Staff report

Property tax payments for 2017 must be paid by Jan. 31to avoid penalties and interest charges, Jefferson County Tax Assessor-Collector Allison Nathan Getz said.

In a news release issued Monday, Nathan Getz said property tax payments may be made in person at:

• Jefferson County Courthouse, 1149 Pearl, Beaumont
• Jefferson County Sub-Courthouse, 525 Lakeshore Drive, Port Arthur
• Mid County Tax Office, 4605 Jerry Ware Drive, Beaumont

All three locations will remain open until 5 p.m. Jan. 31. Payments by mail must have a Post Office cancelation mark on or before Jan. 31 to avoid penalty and interest charges. The U.S. Postal Service must affix the mark, not a metered postmark.

Payments by mail may be sent to Jefferson County Tax Office, P. O. Box 2112, Beaumont, TX 77704. Beginning Feb. 1, a penalty and interest of 7 percent will be applied to unpaid tax balances. An additional 2 percent penalty and interest will be added each month until the end of June.

On July 1, a penalty and interest totaling 1 percent will be applied, plus a 2 percent addition of collection fees. Finally, interest of 1 percent per month will accrue from that time on.

“Jefferson County has an excellent payment rate,” Nathan Getz said. “We typically collect over 98 percent of the total tax roll on a current basis. We appreciate the effort our community makes.

“We hope this reminder will help people remember to not overlook taking care of a payment they fully intended to make. Please call our office if you are having difficulty meeting your tax obligation. There are special provisions for payment for citizens with age, homestead or disability exemptions. The Tax Office deputies will be more than happy to give information on options that are available under the State Property Tax Code.”

Nathan Getz’s office also said the Installment Payment Plan for Disaster Victims may help some taxpayers. In accordance with Section 31.032 of the Property Tax Code, taxpayers who sustained property damage as a result of a declared natural disaster may be eligible to split their property tax payments into four equal interest-free installments to be paid by Jan. 31, March 31, May 31 and July 31. For qualifications and requirements follow the link https://jeffcotax.com/website-disaster-installment-form.

Taxes may be paid in cash, check or credit/debit card in person. Telephone payments may be made by calling 1-866- 549-1010 and use Bureau Code: 2228888.

Also, credit card payments or e-check payments may be made online at www.certifiedpayments.net (Bureau Code: 2228888) and follow the instructions on the screen.

A convenience fee of 2.25 percent on credit card payments and no fee on e-check payments will occur.

For questions, taxpayers may call the County Tax Office at 409-835-8516.