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Less than one week away until property tax payments in Texas are due

Posted at 11:54 AM, Jan 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-25 14:15:39-05

We are only less than one week away until the deadline for property tax payments in Texas, and failure to meet it can cost local property owners hundreds of dollars in late charges.

The official deadline is Thursday, Jan. 31, and officials are urging property owners to make sure they meet that.

Penalties and interest for missing that deadline are statutory and begin to accrue the very next day. They accrue on a monthly basis and continue to go up until the balance is paid.

The only exceptions are those who have taken advantage of the local option to pay those taxes in two equal payments, or if their property falls in that limited group that may qualify for a different payment option.

Officials are saying to not wait until the last minute because each year taxpayers have accounts that go delinquent because they fail to mail it in time for the U.S. Postal service to provide that necessary postmark or they have an unexpected conflict and cannot make it to the office by the close of business on the day of the deadline. 

Another issue is with individual internet connection issues that keep taxpayers from completing their transaction online.

They also want you to know what you need to pay. The tax office has to rely on you to tell them what properties you need to submit a payment on. Bring your statements or a list of property account numbers. This will save time, simplify the process, and make sure that you are paying everything you need to pay.

Brazos County is offering up different ways to make payments:

  • The tax office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 for payment in person.
  • Payments can be dropped in a drop box in the lobby for those who do not wish to wait, and receipts will be mailed.
  • Payments can also be dropped in the secure drop box in Lane 1 of the drive-thru windows – but to qualify for that payment date, the payment must be dropped by 5:00 p.m. Payments dropped after the close of business are considered as payment on the following day.
  • Taxpayers can mail their payment to the tax office at 4151 County Park Ct., Bryan, TX 77802. The payment must be postmarked on or before January 31st. The same requirement applies to other common carriers.
  • E-check, credit card, debit card, PayPal and PayPal Credit payments are accepted through the tax office website at www.brazostax.org. There are fees added to these payments by the credit card companies and servicing vendor so please take this into account. The best bargain is payment by e-check which currently has a fee of $1.50. A benefit of payment online is that a confirmation number is provided, so the taxpayer has proof of payment.
  • Debit and Credit card payments can also be made by calling 1-844-550-8208. The taxpayer must have their property ID number for the account to be paid and should provide a valid phone number in the process so tax office personnel can contact them if necessary. This is a “blind payment” and unfortunately, payments are received that do not provide accurate information or contact information. The fees for payment by card apply to these payments as well.

The Brazos County Tax Office says it's very busy this time of year, so take the time to gather your information and submit those payments in time to beat the deadline. If you have questions about your account, please contact the property tax department at 979-775-9930.

If you have lost your statements, research your information on the tax office website at www.brazostax.org. If you need to call the tax office for information, do it well before the payment deadline.

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