Tax notices in the mail

Posted

The St. Johns County 2016 property tax rolls are now open for collection. Notices were sent to customers via email and mail Oct. 31. Payment may be made effective immediately.

Questions regarding homestead exemptions and property assessment may be addressed to the St. Johns County Property Appraiser, who is responsible for providing the St. Johns County Tax Collector with the tax roll. Questions regarding the individual taxing authorities’ millage rates, CDD rates, assessments and exemptions listed on a tax notice should be addressed to those individual authorities provided on the insert in thetax notice.

Total taxes to be collected by the St. Johns County Tax Collector are $411,764,143 – an increase of $25,776,722 – and includes notices for real estate, tangible personal property, railroad, and non advalorem assessments.

“For the past 26 years, your Tax Collector’s office has maintained a 99.3 percent or greater collection rate, with this year’s collection rate standing at 99.74 percent,” said St. Johns County Tax Collector Dennis W. Hollingsworth. “Ultimately, this assists all local taxing authorities to finance services for the citizens’ needs.”

Although all tax notices become due Nov. 1, 2016, they are payable through March 31, 2017, without incurring a penalty. Residents who opt to pay their taxes in November will receive a 4 percent discount, with the discount decreasing by 1 percent each month until March 2017 when taxes must be paid and no discount is applied.

Residents may pay their taxes in a number of ways. To submit an e-check payment, visit the SJTC website at www.sjctax.us. Online payments can be made via e-check for $1.30, or by credit card for a 2.5 percent transaction fee paid to the financial institution. Payment can also be made by mailing a check or visiting one of the tax collector’s four offices.

In addition to the 68,344 tax notices sent to property owners, 43,016 tax notices were sent to mortgage companies with escrow accounts. Property owners with escrow accounts should receive an “information only” notice detailing their tax status and stating that it is not a bill.

Those who are unable to pay their homestead property taxes should contact the St. Johns County Tax Collector as early as possible to determine eligibility for the Homestead Tax Deferral.

For more information, email taxcollector@sjctax.us.