Hamilton property tax withdrawals to resume on accelerated schedule after cyberattack delay

Automatic property tax payments will soon resume for many Hamilton homeowners, but on a new withdrawal schedule that could take some bank accounts by surprise. 

Pre-authorized tax payments have been on hold since the cyberattack that has disrupted numerous City of Hamilton services since late February.

The city's website announced Thursday that payments will resume April 15, on a schedule that will see the equivalent of four monthly payments come out of people's bank accounts over the course of just two months.

"Revisions have been made to the scheduled property tax withdrawal dates to provide time for property owners to adjust and plan for the upcoming withdrawals," states the release.

Here's the new schedule:

• For people whose monthly payment normally comes out on the first of the month, payments will now come out April 15, May 1, and May 15, and resume their normal schedule June 1.
• Homeowners who normally pay monthly, but midway through each month, will have payments withdrawn April 15 and May 1, with the schedule back to normal starting May 15.
• People paying back arrears on the last day of the month will see transfers April 15, May 1, May 15 and then back to normal on May 31.
• Those on the instalment plan will make their usual February payment on April 30 and their typical April 30 payment on May 31. 

"Moving forward, subsequent withdrawals starting in June will follow the original withdrawal schedule until the 2024 final tax bill is issued," the city says.

The city said if payments do not go through on the first attempt, there is some leniency, for a short period. 

"If funds are insufficient, the bank will automatically reattempt withdrawal within 7 to 10 business days. If taxpayers cannot deposit the necessary funds in their account in time for the second withdrawal attempt, they will incur a subsequent NSF fee from their bank," said Mike Zegarac, general manager of finance and corporate services in an email. 

"The city will credit their property tax roll account for NSF charges only for the revised PAP withdrawal schedule period between February 25, 2024 and May 31, 2024.

"During this same time period, the city will also waive its administrative fee for returned payments and taxpayers will not incur any penalty as a result of the delayed withdrawals."

Home sales and job applications affected by cyberattack

The cyberattack has also affected home sales in the city, which is no longer providing certificates showing that sellers are caught up on their taxes. The city's website indicates that service is not likely to resume soon.

"Lawyers requiring tax certificates for closings will need to plan to readjust after closing once the disruption has been resolved," it says.

The attack has also had far-reaching consequences for people trying to get jobs with the city, particularly people who applied for many summer student roles.

The city says that while it has been able to send out offers to students who applied for general labourer roles, all other summer student positions will have their application deadlines extended, or they will be reposted and people will have to apply again.

"Job offers have gone out to general labourer summer students because human resources pulled candidate applications and information from the system before the cybersecurity incident," says the city's cyber-security incident update page. 

It says hiring processes that were already past the "screening stage" before the incident began are continuing, but those earlier in the process will likely have to start from scratch.

"If you applied for a job the week before the incident, it is likely that your resume was not yet reviewed by Human Resources. HR plans to repost and extend the closing date on all job postings that are not currently accessible."