Burlington homeowners 65 and older who find the yearly tax bill hard to cover can start by looking at the Halton property tax deferral.
The challenge is not usually qualifying, since the rules are clear. It is knowing whether postponing the taxes solves the real problem, or only one bill among several.
The things to weigh are your income, any other debts or payments, the Ontario benefits the deferral switches off, and what each route leaves for your family. This page compares the deferral and a reverse mortgage plainly, without picking a winner.
ReverseMortgageBurlington.ca is a Burlington reverse mortgage information website, and it covers the deferral because the two cannot be used together.
What is the Halton property tax deferral?
The Halton Older Adults Property Tax Deferral postpones your entire yearly property tax bill, interest free. Halton Region runs it and the City of Burlington handles it locally. The deferred taxes become a lien on the home and are repaid when the home is sold or transferred, or after you stop qualifying.
There is no fee to apply or renew. A one-time $200 administration fee is added to the deferred balance. The total deferred, including that fee, cannot pass 50% of the home’s assessed value (Halton Region).
Interest free while you stay eligible
Interest does build on paper, but Halton pays it as a grant you never repay, as long as you stay in the program. After a grace period ends, or once the home is sold, the City’s usual tax interest applies to anything still owing.
You can repay part or all of the balance at any time.
Who qualifies for the Halton deferral?
You qualify if you are 65 or older, own your home in Halton, and at least one registered owner has lived there as a principal residence for the last four years. Combined gross income of all owners must be under $69,500. From 2026, new applicants can own only that one property in Halton.
You also cannot be in any other deferral or rebate program, and earlier years’ taxes must be paid (Halton Region).
The 2026 application window has closed, and Halton expects a new form in spring 2027. Renewal notices go out each May and are due September 30. If you miss a renewal, a one-year grace period keeps taxes deferred interest free.
| Rule | Halton deferral | Reverse mortgage |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 65 or older | 55 or older, every owner |
| Income limit | Under $69,500 combined | None |
| What it pays | The tax bill only | Existing mortgage first, then any use |
| Interest | Paid by Halton while eligible | 6.23% to 6.94% advertised, added to the balance |
| Up-front cost | $200 fee, added to the balance | About $2,000 to $3,500, legal advice included |
| Upper limit | 50% of the 2016 assessed value | Up to about 46% to 60% of today’s value, by age |
Reverse mortgage rates are the advertised 5-year fixed rates of the four lenders, checked September 17, 2026. A reverse mortgage costs roughly $2,000 to $3,500 to set up, and that includes your own lawyer’s advice at about $800 to $1,200.
Can you have the Halton deferral and a reverse mortgage at the same time?
No. The deferred taxes are a lien on the home, and every reverse mortgage pays off liens at closing. Keeping property taxes paid is also a condition of every reverse mortgage. So the deferral ends the day a reverse mortgage starts, and the deferred balance comes out of the mortgage money.
Halton’s own information sheet also warns that being in the program may affect current or future lending on the home (Halton information sheet). That is why the choice is one route or the other, and why it is worth looking at both before you sign up for either.
When is the Halton deferral alone enough?
The deferral alone is often enough when property tax is the only bill that doesn’t fit. If your home is paid off, you have no other debts, and your income covers everything except the taxes, an interest-free postponement is very hard to beat with any loan.
For example, an illustrative widow of 78 has a paid-off home assessed at $500,000 and an income of $38,000. Her 2026 bill is about $5,076 (City of Burlington).
Deferring $5,076 a year for 10 years, plus the $200 fee, comes to about $50,960 before any tax increases. That is far below the 50% limit of $250,000 on a $500,000 assessment.
She should count what she gives up. While she is in the program, she cannot claim the Ontario property tax credit or the Senior Homeowners’ Property Tax Grant of up to $500 a year. The guide to Burlington property tax for seniors explains both.
When are the taxes one bill among many?
The taxes are one bill among many when a deferral would still leave you short each month. A mortgage or HELOC (home equity line of credit) payment, credit card balances, a needed repair or the cost of help at home all stay in place after the taxes are postponed.
For example, an illustrative couple of 70 and 73 owns a home worth $905,500, the same as Burlington’s September 2026 median sale price (Cornerstone Association of REALTORS). They owe $95,000 on a HELOC and earn $62,000 a year.
They qualify for the deferral, but the HELOC payment stays. At age 70, the most they could borrow with a reverse mortgage is about 53% of $905,500, or about $479,000. Paying off the $95,000 HELOC first leaves about $384,000 available, and they choose how much to take.
With a reverse mortgage they have no required monthly mortgage payments. The couple still pays the property taxes, the home insurance and the upkeep. Their balance grows with interest, though a rise in the home’s price often makes up for part or all of that, and Canadian borrowers end up keeping about half of their equity on average.
Their debt also has a limit. Provided the couple keeps the taxes, insurance and upkeep up to date, the amount repaid can’t go past what the house would fetch at fair market value at the time the mortgage becomes due. It’s typically called the no negative equity guarantee, and all four lenders offer it.
How do you decide which route fits?
You decide by looking at your whole budget, not the tax bill alone. Write down every monthly cost, any debts, the work the house needs, and how long you plan to stay. Then compare the deferral, a payment plan, a reverse mortgage and a move using real numbers.
Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, compares every reverse mortgage lender in Canada, and sometimes the right answer for a household is the deferral. You pay nothing for the broker: the brokerage’s fee comes from the lender, and only once the mortgage has funded. The work is done by email, phone and video call, with family copied on the emails if you like.
The reverse mortgage cost guide for Burlington lists every one-time cost, and the Burlington reverse mortgage calculator shows the most you could borrow at your age, what is left after debts, what you could borrow five years older, and what moving would cost. If selling is on the table, see the guide to downsizing in Burlington, and for current values, Burlington home prices.
The bottom line
If the property tax bill is the only thing that doesn't fit your budget and you meet Halton's rules, the deferral is interest-free help that is hard to match. If the taxes are one bill among several, a deferral alone leaves the rest in place, and the whole picture needs comparing before you choose a route.
For figures based on your own house, ask for a free Burlington estimate. There's no charge and no sales pressure.