Collections FAQ
Q: If my mortgage company pays my property taxes through escrow, why do I receive the bill?
A: Even though you have agreed to have your property taxes escrowed and paid through your mortgage company, we still mail the property tax bill to the correct owner. Mortgage Companies generally request a file with all Franklin County Tax Bills; they then select the payments that they are responsible for. To ensure your property taxes are paid timely, you may want to send a copy of your property tax bill with your next house payment.
Q: When are property taxes due?
A: For real estate, individual personal property, and business personal property, taxes are due September 1st for that current tax year. These taxes will become delinquent after January 5th of the following year and subject to enforced collections efforts. For registered motor vehicles, you will receive the property tax bill three months after either registering a new vehicle or renewing your registration. These taxes will become delinquent one month after the due date. Unlicensed vehicles should be listed as individual personal property by requesting a listing form during the month of January.
Q. Even though I paid my property tax bill, I received a past due notice, why?
A. If your property tax bill was paid coincidentally just before the delinquent tax notices are mailed, the payment may have been received after the file was sent for processing. To avoid this situation, please make all property tax payments before the delinquent date arrives. You may also receive a past due notice if property taxes are delinquent, and the payment that is made does not include the interest that has accrued for being late. Again, to avoid this situation, please make all property tax payments before they are past due and delinquent.
Q: If I have sold the property that I received a property tax bill for, what should I do?
A: You should forward the property tax bill to the new owner unless you are going to pay it. Agreements that are made between buyers, sellers, and attorneys are not our concern. However, since property taxes are a lien on real estate, it is in the buyers best interest to make sure all property taxes are settled before the property is purchased at closing.
Q: Can I make a payment over the phone or internet?
A: We currently do not take credit card payments, but you can make such payments by contacting Official Payments and making payment through their service. Please visit our credit card payment site for additional information for this process. Since this is a third party business transaction, your payment will be posted in our office the next business day. We have a system set-up in our office for such transactions to take place. We may have the ability to take credit card payments over the counter or through our web site in the near future, but not currently.
Q: If I have filed for bankruptcy, should I be receiving information about property tax bills?
A: Even though you have filed for bankruptcy, we will continue to send property tax bills for property that is currently owned by you. We cannot pursue collection actions for delinquent taxes, but regular bills will be sent. If you do receive delinquent materials from our office, please contact our office so we can verify that your trustee or attorney has forwarded the correct information to our office. If not, then you may have to contact your attorney for this information to be submitted.
For any other questions, contact our office.