By Lance Beshires
Chester County Trustee
It is tax time in Tennessee again. The Chester County Trustee’s Office is now collecting property tax for the 2022 tax year. Taxpayers can save 2% if they pay the taxes in full in October; or 1% if they wait until November. We started offering a discount a few years ago to encourage taxpayers to pay early. Everyone wins in this situation. The taxpayer saves money and it helps to spread our workload over several months instead of collecting most of the taxes in February. With a minimal staff in the office during tax season, the volume of mail and walk-in traffic can be overwhelming. Approxi-mately 500 receipts are processed each day during the last two or three days in February.
Although paying taxes is one of the least favorite responsibilities of property owners, here are a few suggestions to make the experience easier:
When you receive the tax notice, please verify that all information is correct, especially the map/parcel number, and property address. Please do not wait until February to check your bill!
If a mortgage company pays your taxes, you should always check with them to see it the taxes are paid. As with previous year’s notices, tax notices will be mailed to the property owner. Most mortgage companies have an electronic copy of your tax information. In fact, some mortgage companies have requested that we do not send them a paper copy of the tax notice. Also, if you own more than one parcel, make sure the mortgage company pays the taxes on the correct parcel.
If you purchased property between January 1 and August 1, 2022, please make sure you or the previous owner pays the 2022 taxes. “New Owner” notices will be mailed to those who have purchased property and recorded their deed within the above time frame. This is just to ensure that each party is aware of the taxes that are due on that property. The buyer and seller must be aware as to who is responsible for paying the taxes.
This tax notice format allows us to customize tax information and add other important information, enabling us to communicate with the tax payer more efficiently. Our newest format change explains the breakdown of the property tax rate. Please read the front AND back of the tax notice for important information.
Please note, the tax notices we mail to property owners are just courtesy reminders that property taxes are owed. It is the responsibility of the property owner to pay taxes. If you OWN property, you OWE property taxes!
In 2020, Chester County implemented a new Solid Waste Fee solely for the operation of the Chester County Solid Waste Department. Since the process is still relatively new, and with the changes that have been implemented since its inception, the Trustee’s Office asks for your patience and understanding while we make the necessary changes that the Chester County Commission has charged us to make. Please note that we are only collecting the Solid Waste Fee based on the decisions that have been made by the Solid Waste Committee and the Chester County Commission. Again, thank you for your patience and understanding as we implement these changes associated with the Solid Waste Fee.
For our customers on the tax relief program, you must bring or mail your tax-relief voucher with your tax payment. Secondly, it must be signed by the tax-relief recipient and co-recipient if applicable. You must provide us with your total 2021 income for all recipients. Please keep this in mind before submitting your application through the mail. The tax relief program is designed for customers who are 65 years or older as of December 31, 2022; or if you are 100% disabled as rated by the Social Security Administration or other qualifying agency; if your total household income does not exceed $31,600; or if you are a 100% disabled veteran (or widow of a veteran). There may be other qualifying factors, but these are the major components for qualifying for the program. One change with the tax relief program this year, is the exemption of the Solid Waste Fee for Tax Relief recipients.
The Trustee’s Office is proud to offer partial payments again this year. “I’d like to thank the Chester County Commission for passing the resolution a few years ago allowing us to accept partial payments, and to hopefully ease the burden on our taxpayers.” Also, our taxpayers can now sign up for bank draft to allow the 2022 county property taxes to be drafted from their account on a monthly basis, or all at once. While there is no form to fill out for the partial payment program, the bank draft program does require the customer to complete a short form and provide a copy of a voided check.
Our software collection vendor, Local Government Corp, has developed an online payment portal that coincides with our tax collection software, making the entire process more user friendly for the customer. LGC has offered a revolutionary concept to paying taxes in multiple counties. Although there are only a few counties near us that use this website, there will most likely be more in the future. We would like to encourage you to try it out and familiarize yourself with its features. Online payment options will include the usual MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and e-check. You can view/ print your tax bill or paid tax receipt, and change your address. The website is https://chesterpropertytax.com; the toll-free phone number is 1-877-589-8970. Although fees will vary slightly, there is a 2.5% fee for paying on-line or by phone with a credit / debit card. Please note, the e-check feature is a flat $1.00; simply enter your bank routing number and account number.
We are including the QR Code on the tax notices again this year. With the help of Eddie Fuller, at Brother’s Printing who is also printing our tax statements, we have designed a Quick Response Code (QR Code) that, when scanned with a smartphone, will take you directly to the website where you can pay taxes or search for additional information.
Again, please remember you can save 2% if your property taxes are paid in full by October 30; 1% if paid in full by November 30. Please round the 2% and 1% discount to the nearest dollar. After November 30, the base amount will be due through February 28, 2023.
Our office hours are 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday – Friday. During the month of February, we extend our hours to 5 p.m. and from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturdays.
You can mail your payment to: Chester County Trustee, P.O. Box 386, Henderson, TN 38340. If you would like a receipt mailed to you, please ask for one.
There is a drop box available for payments after 4 p.m., in the lobby of the Chester County Executive Office Building, located at 159 East Main Street.
We look forward to working with our customers through another tax season. We are dedicated to serving Chester County.
