When you make a payment towards what you owe for your property taxes, you will receive a receipt. This receipt will tell you how much you paid, and your property tax statement will tell you how much you still currently owe. Some towns send out yearly receipts for you to use for tax purposes, as you can “deduct” these property taxes while filing your income tax returns. When filing your income taxes you will need your property tax receipt(s) handy. It is important to save all of these documents when they are received, and put them aside in a special place. I personally keep a folder each tax year, and throw everything I receive in there.
If you made the mistake of throwing out your property tax receipt, or just misplaced it… you are able to get a new one. The easiest, and fastest way, would be to head down to your local town office and they will print you out one. Whether or not you have to fill out a form and have them “process” it for you, or if they can do it right away does not matter. Town offices will get you documents you request in under a week, in almost all cases… unless otherwise noted. Some town offices will require a fee to print this out, and if you live in a bigger town where people do not know you, you must bring an I.D.
Property taxes typically go to very localized activity, like local school districts and roads. A percentage of your property taxes go to your state, the rest goes to your town. It is very easy to figure out how much tax your town adds own to your property tax, and all you have to do is ask your local town clerk. Property taxes are a percentage of your property’s “assessed value.” Typically your town will send somebody around to your property every few years to see if anything has changed. They do not do this every year as they just change your value based on current market factors in most years. Typically they will leave you alone, unless you have gotten a building permit or changed anything during the tax year.
Need a citation?
APA:
Nobles, A. (2010, February 28). Property Tax Receipts. Retrieved Month #, Year, from http://www.tax-financials.com/property-tax-receipts