The Tax Statement
June 2002
The end product of the assessment process is the generation and issuance of the property tax bills that are mailed annually to all property owners. This activity is one of the primary responsibilities of the County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office. Personnel in this department calculate the property taxes based upon the assessment rolls provided by the assessor, levy the special assessments certified by the local taxing districts, mail the prepared tax statements, process the received tax payments, and distribute the collected funds to the appropriate governmental units.
What is a property tax statement?
A property tax statement is the annual bill charged according to the value of one’s property for the purpose of supporting government programs and services such as schools, road maintenance, police and fire protection, libraries, parks, and community services.
What information is provided on the property tax statement?
The property tax statement is a detailed form prescribed for use by the Commissioner of Revenue that lists the parcel number, taxpayer name and mailing address, the property’s legal description, and the previous and current year tax information. It contains a tabulated statement of the dollar amounts due to each taxing authority. The dollar amounts attributable to the county, the city or township, state general tax, the voter approved school tax, the other local school tax, and the total for any special taxing districts are printed separately on this statement. It may also include dollar amounts due for non-school voter approved referenda levies and special local assessments.
Other pertinent information that is printed on the statement includes the property’s estimated market value; the property’s taxable market value after reductions, limitations, and deferrals have been subtracted; the property’s gross tax before a reduction by state-paid aids and credits; the dollar amounts, if any, of education aid, local government aid, and disparity reduction aid; the dollar amounts, if any, of a market value tax credit for homestead residential and agricultural properties and any other special tax credit available by law; and the property’s net payable tax after reduction by state-paid aids and credits.
When are the property tax statements mailed each year?
The County Auditor-Treasurer is required to have the real and personal property tax statements in the mail by March 31st of each year. The annual statutory deadline for mailing the mobile/manufactured home tax statements is July 15th.
What if a property owner does not receive a tax statement?
There are times when the tax bill is lost in the mail, returned as undeliverable, or sent to another person because the property’s ownership record has not been updated. Whatever the reason, the validity of the tax due is not affected by a property owner’s failure to receive a tax statement. The owner should immediately contact the County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office to have a duplicate copy forwarded if the original statement was not received before the statutory deadline.
How does a property owner change the mailing address listed on the tax statement?
If the mailing address listed on the property tax statement is incorrect, the owner may offer an address correction by making said change in the area provided on the backside of the payment stub that is to be returned to the County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office. The property owner may also contact this department by either a letter or telephone call with the updated address.
When is the property tax bill due?
The first half tax for real and personal property is due on May 15th, and for mobile/ manufactured homes, it is due on August 31st. The entire tax amount may be due on the first payment date if the total tax is $50.00 or less. The remaining one-half tax for non-agricultural real estate and personal property must be paid on or before October 15th. Second half taxes for agricultural real estate and mobile/manufactured homes are due on November 15th.
Since the due dates vary for some properties, a property owner should always pay close attention to the payment deadline because it is based upon the property’s tax classification. If a property has more than one tax classification, the due date is based upon the tax classification that has the highest estimated market value.
If the due date falls on a holiday or weekend, the deadline for payment falls on the next business day. Any payments mailed to the County Auditor-Treasurer must be postmarked on or before the due date. Should taxes be paid by computer line via the Internet, payment must also be made on or before the due date.
What if the property tax payment is late?
Taxes remaining unpaid after the due date are considered to be delinquent. A penalty is added to tax bills that have not been paid. The later one waits to pay the tax, the greater the penalty. For details, the backside of the tax statement has a schedule of penalties for a late tax payment.