How and when do you pay your property taxes?

Mine are due by the end of Jan., so I mail a check the first week of Jan.
 
I guess I put it off, ours are due 3/31 and 4/1. I decided to work remote today to take care of them, only to have a fire to put out at work, and also come to find county tax bill can't be paid at TD Bank anymore. Dang! Go online and the fee is over $20 to pay by CC. But then I see I can switch to checking account and the fee is $1.50. Paid it but doesn't give a warm and fuzzy, website is MuniciPay? I mean I'm sure it's legit but looks like phishing. $1.50 is worth it to save 50 minutes of driving back and forth plus pay to park. This is the first time I've paid over face value.

https://www.municipay.com/questions-and-answers/

The sewer and trash and township, my wife took the check over to the town offices. Tomorrow the town office is closed for the holiday. I could have planned better. the school taxes will be due 8/31 and those are by far the largest taxes for us in PA. That I can take to the township office and pay in person.
 
I write a check and mail it in early February to cover the whole year's worth. It's over with and I feel better.
 
Whether or not you have a mortgage has nothing to do with how you pay property taxes other than adding an option to escrow. I pay in full every year via the county website even with a mortgage.
 
Whether or not you have a mortgage has nothing to do with how you pay property taxes other than adding an option to escrow. I pay in full every year via the county website even with a mortgage.
I didn’t know that until my uncle told me. I ended up paying in escrow for about 7 years. Nobody is gonna do our homework for us. I’m sure there’s still many ways I’m getting ripped off today. Like with health insurance or banks taking two payments the same month
 
I pay around $50,000.00 per year in property taxes I cry and cry and I don't get $50,000.00 in services or value. I drop them off at county hall.
 
Last edited:
Funny I feel I do get what I pay for, but that people with more kids (I only have 1) get even more. It was different when I lived in my house for 16 years sans child in school. Now looking back, it seems like a waste.

65% of the taxes are in fact school taxes. So with 2-3 kids that’s serious value.
 
Funny I feel I do get what I pay for, but that people with more kids (I only have 1) get even more. It was different when I lived in my house for 16 years sans child in school. Now looking back, it seems like a waste.

65% of the taxes are in fact school taxes. So with 2-3 kids that’s serious value.
I do not get what I pay for. I live on the west edge of my small town. my town has no fire department or emergency services. it contracts for these services with a larger town to the east. I am 15 miles from my designated fire house and rescue squad. This is so distant, the insurance industry puts me in the same risk category as no fire protection. An ambulance does not show up for over an hour. Ten years ago, a neighbor was having a heart attack, and called me to drive him to the hospital, as he figured he would be dead by the time an ambulance arrived. I have no kids in school, and never had any in school. We have no water service or sewers, storm or sanitary. No local police either. If you call 911, the State Police only show up if a felony is in progress. The only service that benefits me is maintenance of public roads.

tax bill is $12,500 a year on a property worth $750,000
 
I do not get what I pay for. I live on the west edge of my small town. my town has no fire department or emergency services. it contracts for these services with a larger town to the east. I am 15 miles from my designated fire house and rescue squad. This is so distant, the insurance industry puts me in the same risk category as no fire protection. An ambulance does not show up for over an hour. Ten years ago, a neighbor was having a heart attack, and called me to drive him to the hospital, as he figured he would be dead by the time an ambulance arrived. I have no kids in school, and never had any in school. We have no water service or sewers, storm or sanitary. No local police either. If you call 911, the State Police only show up if a felony is in progress. The only service that benefits me is maintenance of public roads.

tax bill is $12,500 a year on a property worth $750,000
It's funny, the next town over has better schools, 30% higher real estate prices, and lower taxes. Then why the heck did I buy a house here? Well, I was single and it was what I could afford.

Today, looking back, the demographics of my town closely matches my wife and me. But I wonder how come the other town and all towns in this area use our ice rink, why don't they build their own? Because our tax money did it for them lol same with our then new Y, they all come here.

Anyway my town collects leaves 2X per fall, trash 2X per week (doesn't make sense they made the 2nd time only 2 days later, it was more spread out initially), we have so many police officers per capita where there isn't that much going on (I'm ok with it I'd like to think it keeps us safe--wife called once about some drunk guy banging on the front door, cops had him in custody in about 5 minutes and arrived in about 90 seconds, pretty decent response), and schools are decent. Nobody likes taxes but remember I'm the guy who openly admits he got an extended warranty on a BMW and got $0 repairs in 3 years, a total loss and rookie move getting an extended warranty. I think people are same with taxes, rarely would we hear from those who are happy about them.

Oh forgot my wife is a school district employee so my healthcare is also through the town, that's life changing. Saves me around $850/mo in cost avoidance, and it's $0 deductible to boot.
 
Funny I feel I do get what I pay for, but that people with more kids (I only have 1) get even more. It was different when I lived in my house for 16 years sans child in school. Now looking back, it seems like a waste.

65% of the taxes are in fact school taxes. So with 2-3 kids that’s serious value.
Last time I did the math, my bill was closer to 85% to the school system, and there are people who feel that's still not enough...never mind that I don't have kids so I never directly used the schools.

Back on topic, by mailed check, twice a year.
 
Last time I did the math, my bill was closer to 85% to the school system, and there are people who feel that's still not enough...never mind that I don't have kids so I never directly used the schools.

Back on topic, by mailed check, twice a year.
amazingly, just looked at the exact numbers, and it's 64.81% for school, 23.8% for township and sewage, 11.39% for county. We get 3 distinct bills.

I argued about this until I was blue in the face with my buddy. We had a country reassessment a few years ago. People were saying your taxes are gonna double. HOW? HOW would anyone be able to afford that? No news locally and none online so the crazies were having their way scaring everyone. After the reassessment, yes, the values did in fact double. THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN TAXES 2020, 2021, 2022. Proof that assessments are revenue blind. The mill rate is adjusted downward.

As far as paying "enough," there were plenty who oppose a new public library, and new schools. Both of which I would think are as old as the 1950's. Common sense says they need renovations, but people often say I don't use either so I vote against. How about the police chief getting > $500k that does cost something lol (never found the reason for that but I'm sure it's not salary)

I pay the bills when due to get the discount, but now we can't pay at the local banks, just the town and county. I won't drive to the county so I pay some minimal fee to do online. I think less than $2, which is worth not driving an paying to park.
 
Lucky? I finally reached the age I could apply for "homestead" tax. I pay no school tax.
Highest to lowest tax here:

School
Fire Service/EMS
County (road/rain water drain maintenance)

I live in SC so I'm embarrassed to disclose what my taxes are.
 
Back
Top Bottom