Tax payments due Tuesday

Property tax payments in Decatur for the second installment of 2016 are due on or before Tuesday, December 20. The City accepts payments without charging interest as long as the payment envelope is postmarked by the due date. Please mail payments to:

City of Decatur Lockbox
P.O. Box 945650
Atlanta, GA 30394-5650

If paying by e-check, please remit today or tomorrow

If you are planning to pay your second installment Decatur property tax bill with an electronic check on our website at www.decaturgatax.com, I encourage you to make your payment no later than Wednesday, December 14. Like paper checks, e-checks can take three to five business days to clear the bank. It's not an immediate debit. Our formal payment deadline this installment is December 20, 2016.

Our website allows for e-check payments with no convenience fee charged, and credit card payments with convenience fees. We also continue to accept payments by mail or in-person up through the payment due date. If you have any issues with the website or the e-check option, please call the Revenue office at 404-370-4100 or 678-553-6743.

DeKalb deadline to appeal value is July 18

Property owners in DeKalb County, Georgia, received a notice early last month showing their property assessment for 2016. Owners who intend to appeal the assessment must appeal within 45 days, which will end on July 18.  The deadline applies to county residents and residents of cities in DeKalb, including Decatur.

If you did not receive or lost your notice, I recommend that you go to DeKalb’s website. From http://taxassessor.dekalbcountyga.gov:81/PropertyAppraisal/index.html, click on “Real Estate Data,” search for your property, and once your record comes up, and click under the “Assessment Notice” area to see a PDF of your 2016 assessment notice.

An owner whose property has been overvalued and who has evidence to support an appeal, such as lower values of comparable properties, may want to consider appealing their assessment. DeKalb’s website allows for electronic filing of appeals.

To reach the DeKalb tax assessor/property appraisal department, call 404-371-0841. For filing an appeal in person, go to 1300 Commerce Drive in the Maloof Annex. They will have a high volume of calls and foot traffic on Monday.

Tax payment grace period ends June 15

The deadline to pay property taxes in Decatur for the 1st installment of 2016 was June 1.  Although the deadline has passed, Decatur offers a grace period during which no penalties or interest apply to late payments.  That grace period ends on Wednesday, June 15.  Unpaid taxes after that date will accrue a 10 percent penalty and 1 percent interest per month.  To check the status of your account or make an online payment, go to www.decaturgatax.com.  For general information about property taxes in Decatur including a description of other payment options, visit www.decaturga.com/taxes.

Tax payments due tomorrow

Payments for the 1st installment of Decatur’s 2016 property tax bills are due on or before June 1.  You can view your account/payment status at www.decaturgatax.com.  Checks can be mailed to:

City of Decatur Lockbox
P.O. Box 945650
Atlanta, GA 30394-5650

We honor postmarks on mailed checks. If you want to pay in person, come to 509 N. McDonough St. We are open today through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Payments can also be made online; however, if you are paying by e-check, please note that it will take several days until your e-check clears and is credited to your account.

In addition to property tax payments, tomorrow is also the payment deadline for businesses in Decatur with commercial sanitation accounts.

If paying by e-check, please remit by tomorrow

If you are planning to pay your first installment Decatur property tax bill with an electronic check on our website at www.decaturgatax.com, I encourage you to make your payment today or tomorrow. Like paper checks, e-checks can take three to five business days to clear the bank. It's not an immediate debit. With Memorial Day coming up, that will further lengthen the amount of time it could take for your e-check to clear. Our formal payment deadline this installment is June 1, 2016. Our website allows for e-check payments with zero convenience fees, and for credit card payments with convenience fees. We also continue to accept payments by mail or in-person up through the payment due date. If you have any issues with the website or the e-check option, please call 404-370-4100.

Lawyer taxes in Decatur become delinquent

Attorney Bill Payment Final Deadline

Lawyers practicing in Decatur must pay a $425 occupation tax annually. The 2015 tax was due by Dec. 31, 2015. A three-month grace period expires today. Lawyers who have not paid by today become delinquent and subject to escalated collection activities and will be reported to the State Bar of Georgia. Revenues from the tax are used to provide quality services to the public. For further information please call 404-370-4100.

Homestead exemption applications due today

If you are a homeowner in Decatur and your home here is your principal residence, you are eligible to apply for the basic homestead exemption from property taxes. Applications for the basic homestead can be made online here.  If you have already applied in a previous year, you do not need to reapply.  The exemption remains on your home for as long as you continue residing in the property with no changes in ownership.

Exemptions based on age or income can be applied for in-person at City Hall. Information about age-based exemptions can be found at www.decaturga.com/homestead or by calling us at 404-370-4100.

