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Tax Information

Sign up for the TIPP Program

Tax Instalment Payment Plan (TIPP)

TIPP is a program that makes paying taxes easier. Prepay your taxes for the following year with 10 regular payments, plus one smaller final payment automatically debited from an account of your choosing. Participation in the TIPP means you won’t have to worry about late payment penalties, and you'll save a little by getting some interest* back.

Click Here to Download the TIPP Application

TIPP Information

Here's how it works:

  • The tax payment deadline is June 30th of every year (Tax year is Jan 1 - Dec 31).
  • Beginning in August - 10 monthly payments of about 9.5% of your total tax amount are debited from your bank account on the 3rd day of the month (or next business day) this gets you about 95% fully paid by May.
  • Taxes are calculated in May, and notices are mailed showing what has been paid (including interest earned*), and a final amount that will be automatically debited at the end of June (June 30th or the last business day in June).
    NOTE: The final payment should always be smaller than your regular monthly payments. If for some reason a change to your assessment increases you taxes causing the final payment to be larger than your regular payments, you will be contacted about adjusting your regular monthly amount. Otherwise, your TIPP amount will remain unchanged, though your final payment may fluctuate year to year. 

*Council sets the TIPP interest rate every year, this interest is compounded and paid out monthly onto taxes, reducing your final payment amount. 

TIPP Interest Rate for 2025: 2%

Have questions? Call the Town office at 403-653-3366 and ask to talk about TIPP.

Property Assessments

Tax Assessments are public information and can be found in our GIS portal

About Property Assessments

Property assessments in Alberta are governed by the Municipal Government Act. Your notice of Assessment is based on the valuation and physical condition of your property as of December 31 the previous year. All assessed values are completed within these guidelines to ensure fairness and equity using mass appraisal techniques.

The purpose of assessment is not to reflect a single sale price, but to assess all properties at typical market value on the same valuation date so that taxation is fairly and uniformly shared. The Town of Cardston has contracted a qualified accredited assessor who performs this function based on provincial legislation and regulations.

Property assessments are public information and can be viewed on our GIS portal:

Go to GIS Portal

Property Assessment Notice

You receive your annual Property Assessment Notice by the end of May each year. This bill covers the period from January 1st through December 31st of the current year. If you are not participating in the TIPP program, tax payment is due before June 30th. An 8% penalty will be applied to all outstanding taxes on July 1st, the day after payment is due. 

How Market Value is Determined

Market value, as defined in the MGA, 1 (n), means “the amount that a property might be expected to realize if it is sold on the open market by a willing seller to a willing buyer.” Market value assessments are done using mass appraisal techniques, which determines property values by grouping similar properties as of a specific date.

Some of the factors that determine the value of your home include style of house, square footage, lot size, basement finish, walkout, year of construction, overall quality, and location. Unique location influences like mountain and river views naturally lend themselves to an overall higher market value compared to other jurisdictions.

Filing an Assessment Complaint

WHERE DO I START?

Contact your Assessor

Before filing a complaint we encourage you contact Benchmark Assessment Consultants to ensure you and the Assessor on clear on the evaluation process and that the details of the property are accurate.

Benchmark Assessment Consultants Inc

#4, 320 WT Hill Blvd, Lethbridge AB, T1J 4W9

1-800-633-9012

benchmarkassessment.ca/contact-us

Hours

Monday - Friday: 8am - 4:30pm
Saturday and Sunday: Closed

File an Assessment Complaint

If you are unable to resolve your property assessment concerns with the Assessor you must provide the following to file an Assessment Complaint: 

WHAT IS AN ASSESSMENT APPEAL?

To ensure property owners have a voice in the property assessment system, the Municipal Government Act has set out a complaints and appeals system for property owners who have concerns about their property's assessment.

The assessment complaints and appeal process requires you to file a complaint with your municipality's assessment review board.

The deadline to appeal can be found on your assessment notice.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE ASSESSMENT REVIEW BOARD?

The Assessment Review Board is responsible for adjudicating complaints regarding property assessments. During the hearing they receive evidence and arguments from the parities, and make decisions while applying the law to every complaint.

Boards receive support and policy direction from the Province of Alberta to ensure fair application of the law to all Albertans.

WHO WILL HEAR MY COMPLAINT?

Assessment Complaints are heard by members of an Assessment Review Board.

The panel for Local Assessment Appeals are comprised of 3 Board Members, and Composite Assessment Appeals are comprised of 1 appointed member from the Land and Property Rights Tribunal and 2 Board Members.

Board Members are subject to principles of natural justice and must be free from bias or conflict of interest.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT AT MY HEARING?

The Assessment Review Board acts much like a judge in a trial and lets the parties make their own cases with their submitted disclosure as they see fit.

Board Members may ask questions, but these are generally to clarify points made by each party rather than to fill in major gaps in the evidence presented.

You must bring 1 copy of your disclosure to the Hearing, this is in addition to the copies filing with your disclosure.

If you do not attend the hearing, the Board may proceed in your absence.

HOW CAN I BE PREPARED?

To ensure that all your evidence is heard by the Assessment Review Board, present your evidence in writing prior to the hearing in the disclosure process.

The Complainant and Assessor (the Respondent) are required to disclose evidence to each other within the legislated time frames, which can be found on your Notice of Hearing.

The Board must not hear any evidence that was not included in your disclosure documents, provided prior to the hearing. For more information check out the RESOURCES section.

WHAT IF I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MY PROPERTY TAXES, NOT MY ASSESSMENT?

Assessment Review Boards do not have jurisdiction to address concerns regarding your municipal property taxes, tax rate, tax bill, etc. If you have concerns about your municipal property taxes or tax rate  please contact your municipal office or elected officials for more information.

Tax Calculator

Search the GIS portal to find your address (see instructions under "Property Assessments) and get your total assessed value for your property, then use the Tax calculator to calculate your tax amount based on the assessed value.

Property Tax Calculator

Tax Bill Calculations

Municipalities levy taxes to help pay for services such as police, fire, parks, recreation, and public works. Town Council reviews and approves the amount required to fund these services each year.

From this amount, sources of revenue other than property taxes, such as provincial grants, license fees, and user fees, are subtracted. The balance is the amount to be collected through property taxes. For the current year, approximately $2 million is required from property taxes to support Town services.

To determine the amount of your property tax, the assessed value of your property is multiplied by the combined municipal, school, and Chinook Foundation Mill Rates for the year.

Sign up for the TIPP Program

If you would like an automatic way to pay your property tax, you can sign up for the TIPP program. Participation in the TIPP means that you don’t have to worry about the payment deadline or late payment penalties. Your taxes are spread over the 10 months prior to the deadline, and the amount is withdrawn from your bank account automatically on the 3rd day of each month from August to May. If there was a change in your assessment, a final payment will be withdrawn on June 30 to arrive at the correct amount. The remaining amount to be taken on June 30th will be shown on your tax notice.

The TIPP Application form can be found here.

Paying Taxes Online

You can pay your taxes online through banks that offer online payment options. The process is simple. Use the six-digit “account number” shown on your assessment notice and pay the amount owing to TOWN OF CARDSTON TAXES or TOWN OF CARDSTON UTILITIES. Please make payment for only one property at a time. Please contact your banking institution for aid or information.