Massachusetts general law requires that the property tax bill must be sent to the owner of record as of the January 1 date immediately preceding that start of the fiscal year. This means that if you had purchased property in Marshfield after January 1 the tax bills for July 1, to June 30 would be in the name of the previous owner and in all likelihood, the bills would be forwarded to the previous owner by the post office. All attempts are made to include a c/o for a new owner but the registry of deeds has a minimum 3 month delay in forwarding copies of deeds to the municipalities. Please call the Tax Collector’s office (781) 834-5548 to have a copy of the
bill mailed to you.
The first two quarters (August 1st and November 1st) are preliminary tax bills and each normally represents ¼ of the prior year’s total annual tax. The second two quarters (Feb 1st and May 1st) are the actual tax bills and reflect your current assessment and the Town’s tax rate. Bills are mailed twice a year at the end of June (1st & 2nd quarters) and at the end of December (3rd & 4th quarters). Timely payment requires that the bill be received by the Collector before the close of business on the due date. Postmarks are not acceptable. If a statutory tax date falls on a holiday or week-end, the tax will be due on the next business day.
Sign and date your check. Unsigned checks will be returned. DO NOT DATE THE CHECK AHEAD. Checks will not be held by the Collector for later deposit. A post-dated check that is processed and not honored by the bank will result in penalties and fees and charges imposed by both the bank and the
Town. If using electronic bill payment through a bank, please include the bill year, type and number to ensure accurate processing.
To request a receipt, you must include both copies of your bill and a stamped self-addressed envelope with your payment. If you are a new home owner, please understand that Massachusetts law requires that the tax bill be sent to the record owner as of the previous January 1. You should retrieve a copy of your tax bill at Town Hall to avoid late payment penalties. Massachusetts law states that your failure to receive a tax bill does not invalidate the tax nor the proceedings for collection.
Interest at an annual rate of 14% per annum is assessed on all payments received after the due dates. Any balance still remaining after May 1st will result in the issuance of a demand bill and an additional $5.00 fee. Bills that remain unpaid will be forwarded to the Deputy Collector, PKS Associates for an additional fee of $10.00. The Deputy may charge up to an additional $29.00 in fees though its collection cycle.
Continued failure to remit the balance will result in the securing of the lien on the property through a tax taking process. Public notice of this process will be posted two weeks in advance in a local newspaper and in two public places. An Instrument of Taking will then be recorded at the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds. Foreclosure proceedings will begin at the earliest date allowed by law.
Requests for abatements and exemptions should be made to the Board of Assessors at (781) 834-5585.
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