The first day someone is late paying $1,000 dollars in property taxes, penalties and interest add up to $70 dollars.
That’s why Brazos County tax assessor-collector Kristy Roe issues an annual reminder to pay property taxes before Friday’s deadline if possible.
Roe says if you pay by mail, you are reminded to take into consideration the time needed to get postmarks from the processing center in north Houston.
Long lines are expected at the tax office on Friday. In addition to property tax payments, customers will also be taking care of January vehicle registration renewals.
Click HERE for information from brazostax.org.
Click below for comments from Kristy Roe, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.
Listen to “Reminders for last minute property taxpayers” on Spreaker.
News release from Brazos County tax assessor-collector Kristy Roe:
Local taxpayers planning to make that annual property tax payment in person on January 31st are encouraged to consider planning ahead or taking advantage of various payment options to avoid what is expected to be standing room only at the Brazos County Tax Office. The deadline to pay property taxes for the 2019 tax year falls on Friday of this coming week. Payment in person or by taking advantage of both the internal and external drop boxes must be made by 5:00 PM that day to avoid penalties and interest charged for late payment.
While the last day to pay taxes is always very busy, in the normal course of business, Friday is also the busiest day of the week at the tax office. Taxpayers should remember that property tax payments are not the only type of transactions the office will be handling. The last Friday of every month sees an increase in motor vehicle transactions for those who have registrations expiring and those that have waited for payday to come to transfer ownership of vehicles they have purchased.
To avoid the long lines, property owners can take advantage of several payment options in Brazos County. But whether taxpayers plan to come in person or take advantage of other payment options, each year there are those that with the best of intentions miss the deadline. The office has recommendations on how taxpayers can protect themselves from late payment fees.
Know what you need to pay. The tax office must rely on you to tell them what properties you need to pay. Bring statements or a list of property account numbers. This will save time, simplify the process, and make sure everything is paid timely.
If statements have been misplaced, the information is readily available on the tax office website at www.brazostax.org. Payments can be submitted on the website as well. E-check, credit card, debit card, PayPal and PayPal Credit payments are accepted. A benefit of paying online is that a confirmation number is provided, so the taxpayer has proof of payment.
Calls for information can be made to the tax office but the call volume is great around deadlines so taxpayers are encouraged to call early in the week to make sure their question are answered. The tax office number is 979-775-9930.
Credit, debit and e-check payments can also be made by calling 1-888-254-4339. The taxpayer must have the property ID number and should provide a valid phone number in the process so tax office personnel can contact them if necessary.
When mailing payments, local taxpayers should allow for any delay in postmark by the postal service due to the routing of mail to the processing center in Houston. Payments mailed on the last day run a greater risk of receiving a delayed postmark. The tax office is required to use the postmark as the payment date.