Hempstead Town To Open Drive-Thru Tax Property Payment Offices

TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, NY — Even though a pandemic is gripping the world, taxes are still coming due. To help Hemsptead Town residents safely make their property tax payments, Town Supervisor Don Clavin was joined by Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll and Councilman Bruce Blakeman to announce that the town was implementing drive-thru tax payments.

“In line with social distancing policies, and to safeguard the health of our town workforce and taxpayers, I am establishing several drive-thru payment offices to accept in-person check and money order payments,” said Driscoll.

In regards to the main Receiver of Taxes office, the town will be monitoring Gov. Andrew Cuomo's stay-at-home orders and will provide updates as necessary. However, Drive-Thru Payment Offices will be open for payment at four locations:

• Behind the main office at 200 North Franklin Street in Hempstead
• Rock Hall Museum, 199 Broadway in Lawrence
• Echo Park, 399 Nassau Blvd. in West Hempstead
• Seamans Neck Park, 2700 South Seamans Neck Road in Seaford

Drive-Thru Payment Offices will be open and collecting payments during the last two weeks leading up to the deadline. Beginning May 18 through June 1, the Drive-Thru Payment Offices will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, excluding Memorial Day on May 25. The drive-thru at the tax office will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. beginning May 1. These locations can only accept payments made by check or money order.

Clavin first established “EZ Pay” Drive-Thru Payment Windows more than a decade ago when he was Hempstead Town’s Receiver of Taxes. The Drive-Thru Windows were a first for tax offices on Long Island.

“Thousands of our residents prefer to pay their property taxes in person,” Driscoll added. “As our main office in Hempstead remains closed to the pubic in accordance with New York guidelines, these Drive-Thru Payment Offices will accommodate our constituents in a safer manner.”

Pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order, second half 2019-20 school tax payments received or postmarked by June 1, 2020 will be penalty-free. As the school tax levy closes on June 1, 2020, payments received after this date will be payable to the Nassau County Treasurer’s Office and subject to penalties imposed by Nassau County. The original due date for the payment of second half school taxes without penalty was May 11. The extension gives taxpayers an extra 21 days in which to make payments.

Property owners may pay their tax bills by credit or debit card or electronic check (e-check) online or by telephone. To pay online, please visit the Receiver’s Online Payment Portal https://hempsteadny.gov/view-pay-tax-bills-online. To pay via telephone, call 1-833-378-1236 and follow the prompts using the telephone keypad. Payments by credit card, debit card and e-check will incur a service fee, charged by eGov Strategies, the company which processes these transactions. Hempstead Town receives no portion of these service fees.

To pay by mail, checks should be made payable to Jeanine C. Driscoll, Receiver of Taxes, signed and dated, numerical and written amounts should agree, and school district, section, block and lot numbers should be written on the check. Payment stubs should be enclosed with checks or money orders and sent to: Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes, 200 North Franklin Street, Hempstead, NY 11550. Payments submitted by mail must have a U.S. Postal Service postmark dated no later than June 1, 2020 to avoid penalty.

Taxpayers who need assistance with a property tax matter should email the Hempstead Town Receiver’s Office at tohtaxquestions@tohmail.org or call (516) 812-3600.