Although we will honor homestead exemption applications submitted up until April 1, please submit your applications by 5:00 p.m. on March 15 in order for your exemption to appear on your 1st installment property tax bill.  Please note that applications made to Decatur and DeKalb are handled separately:  if you've only applied with one office, you should check with the other office about your exemption status.

Property tax grace period ends Jan. 7

If you still haven't paid your property taxes for the second installment of 2015 for Decatur, Georgia, please make your check payable to City of Decatur and mail to:

CITY OF DECATUR LOCKBOX
PO BOX 945650
ATLANTA, GA 30394-5650

We will honor postmarks up until January 7 without charging penalties or interest.  Do not overnight your payment to the lockbox address because it is a post office box.

Tax payments due today in Decatur

December 21 is the deadline for property tax payments in Decatur, Georgia. For real property taxes including land and buildings, payment is due for the second installment of 2015. Payment is also due for personal property taxes including business inventory for 2015. If you haven't paid yet, make your check payable to the City of Decatur, enclose your remittance coupon, and mail it to:

City of Decatur Lockbox
PO Box 945650
Atlanta, GA 30394-5650

We accept postmarks, so if you have your envelope postmarked today we'll know that you mailed it in time.

Personal property taxes due in 5 days

Businesses with inventory in Decatur owe their personal property taxes to the City no later than Dec. 21. Bills are based on property such as merchandise, office or work equipment, furniture, fixtures, or boats. This is not a tax on buildings or land. This is also separate from occupation tax bills which are paid in order to renew a business license.

Taxable values are based on what you or your tax preparer reported, or if you failed to file your own value, DeKalb assigned a value to you earlier this year. The deadline to appeal has passed. If you’ve closed my business or sold the property, the taxes must be paid and cannot be pro-rated. These taxes are owed to both DeKalb County and to the City of Decatur separately. 

At www.decaturgatax.com, you can search, view or re-print your City bill. Credit card payments are accepted with a 2.2 percent plus 30 cent third-party processing fee whether made in person or online. E-checks are accepted at no extra charge. You can pay by check or cash if you prefer. Taxpayers will be charged a 10 percent penalty plus 1 percent interest per month for payments made after a short grace period. Liens will be placed on accounts that remain delinquent.

Property tax payments due in 10 business days

Final payments for real and personal property taxes in Decatur for 2015 are due by December 21. Payments can be made online at www.decaturgatax.com by credit card with a convenience surcharge or by e-check with no extra fees.  Taxpayers should be aware that e-checks, like paper checks, generally take three to five days to clear the bank. It is not an immediate debit like online credit card transactions. Considering the clearing period, e-check payers are encouraged to pay at least five days prior to our formal payment deadline to help prevent any last-minute stress over whether your payment was received on time.

DeKalb County reminds taxpayers of deadline

The following item appeared in the Sept. 23 edition of the DeKalb Neighbor:

Property tax payments Claudia G. Lawson, DeKalb Tax Commissioner, is reminding DeKalb County taxpayers that the due date for the first installment of 2015 real estate and personal property taxes is Sept. 30.

First installment taxes, which are not received or postmarked by the Sept. 30 deadline will incur a 5 percent late payment penalty which applies by law. It is important to note that if your payment is mailed, the postmark or cancellation stamp from the U.S. Postal Service is the only accepted evidence of timely mailing. 

There is also a drop box on the front and side of the central office at 4380 Memorial Drive in Decatur [sic], which may be used for last minute drop-offs.

Another convenient option is to pay property taxes by electronic check or credit card.

Property owners with questions should contact the Tax Commissioner’s Office at 404-298-4000 or email proptax@dekalbcountyga.gov for assistance.

DeKalb County property taxes are billed and paid separately from City of Decatur property taxes.  DeKalb sends one bill annually with two remittance stubs, the first being due this Wednesday.  Decatur sends two distinct bills annually; the first installment was due on June 1.

If paying by e-check, please remit by tomorrow

If you are planning to pay your first installment Decatur property tax bill with an electronic check on our website at www.decaturgatax.com, I encourage you to make your payment today or tomorrow. Like paper checks, e-checks can take three to five business days to clear the bank. It's not an immediate debit. With Memorial Day coming up on Monday, that will further lengthen the amount of time it could take for your e-check to clear. Our formal payment deadline this installment is June 1, 2015. Our website allows for e-check payments with zero convenience fees, and for credit card payments with convenience fees. We also continue to accept payments by mail or in-person up through the payment due date. If you have any issues with the website or the e-check option, please call 404-370-4100.

15 days until Tax Day in Decatur

​​June 1 will be tax day in Decatur—the deadline for residents and businesses to pay the first installment of property taxes to the City for 2015.  Although bills were sent out in April, most taxpayers (about 75 percent) will make a payment to the Revenue Division during the last couple weeks of May.  Division staff Tanya Sims, Shaun Shabazz, Gina Amos, and Russ Madison are ready to welcome you to City Hall!

