Billing     Payment     Abatements     Exemptions     Refund

REAL ESTATE PROPERTY TAXES

BILLING

These taxes are collected Semi-Annually for a Fiscal Year that begins 6 months prior to the calendar year. (i.e. 7/1/07 to 6/30/08 is FY 2008)

The first half of the tax is due November first (11/1), or 30 days after the mailing of the bill
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The second half of the tax is due May first (5/1), or 30 days after the mailing of the bill.
If a total annual tax is less that Fifty Dollars ($50.00) only one bill will be sent for the full amount.

Per State Statute, tax bills must be mailed to the owner of record as of January 1 prior to the start of the Fiscal Year on July1.   The Assessors do update the owners through June 30, based upon Registry of Deeds.   We update the supposed owner or known address changes through the end of August prior to mailing the first bill, and any update received prior to the mailing of the second half bill on April 1.  The owner of record’s name will still appear on the bill until the first bill of the next Fiscal Year, at which time it will be removed.  If you are a new owner, and do not receive a bill, you should contact this office.

Failure to receive a bill does not affect the validity of the tax or interest and penalties incurred until collected.

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PAYMENT

You may pay at the Tax Collectors office with either check or exact cash.

Normal office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9:00 to 1:00.  The office is also open for collections until 5:00 p.m. on November 1, 2007 and May 1, 2008.

You may also make a current payment to the Secretary of the Board of Selectmen during that office’s normal business hours.  No other Town employee is authorized to accept your payment.

You may mail the TOP section only of the bill, along with your payment (no cash in the mail please) to:
            Tax Collector
            P.O. Box 41
            Berlin, MA 01503

If you wish to have a receipt, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope and the entire bill with your payment.

If you use an automated bill paying system, please be sure to include the type, year and bill number on your payment. (i.e.2008 # 123 RE).  Also, please allow sufficient time for the service company to mail the payment.

If you wish to have a receipt, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope and the entire bill with your payment.

If payment is received late, interest is calculated at the rate of 14%, starting from the ISSUE date of the bill.  This is done automatically based upon the bar-coded information on your bill and the actual date of receipt.

For Example: a tax bill for which payment is only one-day late will initially be charged 31 days interest.  If the first payment due was $1,000.00, the second bill will show a carry over amount of $12.54 still due and added to the second payment, for a total of $1,012.54 due.

To avoid this interest charge, please be sure to allow sufficient mailing time to assure that your payment is received by the due date.

If you have any questions on this please call me and I will be pleased to explain it.

Although not required by law, we do send reminder in January for any past due taxes.  A Demand Notice indicating the current Fiscal Year outstanding balance, plus interest and penalty, is issued after the May first (5/1) due date.

Partial payments are accepted.  If you have past due taxes, and are under extenuating circumstances, please contact this office so a plan can be established to avoid your property going into Tax Title.

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ABATEMENTS

Application for Real Estate Property Tax Abatements must be filed by thirty days from the mailing of the first half tax bills, usually November first.  The actual Abatement date is shown on the bill.  This application must be received by the Assessors Office by that date.  For further information and proper forms, pleased contact the Assessors Office at (978) 838-2256.

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EXEMPTIONS

If you think you qualify for an Exemption, please contact the Assessors Office at (978) 838-2256 for more information.

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REFUNDS

Any refunds resulting from overpayment, abatement or exemptions are made to the homeowner of record.  No refund will be made if there are any other outstanding taxes.

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