Bad weather will not save you from penalties for not paying your property taxes before midnight Jan. 31

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Those procrastinating taxpayers who have waited until the last minute to pay property taxes won’t be able to blame the bad weather if they are assessed a late penalty.

McLennan County Tax Assessor-Collector Randy Riggs reminds taxpayers that property taxes were due upon receipt of their statements in October. Those taxes become delinquent Feb. 1 and there is no extension for that, even if McLennan County offices are closed Tuesday because of icy weather conditions, Riggs said.

Taxpayers who haven’t paid still can send in their checks to the tax office, as long as they are postmarked before midnight Jan. 31, Riggs said. There is a 7 percent penalty assessed to those who don’t have Jan. 31 postmarks or who don’t drop their payments off at the downtown Waco tax office or at tax office substations in West and McGregor.

Riggs said Jan. 30 and Jan. 31 historically are very busy days at the tax office. Taxpayers can use drop boxes near the front door of the County Records Building or a drive-through one in the Records Building parking lot, Riggs said.

The substations in West and McGregor don’t have drop boxes, he said.

“We just want to encourage people to make sure their payments are timely, because we feel the penalty is offensive,” Riggs said. “So we want to do what we can to assist the payment process.”

The 7 percent penalty is statutory, Riggs said, and cannot be waived.

“Most people have already paid, but we have a select few citizens who prefer to wait until the last minute and some who have forgotten and won’t know until we send out delinquent notices in May.”

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