The 2027 home owner grant change: what Prince George owners should know

If you own your home in Prince George and claim the home owner grant, the grant is set to shrink in 2027. It is a small change next to the whole tax bill, but it is real money, and I would rather you hear about it now than notice it on next year's bill.

What the grant is

The home owner grant is a provincial grant that reduces the property tax on your principal residence. You apply for it every year through the Province, and it does not come off automatically. If you qualify, it comes straight off what you owe on your City of Prince George tax bill.

What it is worth in 2026

• Regular grant, northern and rural areas (Prince George included): up to $770. That is the $570 base grant plus a $200 northern and rural top-up.
• Additional grant for owners 65 or older, veterans and people with disabilities, in northern and rural areas: up to $1,045.
• Threshold: homes assessed up to $2,075,000 get the full grant. Above that it drops by $5 for every $1,000 over, and the regular northern grant runs out above $2,229,000.
• Minimum tax: even with the grant, you pay at least $350, or $100 if you get the additional grant.

What changes in 2027

From January 1, 2027, the regular grant is $570 everywhere in BC, including the north. The extra $200 for northern and rural owners ends. The Province put that top-up in place to help offset the carbon tax, and with the consumer carbon tax gone, the top-up is going too.

For most Prince George owners who claim the regular grant, that means the grant drops from $770 to $570 next year, or $200 more tax on the same bill before anything else changes.

The Province's page confirms the 2027 amount for the regular grant. If you claim the additional grant, check your 2027 amount there directly, as I have only confirmed the regular one.

What it looks like on a typical house

BC Assessment's typical single-family home in the City of Prince George is assessed at $459,000 for 2026. At the 2026 total residential rate of 9.71250 per $1,000, that comes to about $4,458 in property tax before the grant.

• With the 2026 grant of $770: about $3,688.
• With a $570 grant and everything else the same: about $3,888.

"Everything else the same" is doing a lot of work there. Your 2027 bill will also reflect your 2027 assessment and whatever rates the City and the other taxing bodies set for 2027, and none of those are known yet. The grant change is the one piece we know now.

How 2026 compared with 2025

For context, the City's 2026 budget raised its tax levy 4.94%, which it put at about $144 a year, or $12 a month, on the average home it uses for budgeting (assessed at $467,684). The total residential rate went from 9.38179 per $1,000 in 2025 to 9.71250 in 2026. That total includes every levy on the bill: the City's own 6.49700, plus school tax, the regional hospital district, the regional district, 911 and BC Assessment. I broke it all down in Prince George property tax rates for 2026.

Who should pay attention

• Buyers working out a budget. Use $570, not $770, when you figure out what a house will cost you each month from 2027 on.
• Owners on a fixed income. $200 is not a crisis, but it lands on top of the usual yearly increase. If money is tight, ask the Province about the property tax deferment program and whether you qualify.
• Anyone who has never claimed it. The grant has to be claimed every year. If you have been missing it, you have been paying more than you needed to.

What does not change

The grant is still there, the threshold rules still apply, and you still claim it the same way. Water, sewer and garbage are billed separately by the City and are not affected. And the 2026 tax was due July 3, 2026, so this year's bill is already settled.

If you are buying and want me to run the monthly cost of a specific home, with tax at the 2027 grant, send me the listing. If you own and want to know what your home is worth before your 2027 assessment arrives, a home valuation is a good place to start.

Sources: Province of BC home owner grant information (updated September 2026) and the Ministry of Finance's 2026 grant amounts; City of Prince George 2026 and 2025 tax rate schedules and 2026 budget announcement; BC Assessment 2026 assessment release.