Norwalk Issues Property Tax Bills

NORWALK, CT — The city has issued the latest property tax bills, but like the rest of the state, most Norwalk residents will have until Oct. 1 to make payments without facing a penalty, according to officials.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to federal, state and local governments delaying tax payment deadlines in an effort to ease the financial burden on Americans, millions of whom around the country are financial uncertainties.

Locally, the city began mailing out tax bills to Norwalk residents on June 18; below is information provided by the city explaining the tax situation.

General Information:
Most Norwalk taxpayers will have until Thursday, October 1, 2020, to pay their property tax bills for real estate, motor vehicle, and business personal property taxes, and sewer use charges, without interest penalty. These bills are due July 1, 2020, and reflect the first installment of charges due on the grand list of October 1, 2019. Bills were mailed to Norwalk taxpayers beginning on June 18.

In response to COVID-19 the City has extended the grace period for payment of the July 2020 tax installment. There are two exceptions: if real estate taxes are escrowed and paid on the taxpayer’s behalf by a bank or mortgage company, the bank or mortgage company is obliged to pay by August 3, 2020. However a taxpayer does still have until October 1 to pay any other taxes owed, such as on motor vehicles or personal property. The second exception involves landlords. Landlords must pass along to their tenants similar forbearance, and the failure to do so may cause the extended grace period to be revoked.

Norwalk City Hall is still closed to the public, but there is a walk-up window near the main entrance to the building for tax payments. The window is open Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Cash is not accepted. Taxpayers may pay by check, money order, credit card, debit card, or ATM card.

Taxpayers may also pay taxes in person at one of 13 Norwalk bank branch locations of the following banks: Bankwell; M & T Bank; Fairfield County Bank; Patriot National Bank; Webster Bank; TD Bank; and Norwalk Bank and Trust. There is no charge for the service, and the taxpayer does not need to be a customer of the bank to use this service, but they must bring their current tax bill. The banks accept payments through August 3 only. This service is offered subject to the bank branches’ own COVID-19 restrictions and directives.

Information on the various options for making tax payments is available on the tax collector’s home page on the City website at: norwalkct.org/taxcollector. Taxpayers may pay in person; by mail; online; or by telephone. Taxpayers may call (203) 318-9523 to pay by telephone using a credit, debit or ATM card, or an electronic check (“E-Check” or ACH payment). Credit, debit, and ATM cards may also be used to pay on line, or in-person at City Hall. The charge for an E-Check is $0.95. The E-Check is an economical, secure option that eliminates the anxiety and delay of mailing payments. Visit http://www.invoicecloud.com/cityofnorwalkct to pay online.

Taxpayers who wish to pay by mail may use the response envelope mailed with their tax bill. Payments postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service on or before October 1, 2020 will be considered timely, regardless of when they are received by the tax collector’s office.

Please visit norwalkct.org/taxcollector for more details.

Electronic Bill Pay:
Warning about electronic bill payment / telephone bill pay services: Please be careful when using your own banks’ bill payment services. These services may not mail your payment when you expect them to. You assume the risk of your payment arriving late if you choose to use these services. These payments come to the City of Norwalk without a postmark, and because of this, payments must be received by the Tax Collector’s Office before the last day to pay (on or before October 1) in order to be considered timely. Normally, the postmark controls, but if there is no postmark, timeliness depends solely upon receipt of the payment. Read the instructions and warnings provided by your own bank before using any 'pay by phone' or electronic bill payment service. Many service providers advise NOT to use the service for tax or other time sensitive payments. If you use electronic banking services, you are responsible for entering your payment information accurately and completely. Your payment may not being processed if you fail to provide accurate account numbers and other necessary information. If your payment cannot be processed due to your own error or omission, you will be charged a $20 return transaction fee, as if you had a check returned unpaid.

Motor Vehicle Clearance Information:
The Department of Motor Vehicles encourages taxpayers to go online to process transactions. You can verify your tax status and other compliance issues with DMV online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Access the DMV at ct.gov/dmv/online. Please note that if you pay today by credit card through the City’s service portal (Invoice Cloud), either by phone or online, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE IMMEDIATE CLEARANCE FOR DMV.

If you pay through Invoice Cloud today, the City will update your account with your payment information on the following business day. You will then be cleared with DMV the morning of the next business day following that. This means you will not be cleared to register with DMV until TWO BUSINESS DAYS AFTER you make payment through the Invoice Cloud service.

Payments made in-person today at the Tax Collector's office window are cleared with DMV overnight.

You will be cleared to register with DMV on the following business day. If a tax clearance for DMV is needed, please DO NOT USE the E-Check option for method of payment. If you choose to use this method, the Tax Collector's Office may not be able to clear you for registration for as long as 30 days, unless you are able to show that the check has cleared your account.

The best way to avoid problems with compliance at the DMV is to pay your motor vehicle taxes on time, before they are late.

Late Payments:
Payments received October 2 and later will be charged at the rate of 6 percent, through October 31. This represents 1.5 percent per month for four months (July through October, inclusive) as interest reverts back to the July 1 due date. This rate will remain the same throughout the month of October. Taxpayers who are unsure about what they may owe may look up their taxes at
http://my.norwalkct.org/eTaxbill/.

Failure to have received a tax bill does NOT exempt a taxpayer from interest charges. Interest is charged on all late payments, with absolutely no exception, in accordance with state law.

Please visit norwalkct.org for more information about city services and government, as well as timely and reliable information about COVID-19.