SW Connecticut News

(Norwalk, Conn.) On July 6, 2023, the City of Norwalk announced that residents will have until Monday, August 7, 2023, to pay their property tax bills and sewer use charges without interest. Property tax bills include real estate, motor vehicles and business personal property taxes. These bills reflect the first installment of charges due on the October 1, 2022, grand list. 

The Tax Collector's Office began mailing residents these bills on July 3, 2023 and will continue through the end of this week. Under Connecticut law, property tax and sewer use charges are due on July 1, 2023. However, the State allows for a grace period of 30 days from the date of mailing, and the City of Norwalk is allowing residents to make their payment up until Monday, August 7, 2023, without interest.

Residents will notice slight formatting changes on their tax bills from previous years. Despite these formatting changes, all payment functionalities remain the same. We hope residents find that these slight formatting changes make their bills easier to read. Since the bills are separated by the type of tax, such as real estate, motor vehicle, and business personal property, the City of Norwalk no longer uses a consolidated statement. However, the bills still show which charges are due (taxes, sewer charges, etc.) and indicate if there are any tax adjustments, tax relief or exemptions, or past due taxes. Below are a few samples of the new formatting on the bills being mailed out this week.

Residents can pay their tax bills:

• In-person;
• By mail;
• Online; or
• By phone. 

Residents can learn more about how to make a payment by visiting the Tax Collector's homepage on the City's website at www.norwalkct.gov/taxcollector. 

Anyone who decides to pay in person can come to the Tax Collector's Office at City Hall located at 125 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851. The Tax Collector's Office is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Payments in person can be made by check, money order, cash, credit card, debit card, or ATM card.

Additionally, residents who wish to pay in person also have the option of going to one of the following Norwalk bank branch locations: Affinity Federal Credit Union, Bankwell, Fairfield County Bank, Norwalk Bank and Trust, Patriot National Bank, or Webster Bank. There is no charge for this service, and residents do not need to be customers of any of the banks to use this service. This service is being offered through August 7, 2023.

Those who choose to pay over the phone can call (203) 318-9523 and use a credit, debit or ATM card or an electronic check ("E-Check" or ACH payment). The charge for an E-Check is $1.25.

Those who wish to pay online can visit www.norwalkct.gov/taxcollector, where credit, debit, ATM cards and E-Checks are accepted. 

Residents wishing to pay by mail may use the response envelope included with their tax bill. Payments postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service on or before August 7, 2023, will be considered timely, regardless of when the Tax Collector's Office receives them. Residents can address their tax bills to the City of Norwalk's Tax Collector's Office, 125 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851.

Warnings about electronic and telephone bill payments: Please be careful when using your bank’s billing payment services. These services may not mail your payment when you expect them to. These payments come to the Tax Collector's Office without a postmark, and payments must be received on or before August 7, 2023, to be considered timely. If there is no postmark, timeliness depends solely upon the Tax Collector's Office's receipt of the payment. Please read your bank's instructions and warnings before using any 'pay by phone' or electronic bill payment service. Many service providers advise not to use the service for tax or other time-sensitive payments. You are responsible for entering your payment information accurately when using electronic banking services. Your payment may not be processed if you fail to provide accurate account numbers and other necessary details. If your payment cannot be processed due to an error or omission, you will be charged a $20 return transaction fee, as if you had a check returned unpaid.

Motor Vehicle Clearance Information: The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) encourages taxpayers to go online to process motor vehicle payment transactions. You can verify your tax status and other compliance issues with the DMV online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can learn more here www.ct.gov/dmv/online. Please note that if you pay by credit card through the City's service portal (Invoice Cloud), either by phone or online, you will not receive immediate clearance for the DMV.

If you choose to pay through Invoice Cloud, clearance for the DMV will take at least two business days. Accordingly, you will not be cleared to register with the DMV until two business days after making the initial payment through the Invoice Cloud service.

Payments made in person at the Tax Collector's Office window are cleared with the DMV overnight, allowing residents to register with the DMV on the following business day. If a tax clearance for the DMV is needed, please do not use the E-Check option for a payment method. If you choose to use this method, the Tax Collector's Office may not be able to clear you for registration for as long as 30 days unless you can show that the check has been cleared in your account. The best way to avoid problems with compliance at the DMV is to pay your motor vehicle taxes on time.

Late Payments:  Payments received between August 8 and August 31, 2023, will incur interest at 3%. This interest rate represents 1.5 % per month for two months (July and August) as interest reverts to the legal July 1, 2023, due date. Interest will continue to accrue each month following August. Interest is not charged per diem but rather by the month.

Any residents who may be unsure about their bills can look up their taxes at  norwalkct.gov/225/Tax-Collector. Failure to receive a tax bill does not exempt anyone from interest charges. Interest is charged on all late payments, with no exceptions, in accordance with state law.

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