Linn County property owners are reminded the second installment of property and mobile home taxes is due April 2, 2018, due to March 31 falling on a weekend. A penalty of one and one half percent will attach to late payments beginning April 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.
County Treasurers collect property taxes on behalf of all jurisdictions in the county and then distribute the taxes collected to the other jurisdictions, including the property owner’s city of residence, school district, and other taxing bodies in the county.
Pay Online
To avoid waiting in line at the Treasurer’s Office, property owners can pay property taxes conveniently 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 during the Treasurer’s Office hours Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Pay in Person
Property taxes can be paid in person at the Linn County Treasurer’s Office at the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center, 935 2nd Street SW in Cedar Rapids, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wait times for in person payments may be extended due to recent staffing shortages.
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 available at the Treasurer’s Office Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 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 by Mail
To avoid waiting in line, property taxes can 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 April 2, 2018, 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 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. to 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 email or text reminders about property tax payments by visiting Linn County’s website at www.linncounty.org, clicking the “Notify Me” section and signing up for the “Property Tax Payment Reminder.” There is no cost to subscribe. Text messages are subject to standard text messaging rates. Property tax statements will still be mailed each fall. The email or text message will serve as a reminder that the payment is due.
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 tax payer’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.
For questions, call the Linn County Treasurer’s Office at (319) 892-5500.