Tax Collector's Department |
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MONDAY-FRIDAY 8:30AM TO 4:30PM |
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The next tax quarter due will be the 3rd quarter( August 1). At this time the tax rate for 2006 has not yet been determined. In all probability, the bills will not be mailed on time, as this has been the case for the past several years. When the bills are finally prepared and ready to be mailed the grace period extension date will be determined and you will find the last date to pay the August quarter without interest printed on the tax bill. Please remember that the DUE date does not change, the GRACE PERIOD is extended. When the grace period is over, the interest due is that which has accrued from August 1st (the due date). This extension of the grace period for the 3rd quarter in no way affects the due date for the 4th quarter (November 1st ) and the 10 day grace period. According to New Jersey law, not receiving a bill does not excuse you from paying taxes on time. Once you are a property owner in New Jersey it is your responsibility to determine when taxes are due and what they are, whether or not you ever receive a bill. If you pay your own taxes and you receive a statement marked “this is not a bill, for advice only” you must use this statement as if it were the bill. If you know that you should be paying the taxes, it is up to you to use the information available and seek out what you need to know. Bills are mailed twice a year (January and August), each one is for 2 quarters payments. Bills are not mailed for each quarter, nor are reminders. The only “reminder” you will receive is the delinquent notice which is printed right after the grace period has ended. This notice is sent directly to the homeowner (whether or not you escrow for taxes), and not the lenders. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to contact their lender immediately and advise them of the delinquency. ( There is important information on the reverse side of the tax bill and you should take a moment to read it.) |
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Bergenfield has a tax sale for unpaid taxes before the end of its’ fiscal year Any property owner who has an unpaid bill has already received correspondence from this office as well as a certified notice of the sale. If the lien is not redeemed within two years the lien holder has the right to begin foreclosure proceedings (2 years after the date of the tax sale). A lien can not be redeemed in installments. It must be paid in full at one time. After the sale, the lien holder now has the right to pay each subsequent tax bill as it comes due. If the taxpayer does not pay before the end of the grace period for each quarter, the lien holder will make the payment and that money then accrues to the outstanding lien. The interest rate for redemption of these payments is 18%. The state has designated the Tax Collector as the person who calculates the amount necessary to redeem the certificate(lien). Funds are paid to the collector once the amount has been approved by the lien holder and the collector turns the funds over to the lien holder in return for receiving the certificate endorsed for cancellation. The certificate is then sent to whomever paid the redemption funds to the collector and it is their responsibility to see to it that this certificate is sent to the county clerk ASAP to be cancelled of record. Please note that the lien holder is only buying the bill, the deed remains in the name of the homeowner and the lien holder does not have any rights to the property. However, allowing the bill to go to tax sale and thereby giving the opportunity to the lien holder to pay the subsequent tax bills at a return rate of 18% interest can lead to a considerable sum when redeeming the certificate. If you try to sell your property the lien will have to be paid off before the new owner can obtain a clear title. This will diminish your profit from the sale proceedings and the money necessary to redeem will be withheld by the attorney at closing.
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Please remember to bring the entire bill with you to the tax office if you want to see a printed receipt. The back of the bill has a special section for the receipt to print. If the cancelled check is all that you need, then the payment stub for that quarter will be sufficient. Do the same if you would rather mail the payment. Send the entire bill with a self addressed stamped envelope, the bill will be receipted and returned to you. Or, simply send the appropriate stub and your payment. In no case will a receipt be given or mailed unless you present the entire bill. The only exception to this is in the case of a cash payment and the bill is not presented for receipting. Then, a receipt will absolutely be given. |
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In the State of New Jersey postmark is not acceptable for meeting the grace period deadline. The payment must be in the hands of the collector by 4:30 of the last day of grace. Placing the payment in the lock box outside the tax office is not acceptable. Payments are removed the next business day from the box and interest is charged accordingly. All interest due must be paid first and then the balance is applied to the outstanding principal, paying the oldest bill first and working forward. Whatever principal balance is still due will be considered delinquent and begin to accrue interest. I cannot speak for the postal system, but please know that payments that you have mailed and are reasonably sure will arrive in time often do not. This department does not go home at night until all payments received on any given day, whether over the counter or through the mail, are posted and updated to the tax accounts. They are handled with the greatest of care in this department and are not “mislaid or forgotten” . |
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Many times people believe or want to believe that a town is making up its own rules and policies regarding the structure and operation of the tax collector’s office. Tax Collectors must attend Rutgers University classes for two years and pass a day long state exam in order to be certified by the state as a municipal tax collector. A town must appoint a certified tax collector to fill that position for the town, it cannot hire someone and then send the person to school leaving the position vacant until that individual has finished and been certified. For the most part, this prevents political appointments within the collector’s position. The collector is appointed to a 4 year term by the governing body and then must be reappointed. Collectors must attend continuing education classes after they are certified and collect a set number of credits in various subject areas regarding collection rules and regulations in order to renew their license every 2 years. If a collector allows their license to expire that person can no longer be a collector. The purpose of all this is to insure that the taxpayers of the state are receiving the same treatment no matter where they live. Every facet of property tax collection is replicated from one office to the next. The how and why are preset by state statutes and cannot be deviated from without the collector putting their own license in jeopardy. No governing body can interfere with the how and why of the Tax Collector’s Office. It would be convenient to think any town or governing body could change the policies of the Tax Collector’s Office, especially those that most aggravate its’ residents but, for better or worse, that is simply not the case. The state gives the collectors almost no leeway or exceptions to the rules, hence, we often look like the “Wicked Witch of the West”! Take comfort in the fact (?) that while you may not be happy at the moment with what the collector is telling you, everyone will be given the same answer. You are not alone in your annoyance with the tax collector’s office. Sometimes I, too, am annoyed with the law that I must follow but my reputation and license are on the line every time I upset you. Some of the statutes obviously need to be changed but that can’t be done at the local level. |
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