Every summer, Quebec homeowners find a school tax bill in their mailbox. This is a single payment that covers a full 12 months of public education funding is something that all Quebec homeowners must pay.
In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the Montreal school tax, including:
- How is the school tax rate calculated
- What is the school tax rate for 2025 – 2026
- Who collects school tax?
- What are school taxes used for?
- How much school tax do new homeowners pay?
How is the school tax rate calculated?
The school tax is a percentage (rate) applied to the assessed value of your property. That assessed value is determined by your municipality’s assessment roll, usually updated every three years. Note, the assessed value is not the market value or the amount you paid for the property.
Since 2020, Quebec has standardized the school tax rate across the entire province. This means everyone pays the same rate, no matter which school service centre they belong to. And, whilst the rate is standardized, please note that the assessed value of your property is done by your municipality.
What is the School Tax Rate for 2025 – 2026?
The school tax rate for 2025 – 2026 is $0.08423 per $100 of assessment for all school service centres and school boards in QuĂ©bec. This is equivalent to 0.08423% of your properties assessed value. However, the assessed value of your property varies by municipality.
Therefore, to estimate your school tax, you’ll need to find your property’s assessed value on your city’s official assessment roll (rôle d’évaluation foncière). You can do this by entering your property address or cadastral number on your city’s website. Links below.
Select your municipality below to access your assessment roll:
- School tax in Montreal – Find your property’s assessed value
- School tax in Laval – Find your property’s assessed value
- School tax in Brossard – Find your property’s assessed value
- School tax in Longueuil – Find your property’s assessed value
- School tax in Westmount – Find your property’s assessed value
- School tax in Quebec City – Find your property’s assessed value
Once you know your assessed value, you can calculate your annual school tax using the 2025 – 2026 provincial rate of 0.08423%, which applies across all Quebec municipalities.
Let’s assume that your property assessed value is $500,000. This means that your school tax will be $500,000 × 0.0008423 = $421.15.
Who collects the School Tax?
You’ll receive your bill from your local school service centre (CSS) not from your city. A CSS is the local organization that manages the public school system in a particular region. For instance, CSS Marguerite-Bourgeoys (CSSMB) manages the West Island / South West of Montreal whereas CSS de la Capitale manages Quebec City.
What are school taxes used for?
The Quebec school tax is used to fund the public school system within the city’s boundaries.
It helps finance the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) and other local school service centres that manage public elementary and secondary schools.
Specifically, the money is used for:
- Maintaining and repairing school buildings
- Paying administrative and support staff
- Covering about half of student transportation costs
- Providing equipment, supplies, and basic infrastructure upgrades
The school tax is not used for private schools. It only supports the public education network.
There is ongoing debate around how this money is allocated in Quebec. While the government claims school tax revenue is being reinvested, many parents and teachers say they see little evidence of it in classrooms. This has lead to several parent, teacher protests in front of the offices of Quebec’s Ministry of Education in Montreal.
How much school tax do new homeowners pay?
If you’ve just bought a home in Montreal, you’ll start paying the school tax the same way as any other homeowner, because the tax is tied to the property, not the person. The school tax is billed annually, usually in July or August, and you’ll be responsible for paying it once the property is registered in your name.
When closing on your home, the previous owner remains responsible for their share up until the sale date. Your notary will handle any adjustments if the seller has already prepaid part of the year’s tax.
For example, if the school tax year runs from July 1 to June 30 and you purchase your home on January 1, 2025, the seller will have already paid the full year’s tax up to June 30, 2025. In this case, your notary will adjust the closing statement so that you reimburse the seller for the six months from January through June, since you’ll benefit from those months of public school services.
You’ll see this adjustment listed in your mémoire des répartitions (also known as the statement of adjustments), which details how school taxes, municipal taxes, and other prepaid expenses are divided between the buyer and the seller at closing.
After closing, there’s nothing more for you to do until the next school tax billing cycle, when you’ll receive your own invoice directly from the school service centre (CSS).
