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.

More taxpayers opting for web payments

Online tax payments to the City of Decatur increased by 70 percent during our last fiscal year compared to the prior year. From July 2015 through June 2016, the city received over 1,600 web payments (credit card or e-check) for property taxes in excess of $4 million. The year before that, the city received 945 web payments for $2 million in taxes. The city has also experienced a 60 percent increase in the number of businesses renewing their license online with 18 percent of businesses now choosing to pay that way.

Paying online at www.decaturgatax.com has several advantages over sending checks through the mail or using an online bill paying service through a personal bank account. If you currently pay your taxes online through your personal bank account, we encourage you to consider switching to pay with an e-check directly through our website. At www.decaturgatax.com, you can access a full copy of your tax bill, while most major online banking services do not provide detailed bills. Secondly, using an online bill paying feature through your personal bank account may not allow you to include your property ID and tax year with your payment, which are the two essential pieces of information we need to post your payment to your account in a timely and accurate fashion. (Paying with an e-check through our website automatically provides the city with the property ID and tax year information.) Lastly, the e-check service we use is truly electronic, and no paper checks are generated or printed during the process, but with your online bill pay checks, we actually receive those checks as paper. 

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 any formal payment deadline to help prevent any last-minute stress over whether your payment was received on time.

As part of the city's ongoing commitment to provide customers with electronic options, Decatur also accepts online payments for recreation programs, after-school and summer camp registration, parking tickets, commercial sanitation services, and storm water drainage fees.

Decatur wins award for business license website

From left to right, Calvin Rhodes (chief information officer, State of Georgia), Ryan Wilson (VC3), Claire Miller (Children & Youth Services and Decatur Technology Committee), Russ Madison (Revenue Division & Technology Committee), and Shaun Shabazz (Revenue Division).

Decatur has received an Innovation Showcase 2015 award from the Georgia Technology Authority for two projects including the City’s business license renewal website at www.decaturgatax.com/BusinessLicense. The award was presented during the annual Georgia Digital Government Summit on Sept. 22.

The story behind the award is that the City of Decatur Revenue Division needed a way to make the license renewal process quick and easy for 1,700 business owners. The division looked to technology, and its online business license project culminated in the fall of 2013 with the launch of the website in partnership with Sturgis Web Services and Paypal. The website allows businesses to renew their license online without having to mail a paper check. The website also enables businesses to print their own license if they choose, after the payment has been applied to their account. Payments can be made by credit card or echeck with no additional fees charged to the business. The website was optimized for mobile devices in 2014.

Prior to the new website, a business could renew its business license in Decatur only by mailing a check along with notarized immigration affidavits or by physically taking printed materials to City Hall from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Businesses usually had to wait 7-10 business days to receive new licenses in the mail.

In addition, data about business licenses was available only internally. Businesses wanting information about their own records had to visit, call, fax or email the city’s Revenue Division. Customers had no easy way to access information about businesses they patronize, and anyone who wanted to know if a business was operating with a current, valid business license had to contact the city or submit an open records request. Depending on what they wanted to know – such as the business owner’s name and contact information – additional research may have been required by staff. Other city departments had to contact the Revenue Division if they needed information about a business.

Information about the other Georgia Technology Authority award winners and their projects can be found at http://gta.georgia.gov/technology-innovation-showcase.

Georgia cities with tax websites

Many counties in Georgia collect property taxes on behalf of the cities in their boundaries. Some cities, such as Decatur, collect their own property taxes. Of the cities in Georgia that collect their own property taxes, I'm not sure how many have tax records online, but I've only been able to find six so far. Please let me know if you're aware of other Georgia cities that have their own property taxes online.

• Decatur
• Marietta
• Milton
• Roswell
• Savannah
• Woodstock

E-payments on the rise

Online tax payments to the City of Decatur have increased by about 175 percent since Decatur began accepting electronic checks during the 2nd installment property tax billing of 2014. Decatur previously accepted only credit card payments with a convenience fee charged by a third-party payment processor. From July 2014 through June 2015, the city received 945 web payments (credit card or e-check) for taxes totaling $2 million.  The year before that, the city received 345 web payments for $500,000 in taxes. The city has also experienced a doubling in the number of businesses renewing their license and paying their occupation taxes electronically with over 10 percent of businesses now choosing to pay that way.

Paying online at www.decaturgatax.com has several advantages over sending checks through the mail or using an online bill paying service through a personal bank account.  If you currently pay your taxes online through your personal bank account, we encourage you to consider switching to pay with an e-check directly through our website. At www.decaturgatax.com, you can access a full copy of your tax bill, while most major online banking services do not provide detailed bills. Secondly, using an online bill paying feature through your personal bank account may not allow you to include your property ID and tax year with your payment, which are the two essential pieces of information we need to post your payment to your account in a timely and accurate fashion. (Paying with an e-check through our website automatically provides the city with the property ID and tax year information.) Lastly, the e-check service we use is truly electronic, and no paper checks are generated or printed during the process, but with your online bill pay checks, we actually receive those checks as paper.

