it. Here’s how it works in 2026, in plain English.
What Is the BC Home Owner Grant and How Much Is It in 2026?
The home owner grant is a provincial program that lowers the property tax you pay on your principal residence. In 2026, most Metro Vancouver homeowners can claim:
- $570 for the regular grant
- $845 for the additional grant, if you’re 65 or older, a veteran, a person with a disability, or the spouse or relative of a deceased owner who qualified
The full grant is available on homes assessed at $2,075,000 or less. Above that, it shrinks, and it disappears entirely at $2,189,000 for the regular grant and $2,244,000 for the additional grant.
Two things catch people out: you must apply every year, and you need to pay at least $350 in property tax after the grant ($100 if you get the additional grant).
Who Qualifies for the Home Owner Grant
You can claim the grant if all of these are true:
- You’re a registered owner on title (or the spouse or relative of a deceased owner).
- You’re a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- You live in BC.
- The home is your principal residence, meaning the place you actually live and use as your address for things like your driver’s licence, taxes and voting. You can only have one.
- The home is taxed as a residence: a house, strata unit, townhouse, manufactured home or similar.
What doesn’t qualify: rental properties, second homes, cabins, vacant land, and homes owned through a company. If you live in one unit of a duplex and rent the other, the grant only applies to the part you live in.
Regular vs Additional Grant: Amounts for Seniors, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities
The additional grant is a bigger version for people in specific situations. You qualify if, during the tax year, you are:
- 65 or older (you can claim in the year you turn 65)
- A veteran who receives certain war-related disability benefits
- A person with a disability as defined by the province
- The spouse or relative living with an owner who died, if that owner would have qualified
| Grant type | 2026 amount (Metro Vancouver) | Grant drops to $0 at |
|---|---|---|
| Regular grant | $570 | $2,189,000 assessed value |
| Additional grant | $845 | $2,244,000 assessed value |
Outside Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Capital Region, a $200 northern and rural top-up has applied. The province says that top-up was tied to the carbon tax, and from January 1, 2027 the regular grant is $570 everywhere in BC.
2026 Threshold: How Much You Get If Your Home Is Assessed Above It
This is the part that matters most on the North Shore, where plenty of detached homes are assessed close to $2 million.
The rule is simple: for every $1,000 your assessed value is over $2,075,000, your grant drops by $5.
| 2026 assessed value | Regular grant | Additional grant (65+) |
|---|---|---|
| $2,075,000 or less | $570 | $845 |
| $2,125,000 | $320 | $595 |
| $2,150,000 | $195 | $470 |
| $2,189,000 | $0 | $275 |
| $2,244,000 or more | $0 | $0 |
Your assessed value is the number on your BC Assessment notice from January, not what you think your home would sell for today. Those two numbers are often far apart. Our guide on why your BC assessment doesn’t match your home value explains why.
If you’re just over the line, it can be worth checking your assessment for errors. You have until January 31 to ask BC Assessment to review it, and a lower assessment can bring part of the grant back.
How to Claim the Home Owner Grant Online, Step by Step
Since 2024, the province handles grant applications for every municipality, including the City and District of North Vancouver. Claiming takes about five minutes.
- Wait for your property tax notice. In North Vancouver it usually arrives in late May or early June.
- Find your jurisdiction and roll number on the notice. You’ll need them.
- Go to the province’s home owner grant page at bc.ca/homeownergrant and start an application.
- Answer the eligibility questions for each owner who lives in the home.
- Submit and save your confirmation number.
- Pay the rest of your property tax to your municipality by the due date.
If you don’t want to apply online, you can call the province at 1-888-355-2700.
One more thing: claiming the grant doesn’t pay your taxes. You still need to pay the balance to the City or District, and most people forget that the two steps are separate. Our guide to property tax rates in North Vancouver shows what the rest of that bill usually looks like.
Claim Deadline and How to Claim a Missed Grant Retroactively
There are really two deadlines to keep in mind:
- Your property tax due date (early July in North Vancouver). Claim by this date. If you don’t, the grant amount is treated as unpaid tax and your municipality can add a late penalty to it.
- December 31 of the tax year. This is the last day to claim the current year’s grant.
Missed it completely? If you qualified last year but didn’t apply, you can usually apply for a retroactive grant for the previous year. You’ll get it as a refund or credit once it’s approved. You can’t go back further than one year, so don’t let it slide twice.
Also worth knowing: the province audits grant claims for up to seven years. If you claim on a home that wasn’t your principal residence, you’ll be asked to pay it back.
Bought or Sold a Home This Year? Who Can Claim the Grant
Only one grant can be claimed on a property each year. That creates a few situations when a home changes hands.
If you bought this year, you can claim the grant if:
- The previous owner didn’t already claim it for this year.
- You didn’t claim it on another home this year.
- You’re living in the home as your principal residence when you apply.
If you sold this year, and you already claimed the grant before completion, the buyer usually can’t claim it again. That’s normally sorted out in the property tax adjustments on the statement of adjustments, which your lawyer or notary prepares. If you’re in the middle of a move, our guide on completion, possession and adjustment dates walks through how tax adjustments work.
Frequently Asked Questions About the BC Home Owner Grant
Do I have to apply for the home owner grant every year?
Yes. The grant never renews on its own. You need to claim it each year after your property tax notice arrives.
What happens if I claim the grant on a home that is not my principal residence?
The province can audit claims for up to seven years. If it finds you weren’t eligible, you’ll have to repay the grant, plus penalties and interest.
Does the home owner grant apply to condos and townhouses?
Yes. Strata units and townhouses qualify the same way as detached homes, as long as you own it and live in it as your main home.
Can both spouses claim the home owner grant?
Only one grant can be claimed per property per year. If you and your spouse own the home together, one of you claims it for the household.
Does the grant reduce my property tax bill or come as a cheque?
It reduces your bill. You pay your property tax minus the grant amount. The exception is a retroactive claim, which usually comes back as a refund.
I’m 65 or older. Is there anything else that can lower my property taxes?
Yes. Beyond the additional grant, homeowners 55 and older can look at deferring their property taxes. Our guide to BC property tax deferment covers who qualifies and what it really costs.
Close to the Threshold? Get a Free Market Value Estimate for Your Home
If your home is assessed near $2 million, the home owner grant is a small reminder of a bigger question: what is your home actually worth today, and what would you net if you sold?
Navid Hakimi helps North Shore homeowners answer that with real recent sales, not an online guess. Request a free home evaluation and you’ll get a clear price range for your home and the comparable sales behind it, with no obligation to list.
Current as of October 2026. This is general information, not tax or legal advice. Grant amounts and thresholds are set each year by the Province of BC, so always confirm the current numbers on the provincial website.