2 other property tax measures signed into law

In addition to House Bill 202 that modified some procedures for appealing property tax assessments, Gov. Nathan Deal signed two other pieces of legislation last week that affect property taxpayers.  First, HB 215 provides for a referendum on an “equalized HOST” that would increase sales taxes and provide some property tax relief to DeKalb homeowners.  Second, HB 234 provides that no tax payment deadline shall fall on a Federal Reserve bank holiday.  That law doesn’t have much of a practical effect since there are very few Federal Reserve holidays that aren’t already federal or state holidays, and the ones that are don’t fall on any of Decatur's tax due dates.

Last chance to renew business license without penalty

The grace period for late business license renewal payments in Decatur for 2015 is expiring. A 10 percent penalty and 1 percent interest per month will accrue on unpaid balances after Apr. 30, 2015.

All 2014 business licenses in Decatur expired on January 30, 2015. If a business has not paid for its 2015 license and is still open in Decatur, that means that the business is operating without a business license.

If your business has closed or moved since 2014, please let us know to update our records and prevent escalated collection activities which will begin in May. If you need any assistance, please call the business license office at 404-370-4100.

10 business days until occupation taxes become delinquent

All 2014 business licenses in Decatur expired on January 30, 2015. If a business has not paid for its 2015 license and is still open in Decatur, that means that that business is operating without a business license. Please remit your occupational tax payment (and immigration-related documents if applicable) within the next 10 days to renew your 2015 license. A grace period during which no late fees accrued expires at the end of this month.  A 10 percent penalty and 1 percent interest per month will accrue on unpaid balances after Apr. 30, 2015.

If your business has closed or moved since 2014, please let us know to update our records and prevent collection activities. If you need any assistance, please call the business license office at 404-370-4100.

Last-minute income tax reminders in Decatur

• If you're itemizing deductions on your 2014 federal income tax return, you can generally itemize property taxes on property you own that you paid during 2014. If you escrow for taxes, the amount you paid in taxes should appear somewhere on your Form 1098--usually either in box 5 or in a blank box. If you don't escrow, remember to add both your county and city property taxes paid. To determine how much you paid in property taxes to the City of Decatur, Georgia, go to www.decaturgatax.com or call us at 404-370-4100.  (DeKalb County's tax office is at 404-298-4000.)  Please note that the IRS does not consider fees paid (such as garbage pick-up) to be deductible. Personal property taxes for business inventory and ad valorem taxes for motor vehicles are generally also deductible.

• The DeKalb library Decatur branch at 215 Sycamore Street has some blank federal forms left (1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ), but no instruction booklets or Georgia tax forms.  You're probably better off viewing any instructions or printing any other forms from the IRS or Georgia Department of Revenue's websites at this point if you file a paper return.

• Free income tax preparation services are available from AARP volunteer tax counselors at Decatur Recreation Center at 231 Sycamore Street this Monday and Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. They do a great job; however, you should expect very long lines at this late stage of the tax season. The Recreation Center and AARP do not have any blank tax forms or instruction books available.

• Sometimes the Decatur post office at 520 W. Ponce De Leon Avenue is open late to allow for last-minute mailing. Please check with them at 404-370-8300 for hours and details.

• City Hall does not have blank tax forms and does not accept income tax returns on behalf of the IRS.

• If you are a Decatur homeowner turning age 62 or age 80 this year (2015), or you are already over 62 and your income has dropped significantly on this year's return compared to your 2013 tax return, or you are taking care of a parent who meets those criteria, please call us at 404-370-4100. The homeowner may have become eligible for one of Decatur's income-based homestead exemptions for tax year 2016 for which they did not previously qualify.

• CBS Atlanta suggests a few bars where you can spend part of your refund on Tax Day here!  If you'd rather stay at home, try mixing an income tax cocktail for yourself.

Billing ordinance adopted for 2015

The City Commission has approved Decatur’s property tax due dates and grace periods for 2015. Decatur will bill in two installments as usual. The first installment will be due by June 1 with a grace period up through June 15. The second installment will be due by Dec. 21 with a grace period through Jan. 7, 2016. The Revenue Division will send the bills out 60 days before the bills are due. The City Commission also approved the sanitation (solid waste) pick-up rates for 2015. A single-family home will owe $240 for the year for sanitation compared to $237 in 2014. Motions to adopt the due dates and sanitation rates carried unanimously.

Decatur’s first installment bills are based on the prior year’s property values, millage rates, and homestead exemption amounts. DeKalb will send us new values for 2015 this summer. Those new values, along with any changes to Decatur’s millage rates, will be used to calculate the final, total year’s bill during the second installment billing.