Southwold property tax rate 2025
Township in Elgin · population 5,588 · 1,760 households
In 2025, Southwold collected $9,267,497 in residential property taxes on $647,157,176 of taxable residential assessment. That works out to an effective rate of 1.432%, 0.075 points above the Ontario median of 1.357% for 2024. Among the 391 lower- and single-tier municipalities that filed for 2024, Southwold ranks 220th lowest and 1st of 7 within Elgin. The 2025 figure is from a return filed ahead of most municipalities, so the provincial ranking still uses 2024.
Where the tax goes
| Municipal (Southwold) | 0.584% | 41% of the bill |
|---|---|---|
| Elgin | 0.695% | 48% |
| Education (Province of Ontario) | 0.153% | 11% |
| Total residential rate | 1.432% | 100% |
Municipal Regional / county Education
Estimate your Southwold property tax
| Assessed value | Municipal | Region / county | Education | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $2,922 | $3,473 | $765 | $7,160 |
| $750,000 | $4,384 | $5,209 | $1,147 | $10,740 |
| $1,000,000 | $5,845 | $6,945 | $1,530 | $14,320 |
Assessed value is the MPAC value on your assessment notice, not market value. Ontario has kept assessments at January 1, 2016 values since 2017, so a home bought recently is usually assessed well below its purchase price. Estimates exclude local improvement charges, business improvement area levies and any rebates.
Rate trend 2016–2025
Southwold's residential rate rose from 1.220% in 2016 to 1.432% in 2025. Total residential taxes collected grew 88% over the same period, which reflects both rate changes and growth in the assessment base.
Year-by-year table
| Year | Residential rate | Municipal | Region / county | Education | Residential taxes levied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.220% | 0.432% | 0.600% | 0.188% | $4,928,274 |
| 2017 | 1.157% | 0.428% | 0.565% | 0.165% | $5,104,264 |
| 2018 | 1.174% | 0.441% | 0.572% | 0.162% | $5,339,732 |
| 2019 | 1.231% | 0.483% | 0.591% | 0.157% | $5,662,731 |
| 2020 | 1.258% | 0.498% | 0.607% | 0.153% | $6,049,017 |
| 2021 | 1.292% | 0.514% | 0.625% | 0.153% | $6,374,597 |
| 2022 | 1.313% | 0.524% | 0.635% | 0.153% | $7,228,039 |
| 2023 | 1.363% | 0.551% | 0.659% | 0.153% | $7,856,171 |
| 2024 | 1.401% | 0.563% | 0.684% | 0.153% | $8,642,765 |
| 2025 | 1.432% | 0.584% | 0.695% | 0.153% | $9,267,497 |
Instalments and due dates (2025)
Southwold reported 4 residential instalments in 2025, with due dates including March 31, 2025, May 31, 2025, September 2, 2024, October 31, 2025. Dates shift each year; check the municipal website for the current schedule.
All property classes, 2025
| Property class | Effective rate | Taxable assessment | Taxes levied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 1.432% | $647,157,176 | $9,267,497 |
| Farmland | 0.332% | $547,199,900 | $1,819,041 |
| Managed forests | 0.358% | $2,088,400 | $7,477 |
| Commercial | 2.973% | $257,996,824 | $7,670,671 |
| Industrial | 3.729% | $1,002,200 | $37,370 |
| Large industrial | 4.502% | $6,628,200 | $298,399 |
| Pipelines | 2.344% | $6,142,000 | $143,968 |
Commercial and industrial rates include the provincial business education tax. Rates for small classes can swing year to year because a few properties dominate them.
Compare within Elgin (2024)
| Municipality | Residential rate | Tax on $750,000 | Ontario rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwold | 1.401% | $10,505 | 220 |
| Aylmer | 1.784% | $13,382 | 323 |
| Bayham | 1.627% | $12,202 | 288 |
| Central Elgin | 1.673% | $12,550 | 298 |
| Dutton-Dunwich | 1.817% | $13,630 | 329 |
| Malahide | 1.605% | $12,035 | 283 |
| West Elgin | 1.509% | $11,317 | 259 |
Who lives here
From the 2021 Census of Population (Statistics Canada). Counts are randomly rounded to a multiple of 5 by Statistics Canada, so small differences between totals are normal.
Residents by age group
Under 15 15 to 64 65 and over
Southwold had 4,851 residents in the 2021 Census, up 9.7% from 4,421 in 2016. The median age was 44.0, older than Ontario's 41.6; 18.4% of residents were under 15 and 19.7% were 65 or older. Median household income in 2020 was $105,000, above the Ontario median of $91,000. Immigrants made up 6.5% of the population (Ontario: 30.0%), and 0.5% of residents had arrived between 2016 and 2021. After English, the most common mother tongues were Dutch (1.3%), French (0.7%) and German (0.6%).
| Private dwellings occupied by usual residents | 1,713 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.8 persons |
| Age 0 to 14 · 15 to 64 · 65 and over | 18.4% · 62.1% · 19.7% |
| Immigrants (share of population) | 6.5% · arrived 2016–2021: 0.5% |
| Visible minority population | 2.2% · Chinese 0.0% |
| Largest visible minority groups | Black 0.6% · Latin American 0.6% · Arab 0.2% · Visible minority, n.i.e. 0.2% |
| Most common mother tongues | English 93.5% · Dutch 1.3% · French 0.7% · German 0.6% · Polish 0.3% |
| Commuting | Car, truck or van 95.1% · public transit 0.0% · average one-way commute 21 min |
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population (data tables 98-10-0002, 98-10-0022, 98-10-0041, 98-10-0057, 98-10-0173, 98-10-0240, 98-10-0257, 98-10-0479, 98-10-0622), reference date 2021. Extracted 2026-10-30. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product. Suppressed values are left blank, never estimated.
About these numbers
- What is an effective tax rate?
- Total property taxes billed to a class divided by that class's taxable assessment. It is the average rate actually paid, so it can differ slightly from the rate printed in the municipal by-law when a municipality applies different rates to subclasses, phase-ins or special area levies.
- Why is my bill different?
- Your bill depends on your own assessed value, any special area charges, capping or phase-in adjustments and local improvement charges. Use the rate here to compare municipalities, and your assessment notice to estimate your own bill.
- Where does the data come from?
- Every Ontario municipality files an audited Financial Information Return with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. These pages use Schedule 26A, "Taxation and Payments-in-Lieu Summary", for 2016 through 2025. Southwold's latest return was updated 2026-09-09. See the methodology.