Local property taxes due January 31

Property owners are reminded that tax payments are due January 31, 2023, and that unpaid taxes will become delinquent.

In most cases, the deadline for paying property taxes is Jan. 31. Taxes that remain unpaid on Feb. 1 are delinquent. Penalty and interest charges are added to the original amount.

If taxes go delinquent, the tax collector adds a six percent penalty and one percent interest on Feb. 1. Penalties continue to accrue at one percent per month until July 1. On July 1, the penalty becomes 12 percent. Interest is charged at the rate of one percent per month, with no maximum. The Comptroller’s Property Tax Assistance Division (PTAD) offers a 2022-23 Penalty and Interest Chart for use in calculating the total amount due on delinquent property tax bills.

Private attorneys hired by taxing units to collect delinquent accounts can charge an additional penalty of up to 20 percent to cover their fees. If the delinquency date is postponed, penalties and interest begin accruing on the postponed delinquency date.

Failure to receive a tax bill does not affect the validity of the tax, penalty or interest due, the delinquency date, the existence of a tax lien or any procedure the taxing unit institutes to collect the tax.

Check with the tax collection office on local payment options that may be available, such as credit card payments, deferrals, discounts, escrow accounts, installment payments, split payments, partial payments and work contracts.

Information regarding payment of property taxes is available on PTAD’s Property Tax Bills webpage here: https://bit.ly/3HqKw48.