The semiannual installment of property and mobile home tax statements are being mailed and will begin arriving in mailboxes in the next few days. The deadline to pay the first half of property taxes this year is Oct. 2, due to Sept. 30 falling on a weekend. A penalty of one and one half percent will attach to each late payment beginning Oct. 3.
To make payment more convenient, several payment options are available. Property taxes can be paid online, by mail, in person or over the phone.
“This is the busiest time of year for the Treasurer’s Office, so we recommend that customers pay their property taxes online if possible or mail their payments or use our drop box so they can avoid waiting in line,” said Linn County Treasurer Sharon Gonzalez. “If they prefer to make their payment in person, we recommend they don’t wait until the last few days. The end of every month is always a busy time with people renewing their vehicle registrations, and the number of customers in our office increases significantly in September and March when people are paying property taxes.”
Pay Online
To avoid the potential for waiting in line at the Treasurer’s Office, property owners are encouraged to pay their property taxes online at www.iowataxandtags.org. Payment options include VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express credit cards or eCheck. If paying by eCheck, the online fee is only 30 cents. Credit card payments have a non-refundable service delivery fee added to the tax amount due for the service of paying taxes online with a credit card. The exact amount due for property taxes and service delivery fee is calculated in Step 2 of this online service. Residents will have the opportunity to exit out of the payment process without completing the transaction if they choose to do so and pay by an alternate method. The County Treasurer’s Office receives only the property tax portion of the total amount due for online payments.
The Linn County Treasurer’s Office has a self-serve computer kiosk available for the public to use to make payments online.
Pay by Mail
To avoid waiting in line, property taxes can also be paid by mail. To ensure proper credit, the stub portion of the tax statement must be submitted with the payment. If paying by mail, return payment to the Linn County Treasurer, 935 2nd St. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. Payments postmarked by Oct. 2, 2017, will be considered paid on time and no interest will be charged. The U.S. Postal Service postmark is the only date recognized for date of mailing. The date written on a check or a business metered date cannot be accepted as proof of the mailing date. Residents who would like a receipt must include a self-addressed stamped envelope with their payment.
Pay in Person
Property taxes can also be paid in person at the Linn County Treasurer’s Office at the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center, 935 2nd St. SW in Cedar Rapids, Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Free parking is available at the Public Service Center in the parking lot and on the street.
Drop Box Payment
For customers who only need to drop off their property tax payment and do not need to speak to a Treasurer’s Office employee, a payment drop box is conveniently located near the Treasurer’s Office kiosk on the first floor of the Jean Oxley Public Service Center, 935 2nd St. SW in Cedar Rapids. To ensure proper credit, the stub portion of the tax statement must be submitted with the payment. Receipts will be mailed to property owners who include a self-addressed stamped envelope with their payment.
Pay Over the Phone
Property taxes can be paid over the phone by calling the Linn County Treasurer’s Office at (319) 892-5500 Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Phone payments can be made with eCheck or credit cards. Due to the high volume of calls this time of year, there may be delays with this method of payment.
Email / Text Message Reminders
Property owners can sign up to receive an email or text message reminder to pay the fall and spring installments of property taxes. To sign up for this service, visit the Linn County website at www.linncounty.org, click on “Notify Me” and select “Property Tax Payment Reminder.” You will then be prompted to enter your email address or cell phone number. Property tax statements will still be mailed each fall. The email or text message will serve as a reminder that the payment is due. Standard text messaging rates apply.
County Treasurers collect property taxes on behalf of all jurisdictions in the county and then distribute the taxes collected. Approximately 16 percent of property taxes paid by Linn County property owners in incorporated areas are used to fund Linn County government operations and services. The remaining 84 percent of property taxes goes to the property taxpayer’s city of residence, school district and other taxing bodies in the county. Linn County taxes represent slightly more than one-third of property taxes for rural residents.
See the reverse side of your property tax statement for a detailed breakdown by percentage and actual dollar amount of how your individual property taxes are distributed among the taxing jurisdictions.