Real Estate Tax

About your Property Tax Bill

Massachusetts General Law requires property tax bills be sent to the owner of record as of the January 1st date immediately preceding the start of the fiscal year. Hence, if you purchased your property after January 1 the tax bills for July 1st through June 30th will be in the name of the previous owner. The Assessor's office will add an "in care of" line in the new owners name so the post office will deliver the bill. If you are a new property owner, you may contact the Collector's office if you do not receive your quarterly tax bill.

Billing Cycle

Real Estate bills are issued quarterly and are due as follows:

• August 1st
• November 1st
• February 1st
• May 1st

Late Payments

Tax payments must be received on or before the due date to avoid interest charges. Postmarks are not accepted and do not verify timely payment. If payment is not made by the due date, interest will accrue at the rate of 14% per annum, computed from the date the bill was due. A demand notice will be sent and a demand fee of $30.00 is charged. If the account remains outstanding after June 30th Tax Title procedures begin. A statutory notice of intent to Advertise will be sent. If the account remains outstanding 14 days after the notice of intent, the account is advertised in the Legal Notices section of the Daily Hampshire Gazette. 14 Days after the advertisement and Instrument of Taking is filed with the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds and the account is transferred to the Treasurer's Office. The Tax Taking is the first step in the Foreclosure Process.

Failure to Receive a Bill

If you do not receive your quarterly tax bill contact the Collector's Office at 584-4246 to obtain your bill information.

Under state law, failure to receive a tax bill does not affect the validity of the tax or any interest or penalties incurred due to late payment. It is the responsibility of the taxpayer to secure his/her tax bill when one is not received.

Change of Mailing Address

If you wish to change the mailing address on your real estate or personal property bill you must contact the Assessor's Office.

Escrow Payments by Mortgage Company or Bank

If a bank or mortgage company escrows your taxes, it is your responsibility to make sure that they make timely payments. By law, tax bills are mailed to the property owner. We do not mail tax bills to banks or mortgage companies. Check with your bank or mortgage company to find our how they obtain your tax informaiton. Some companies require the property owner to mail them the bill, while others obtain the information from a tax service.

Please see the Assessor's FAQ page for detailed information about this tax and abatement/exemption processes.