New Hanover County property tax deadline approaching

(New Hanover County, NC) - New Hanover County Real Estate and Personal Property taxes must be paid no later than Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. A 2 percent interest charge will be added to unpaid balances at the close of business on that date. Interest will continue to accrue each month thereafter until the liability is paid in full. Delinquent notices will be mailed at the end of January 2013. If you are unable to pay your bill in full, please contact the tax office at 910.798.7300 to establish a payment plan. There are many flexible options for payment plans available if the office is contacted as soon as possible.

The Tax Department accepts payments from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please note that the office will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013 for the New Year’s Day holiday.

How Can I Find Out If My Bill Has Already Been Paid?
Visit the website:  www.nhcgov.com/Tax and click on Tax Records Inquiry to view your bill.

How Do I Pay My Bill?

You can pay in person at 230 Government Center Drive, Suite 190, Wilmington NC between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Secure drop box receptacles are located at the Government Center outside the south entrance to the Government Center, inside the Government Center at the entrance to the Tax Office and inside the Tax Office at the information center desk. Payments are collected from these secure receptacles several times daily.

Make checks payable to New Hanover County Tax Office and mail to PO Box 18000, Wilmington NC 28406. Please include your bill year, bill number and type of tax that you are paying to ensure that your account is properly credited.

Credit and debit card payments can be made at www.officialpayments.com or by calling 1-800-2-PAY-TAX. The jurisdiction code is 4345. The vendor providing this service will charge a fee. You must have the bill year, bill type and bill number to ensure that your account is properly credited.

PLEASE NOTE – CREDIT AND DEBIT CARDS ARE NOT ACCEPTED IN THE TAX OFFICE.

Mortgage company and escrow payments
If you have a mortgage company that withholds money for tax payments and your bill remains unpaid you should contact your lender immediately and advise them of the balance due.

Postmarks: GS 105-360(d) reads in part: For the purposes of computing interest, tax payments submitted by mail shall be deemed to be received as of the date shown on the postmark affixed by the United States Postal Service. If no date is shown on the postmark or if the postmark is not affixed by the United States Postal Service, the tax payment shall be deemed to be received when the payment is received in the office of the Tax Collector. In any dispute arising under this subsection, the burden of proof shall be on the taxpayer to show that the payment was timely made. **Metered postage does not constitute a United States Postal Service Postmark.

Listing personal property for taxation

NC law requires any person that owns the following types of property on January 1 to be listed annually with the County Assessor in which the property is located:  airplanes, boats, boat motors, mobile homes, unlicensed vehicles, and household appliances or furnishings supplied to a tenant.  Any improvements made to real estate should also be listed. The listing period runs from Jan. 1 thru Jan. 31 of each year.  Anyone listing after the deadline will be charged a 10 percent late list penalty.

Listing forms are mailed out the last working day in December to taxpayers that listed in the previous year.  If you are new to the County or for some reason did not receive your form you may call or stop by the office to obtain a form.  The forms are also available for printing on the website at www.nhcgov.com/Tax.

Listing business personal property for taxation

Any individual or business owning or possessing personal property used or connected with a business or other income producing purpose must file a Business Personal Property Listing form.  Business personal property includes:  machinery, equipment, computers, furniture, fixtures, leasehold improvements, farm machinery, supplies, airplanes, construction in progress, etc.  All Business personal property subject to taxation, or an extension request, must be listed or made during the month of January of each year.
All business personal property listings are due on or before Jan. 31 of each year.  They must be filed with the New Hanover County Tax Assessor’s Office.  Any business that fails to list or under list during the regular listing period and is discovered by the business personal property department, or lists late, is subject to a 10 to 60 percent penalty.

An extension to list business personal property may be granted if a request in writing is received prior to the close of the regular listing period of Jan. 31.  Traditionally, New Hanover County has granted extensions to March 15.

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Release Contact:

Michelle Harrell
Collector of Revenue
(910) 798-7300