Property Tax Payment Grace Period Extended In Howell

HOWELL, NJ — Although the calendar has turned to Aug. 1, Howell, as in several other municipalities, is extending the date when third-quarter property tax payments are due.

The tax collector’s office is currently working on printing tax bills and preparing them for mailing. Tax bills will be mailed out next Monday, Aug. 8, and residents will have until Friday Sept. 2 to pay tax bills without interest, said Howell Chief Financial Officer Louis Palazzo.

Towns are "at the mercy of the state fiscal budget," Palazzo said. And the state Legislature went "down to the wire" in finalizing the state budget in July, he added. That impacted other state and county agencies down the line.

The state Local Government Services office then went "at a frantic pace" to get all levy amounts correct at the county level so that final tax rates could be signed off on, Palazzo said.

In Howell, tax bills are printed and mailed in-house by the tax office staff, with help from other town employees, so 20,000 envelopes are now being printed, stuffed and stamped, he said.

The Sept. 2 due date is set by state law, Palazzo said. Under law, taxes are due 25 days from the postmark on the bill. And Howell does not send out an estimated bill. That would necessitate a second mailing, he noted, which is not practical, he said.

If taxpayers miss the Sept. 2 deadline, they will be charged interest. Palazzo said the interest rate is 8 percent per day up to $1,500 owed and 18 percent on amounts over $1,500.

But by the fourth quarter, timing will be back to normal, Palazzo noted. Fourth-quarter taxes are due Nov. 1, with a normal grace period to the 10th of the month before interest is charged.

The township said that tax bills are available for viewing or payment online at the Howell Township website.