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 any formal payment deadline to help prevent any last-minute stress over whether your payment was received on time.

Decatur now accepts tax payments by e-check

In order to provide more options to taxpayers, Decatur now accepts property tax payments by electronic check (“e-check”). There are no extra fees to pay with an e-check—just the principal amount due.

How it works
Property owners can go to www.decaturgatax.com, access their record and click under “Add To Cart” to make a payment. A button will display to “proceed to secure checkout.” Payment options of Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Paypal, and e-check will be displayed. If e-check is selected, payment is made by entering a bank account and routing number. The company processing web payments on the city’s behalf is Paypal, but a Paypal account is not required to make payments by credit card or e-check.

E-checks clear in 3-5 days 
Property taxes for the second installment of 2014 are due by Dec. 22, 2014. 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.

Why choose e-check?
Paying by e-check lets property owners save a stamp and avoid convenience fees for online credit card payments. Paying with an e-check through www.decaturgatax.com also offers several advantages compared to paying taxes as part of an online bill paying service through personal bank accounts. If you currently pay your taxes online through your personal bank account, we encourage you to consider switching to pay with an e-check directly through our website. At www.decaturgatax.com, you can access a full copy of your tax bill, while most major online banking services do not provide detailed bills. Secondly, using an online bill paying feature through your personal bank account may not allow you to include your property ID and tax year with your payment, which are the two essential pieces of information we need to post your payment to your account in a timely and accurate fashion. (Paying with an e-check through our website automatically provides the city with the property ID and tax year information.) Lastly, the e-check service we use is truly electronic, and no paper checks are generated or printed during the process, but with your online bill pay checks, we actually receive those checks as paper.

Web payment services
Decatur began accepting web-based credit card payments with a third-party convenience fee for property taxes in 2010. Adding free e-check acceptance has grown out of Decatur's ongoing commitment to provide more automated services to the community.  Businesses with commercial sanitation accounts will also be able to pay with e-checks in 2015.

Attorneys billed for occupation taxes

Lawyer invoicing:
Decatur sent bills to local attorneys late last week for occupational taxes owed for 2014. The bills are based on existing city records and state bar directory records. The annual bill is for $400 plus a $25 administration fee. Revenues are used to provide quality services to the public. If you no longer practice law in the City, please let us know. You may also check the state bar directory at gabar.org and update their address record for you if necessary.

Payment options:
Attorneys are encouraged to pay this tax online. Our website allows for payments by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or PayPal. No additional fees are charged for paying online—just the $425 amount. There is no registration process, no login or user name, no passwords, and no PINs. Just go to www.decaturgatax.com, click on “Occupation Tax” on the upper left, select 2014 as the year, and enter your name as it appears on your bill. Once you’ve accessed your record, you’ll see your option to pay. Payment is due by Dec. 31, 2014.

If you prefer, payments can be made in person at 509 N. McDonough St. by cash, check, or credit card; or by mail to City of Decatur, PO Box 220, 30031. If paying by mail, please enclose the bottom portion of your invoice so we can apply your payment to the right record.

Authority to tax:
Some attorneys practicing law in Decatur have questioned the City’s occupation tax on the basis of Barnes v. City of Atlanta. Barnes holds that such taxes must be revenue measures only, not regulatory in nature. Decatur’s occupation tax ordinance expressly states that the occupation tax is levied “for revenue purposes only and is not for regulatory purposes” (Sec. 22-15).

6 percent of Decatur businesses renewed online

From October 2013 through June 2014, 6 percent of businesses renewed their Decatur license by paying their occupation tax online. Of the 1,485 businesses that paid occupation taxes during that time period, 87 of them used our website at www.decaturgatax.com/businesslicense.

That is already a higher rate of web payments than we receive for property taxes (which is about 2 percent of payments made), even though there is more awareness of our property tax website since it has been available for four years. This fiscal year we anticipate a higher percentage of online business license renewals because of 1) increased marketing and awareness of the website, 2) the affidavit upload field on the website is no longer a required field, and 3) we are having some upgrades made to the website.

Attorneys will receive their annual occupation tax bill at the end of this month, and businesses will receive their license renewal bills later in November.

Tax office closed for Labor Day

Decatur City Hall, including the tax office, will be closed on Monday in observance of Labor Day. If you need immediate information while we’re closed, please go to decaturgatax.com. From there you can access all of our city property tax, stormwater, and sanitation accounts going back to 2009. Tax payments can also be made on that website with a convenience fee charged by our third-party payment processor.

