The tax laws in Suffolk County state that payment of taxes on a timely basis is the responsibility of the property owner even if a tax bill has not been received. The property owner will be liable for all penalties and interest on late payments.
As tax bills are sent out in December for the tax year commencing on December 1 any person who purchases property in Suffolk County during the year should determine if any taxes remain unpaid on the property and, if the taxes remain unpaid, please contact the Receiver's Office to determine the amount due.
Town, school, and county taxes in Suffolk County cover the period from December 1 to November 30 of the following year.
Please include the payment stub(s) with your remittance. Make checks payable to and mail payments to: Kelly Fogarty, Receiver of Taxes
Receiver of Taxes
Southold, NY 11971-0499
The Assessment Roll of the Town of Southold, County of Suffolk for 2023 / 2024 upon which this assessment appears, will be delivered on or about the first day of December, 2023. Taxes are due December 1, 2023, first half payable until and including January 10, 2024 without penalty.
| Payment Period | Penalty |
|---|---|
| December 1 through January 10 | No penalty |
| January 11 through February 10 | 1% penalty |
| February 11 through March 10 | 2% penalty |
| March 11 through April 10 | 3% penalty |
| April 11 through May 10 | 4% penalty |
| May 11 through May 31 | 5% penalty |
Second half taxes to be paid at the Tax Receiver’s Office without penalty until May 31, 2024. After this date, all bills must be paid to the County Comptroller, located at 330 Center Drive, Riverhead, New York 11901-3311. A penalty of 5% plus interest on the total unpaid tax and penalty, to the date of payment, at the rate of 1% per month or part thereof from the first day of February after the tax was levied shall be paid to the County Comptroller: A $20.00 tax sale advertising charge per item will be included after August 31.
A partial payment of real property taxes will be accepted in accordance with Suffolk County Resolution #551-2002. However, if the full first half is not received by January 10, 2023, the appropriate penalty will be charged on the unpaid balance of the first half only.
Taxes are payable by check, cash, money order, debit or credit card in the exact amount. Checks will be accepted subject to collection for which this office assumes no responsibility.
Be advised, online banking bill paying websites and / or apps should caution you concerning paying your local, state or federal taxes online. This particular method of bill paying typically sends your tax payment(s) to a payment processing center and then to a mail-house. This process takes additional time which often results in missing the tax deadline date and thus incurring late payment penalties. If however, you choose to use this method of payment and the payment is received late or not at all you will be responsible for any penalties that may occur.
This processing issue does not apply to the Town of Southold online tax payment processing system.
If taxes are paid by mail, pursuant to Real Property Tax Law 925, you will avoid penalty and interest charges if the payment envelope bears proper postage and an official post office date stamp (a private meter stamp is not acceptable) dated no later than the last due date. If no date stamp is indicated on the envelope, by statute, the date received is the date paid No cash by mail. No third party checks or postdated checks.
In addition to receiving taxes at Town Hall, we have designated several bank branches throughout the Town to accept payments and give receipts for taxpayers wishing to walk in and make payments. Payments may be made during the first half collection period through January 10 and begins again for the second half collection period on May 1 through the close of collections on May 31. From January 11 through April 30, payments cannot be accepted at the banks. Payments must be submitted with payment stubs and can be made during regular bank business hours at the following branch locations:
Credit Card payments may be made either online or at the Tax Receiver’s Office. Taxes paid online incur a 2.5% convenience fee that is charged by the credit card company. Please follow the instructions on the site to process your payment. Taxes paid at the Receiver’s office incur a 2.75% convenience fee that is charged by the credit card company. Service fees are collected by the payment processor, not the Town of Southold.
Online e-check payments are charged $2.00 per transaction by the processing company.
Online debit card payments are charged $4.00 per transaction by the processing company.
Receipt provided is an acknowledgement that you utilized our online system to make a payment. Please check your bank statement within 48 hours to ensure that your account was debited for the amount of payment. If the payment was not deducted or if you have any questions regarding the payment please contact our office at 631-765-1803.
It is the responsibility of the payer to enter the correct routing number, account/checking number and to have sufficient funds/credit limit available in order to ensure a successful transaction.
Taxes paid by check, e-check or credit card are subject to collection. A charge of $20.00 will be added to any account where a tendered payment was returned for any reason. Returned checks, e-checks or dishonored credit cards will automatically cancel your tax payment.
If you are either 65 years of age or older, disabled, and you own and occupy a one, two, or three family residence, you may designate a consenting adult third-party to receive a copy of your tax bill and any notices of unpaid taxes until notice to the contrary. Applications may be obtained in person from the Receiver of Taxes or by mail. Applications must be filed with the Receiver of Taxes no later than October 1.
Processing of tax payments by financial institutions are often delayed and can result in missing the tax deadline date. Should you choose to use this method of payment and the payment is received late or not at all you will be responsible for any penalties that may occur. This processing delay does not apply to the Town of Southold online tax payment processing.
The Town of Southold acts merely as an agent for the collection of school taxes. If you have any questions about your school rates, please contact your school superintendent.
Whenever any real estate tax or assessment levied on the assessment roll shall remain unpaid as of June 1 and unpaid prior to the annual tax lien sale, the tax lien for that parcel shall be sold at the annual tax lien sale in November or December pursuant to Suffolk County Tax Act Sec. 40. After June 1, the amount of arrears may be obtained from and paid to the Suffolk County Comptroller, 330 Center Drive, Riverhead, New York 11901-3311. For inquiries, call (631) 852-3000. Continued failure to pay all of the taxes levied against the property may result in your loss of the property.
Send change of address and new owner information to:
Town of Southold
Board of Assessors
Southold, NY 11971
Please include the following information:
All requests must be signed and dated. Please note, the Receiver’s Office cannot make new owner name changes until the Assessor’s Office has received the new deed from Suffolk County.
