Ready For A Real Halloween Scare? Property Tax Bills Are Coming

TAMPA BAY, FL — If you need a good Halloween scare, look no further than your mailbox.

The Pinellas County Tax Collector's Office will mail out property tax notices Friday and the Hillsborough County Tax Collector's Office will do the same Monday, Nov. 1.

However, Hillsborough County Tax Collector Nancy C. Millan said her office is ready to accept online payments now.

Hillsborough County property owners also have the option to pay by mail or by appointment in a branch starting Monday, Nov. 1.

"The property tax notices will be mailed out on Nov. 1, and we encourage Hillsborough County property owners to take advantage of both the online payment options and early payment discounts," Millan said.

The earlier customers pay, the better the discount. If you pay by Nov. 30, you receive a 4 percent discount.

With the online option, property owners can pay by either credit card or by eCheck, which is a free electronic payment from the property owner's checking account.

Property owners can make partial payments toward their 2021 property taxes, but certain restrictions apply.

Taxpayers also have the option to plan ahead and apply for the installment plan for the 2022 tax season, which allows them to pay their taxes in quarterly increments throughout the year and still take advantage of discounts.

If taxpayers choose to visit a branch to make a property tax payment, they will need to visit hillstax.org to Save Their Spot in line.

Hillsborough County has more than 560,000 parcels of property totaling about $2.4 billion in revenue for the 2021 tax season.

This year, the tax collector's office returned $22.4 million in unused fees to the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and other county agencies.

"The surplus of these funds is attributed to efficiencies and cost savings based on the budget process that has been established over many years," Millan said.

Since 1998, the Hillsborough County Tax Collector's Office has returned unused fees every year, exceeding more than $334 million.

Meanwhile, the Pinellas County Tax Collector's Office will mail out tax bills on Friday.

Property owners who opted out of receiving a traditional paper bill will receive their tax bill via email on Nov. 1.

Property tax payments will be accepted online for Pinellas County as well or in a tax collector's office beginning Nov. 1.

November is one of the busiest months at the Pinellas tax collector's office, both in person and on the phone. Overall, there are 495,181 accounts totaling nearly $2 billion on the 2021 tax roll.

Tax Collector Charles W. Thomas encourages customers to pay online this year. Customers can also avoid extra fees by selecting the eCheck payment option.

"The fastest and easiest way to pay this year is through our online payment portal," said Thomas. "Our online services are always available, and we even have a new Chatbot, Owen, to assist customers virtually 24/7. We understand everyone's time is valuable and want to make this process as convenient for our citizens as possible."

Pinellas County Tax Collector offices currently require an appointment for all services. However, customers only making tax payments will be accepted on a walk-in basis. Property owners should let the security guard know they are visiting for property tax payment purposes only to ensure they are assisted accordingly.

Starting Monday, Nov. 1, Pinellas property tax bills can be viewed online and are searchable by owner name, address and account or parcel number.

This year, the Pinellas County Tax Collector's Office returned more than $10.6 million in unspent revenue to the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners and local taxing authorities.

Both Hillsborough and Pinellas offer a 4 percent discount on property taxes paid in November. The discount drops to 3 percent in December, 2 percent in January and 1 percent in February. There is no discount for March payments.

Property taxes must be paid in full by April 1 to avoid late fees.

How Property Taxes Are Determined

Property owners must pay property taxes based on the values of their homes or businesses. These values are determined by the property appraiser.

There are several taxing authorities that have the legal authority to tax citizens for services they provide. These include the board of county commissioners, school districts, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, incorporated cities, transportation authorities, community service districts and constitutional officers including the tax collector, property appraiser, sheriff, clerk of the court and supervisor of elections.

The various taxing authorities hold public hearings and establish a tax rate (or millage) that allows them to collect the resources necessary to operate their organizations for the coming year.

Once the proposed millage rates are established by a vote of each of the taxing authorities, the property appraiser mails a TRIM (Truth in Millage) notice to all property owners. The TRIM notice provides an estimate of the value of that person’s property, lists all the taxing authorities and provides an overall total estimated property tax for that property owner.

The TRIM notices are mailed out in August prior to the September passage of the budget. Each taxing authority must either pass the proposed budget or reduce it from that point on.

One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. For example, on a $100,000 property, one mill would generate $100.

How Does Your County Compare?

According to taxrates.org, the median property tax in Hillsborough County is $2,168 per year for a home worth the median value of $198,900. Hillsborough County collects, on average, 1.09 percent of a property's assessed fair market value as property tax.

Hillsborough County is ranked 376th of the 3,143 counties in order of median property taxes.

The average yearly property tax paid by Hillsborough County residents amounts to about 3.38 percent of their yearly income.

The median property tax in Pinellas County is $1,699 per year for a home worth the median value of $185,700. Pinellas County collects, on average, 0.91 percent of a property's assessed fair market value as property tax.

Pinellas County is ranked 640th of the 3,143 counties in order of median property taxes.

The average yearly property tax paid by Pinellas County residents amounts to about 3.2 percent of their yearly income.

To compare Pinellas and Hillsborough counties with property tax rates in other states, see the map of property taxes by state.

Exemptions

Homesteaded properties are properties owned as primary residences and must qualify for a homestead exemption through the property appraiser's office. Then the first $25,000 in property value is not taxed.

With the passage of Amendment 1 in January 2008, an additional exemption will be automatically applied on the assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000. This does not apply to school taxes.

After being under the homestead for a year, a property owner may qualify for the “Save Our Homes” cap, which caps the rate of growth on that person’s property tax to 3 percent per year or the rate of inflation (whichever is less).

There are other optional exemptions for disabled residents, widows and senior citizens.

See related story: Tax Collector Returns More Than $10.6 Million in Unspent Fees