At that website, you can also access occupation tax records (business licenses) and pay to renew your business license without any extra processing fees.

To apply for a basic homestead exemption online, go to www.decaturga.com/homestead. General tax information including millage rates and how bills are calculated are available at www.decaturga.com/taxes.

Please note that if you owe delinquent taxes, an additional 1 percent monthly interest charge will accrue on unpaid balances on September 2.

Attorney deadline in 10 days

If you are practicing law in Decatur, your annual occupation tax of $400 and administrative fee of $25 are due no later than Dec. 31.  This tax is for revenue purposes only.

Several lawyers have already taken advantage of our new web service which allows for payments to be made online by credit card with no additional fees. 

If you intend to pay online, go to this site.  For the year, change the selected year to 2013 (lawyers pay for the current year, while all other professionals and businesses pay for the upcoming year).  For the “business name,” enter your actual name as it appears on your bill (first name first, last name second).  Once you’ve found your record, click “renew” to pay.  Please do not select 2014 and do not search by the name of your law firm.

City launches online payment option for lawyers

This year, for the first time, lawyers can pay their occupation tax online with a credit card from the convenience of their law office or home.

Each attorney practicing law in Decatur pays a $425 annual occupation tax to the city, which is billed on Oct. 31 and due no later than Dec. 31.

Our new online system allows for payments by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and Paypal.  No additional fees are imposed for paying on the web--just the $425 amount. This is a pretty good deal for occupation taxpayers considering that other types of local government taxes often involve surcharges for online payments.

Users are not required to create an account.  There is no registration process, no login or user name, no passwords, and no PINs. 

To use the service, just go to decaturgatax.com and click on "Occupation Tax" on the upper left. Select 2013 as the year, search by "Business Name" and enter your name as it appears on your tax statement to pull up your record.  Once you've accessed your record, you'll see your option to pay.

We still accept cash, check, or charge in person, and checks through the mail.  But we encourage all lawyers to consider using the new online service.

The city also accepts online credit card payments for recreation programs, after-school and summer camp registration, parking tickets, commercial sanitation services, storm water drainage fees, and property taxes.  This latest addition to the city's online payment menu stems from the city's ongoing commitment to support local professionals and businesses through greater automation of services.

Online renewals for regular business license payments will be available later this year.

How Decatur compares in online payments

The City of Decatur accepted approximately $1.4 million in online payments from July 2011 to June 2012.  This included 9,000 separate web-based transactions involving $600K in fees for recreation and after-school programs, $500K in court fines and fees, and $300K for property taxes.

The Center for Performance Management reports that the average volume of payments made last year was $482,140 for cities like ours with populations under 25,000, suggesting that more payments are made online to Decatur compared to other cities our size.  However, online payments to municipalities can vary significantly depending on whether the jurisdiction does its own tax or utility billing.  For example, the City of Cartersville, Georgia, took in over $4 million in online payments last year, but that included online payments for electric, water and sewer bills.  Decatur does its own tax billing but does not do utility billing.

Online payment options are offered to provide convenience for individuals and businesses making payments to the city.  The Revenue Division intends to expand online payment options by allowing businesses to renew their licenses online beginning this fall.

Concerned about online fees?

Over 22,379 visitors have used our online tax look-up website, www.decaturgatax.com since it was launched in late 2010.  December 2011 was a record month with 1,916 visitors alone (and Decatur only has about 8,000 properties)!

Although people increasingly turn to our website to look up tax information, we hear occasional concerns from the public about the online payment option.  The City of Decatur’s third party payment processor charges 2.2 percent plus 30¢ for online credit card payments through Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.

Through our online survey, we’ve even received a comment that “The County has never charged a fee for payment.”  Actually, DeKalb County’s website says “Payments may be accepted via VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, but a 2.5 percent transaction fee will be added to the payment.”

The perception that Decatur charges a fee that the county doesn’t charge may stem from the fact that DeKalb doesn’t charge a fee for online checks.

While that function is not directly supported by the city’s third party processor, you may be able to issue an online check to the City of Decatur through your personal bank at no charge to you.  Several major and local banks or credit unions offer account services such as online checking that would enable you to pay through the Internet without incurring a fee.  In other words, you could use our website to look up how much money you owe, then use your own online bank account to issue a payment without having to write out your own paper check.  Please contact your bank for terms and details.

Decatur taxpayers can also pay online through PayPal, which I noticed is currently offering a “Bill Me Later” feature that offers six months to pay on payments of $99 or more.  I’m not endorsing any one payment method over another, but that feature may be an option worth looking into for some Decatur residents or business taxpayers facing short-term cash flow problems.  Details on that program can be found here.

And of course we still take payments the old-fashioned way—from checks by mail, payments in person, or payments from your mortgage lender!