Property Tax Deadline Nears For King County Homeowners

KING COUNTY, WA — The first property tax bills of 2022 will be due in less than two weeks, and King County property owners will want to pay their bills on time to avoid added fees. Thanks to the due date falling on a Saturday, taxpayers have two extra days to pay the first half of their property tax bills this year, which will be due on Monday, May 2.

This year's tax increases vary widely by city and are the result of both voter-approved levies and rapidly rising property values across Puget Sound. As The Seattle Times notes, this year's bills, while higher, do not reflect the double-digit surge in home prices last year, since the taxes were calculated based on property values assessed in January 2021.

Related: Home Value Growth Surpassed Most Salaries In 2021

Here are a few of the average increases in property tax rates around King County:

• Bellevue: +6.79%
• Covington: +14.55%
• Enumclaw: +10.92%
• Issaquah: +8.38%
• Kirkland: +11.2%
• Mercer Island: +3.54%
• Redmond: +7.88%
• Renton: +12.55%
• Sammamish: +13.69%
• Seattle: +6.92%
• Shoreline: +5.88%
• Tukwila: +15.14%
• Woodinville: +9.15%
• View the full list online.

Here are the three ways to pay in King County:

• Online using King County's secure online eCommerce system. Taxpayers may pay with a credit card, debit card, or an electronic check. (A service fee, charged by the payment processor, applies to this option. King County does not receive any part of this fee.)
• By mail, if postmarked no later than May 2, 2022. The address is King County Treasury, 201 S. Jackson St., Suite 710, Seattle 98104. Taxpayers should write their property tax account number on their check or money order. Cash should not be sent through the mail. Taxpayers do not need to include a tax statement with the payment as long as the property tax account number is on the check or money order and payment is for the exact amount due.
• By secure drop box located at the King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St. in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood. Drop box payments should be made by check or money order - do not leave cash in the drop box. In-person payments remain unavailable at this time.

Property owners who are suffering economic hardship may be eligible for a payment plan, which is available for taxes related to houses, mobile homes, commercial businesses, and land. Taxpayers who choose a payment plan must sign an agreement with the county, and if they have a mortgage, notify their lender. The payment plans, handled by a third-party vendor, charge require a $75 "setup fee," along with a $15 monthly processing fee, and incur 1 percent interest.

The due date for the second half of this year's tax bill arrives on Oct. 31.

Learn more about property taxes and payment plan availability on King County's website.