FREQUENTLY ASKED TAX QUESTIONS
When are the taxes due?
What is the interest rate on delinquent taxes?
Can I pay my taxes before I receive my bill?
When will the tax statements be mailed?
Can I pay my taxes with a credit card?
Are my taxes included in my mortgage payment?
Why did I get a yellow statement when my neighbor got a green statement?
Do postmarks count?
Can I get a receipt for my payment?
How can I get a copy of my statement?
What if I never received a statement?
How long can property taxes be delinquent before the County forecloses on the property?
What is the process for foreclosing on property?
What does the County do with property it acquires through foreclosure?
How does the County sell property it has acquired through foreclosure?
Answer: In Oregon, the fiscal tax year runs from July 1 through June 30.
Tax statements are mailed by October 25. Tax payments are due November 15 of the same calendar year. Taxpayers may elect to pay in thirds
You may choose one of the following to avoid interest charges and receive any applicable discount.
- Full Payment -- Receive a three percent (3%) discount on the current year, as shown on your tax statement if full payment is postmarked by November 15th.
- 2/3 Payment -- Receive a two percent (2%) discount on the current year, as shown on your tax statement if 2/3 payment is postmarked by November 15th. Pay the final 1/3 by the following May 15th.
- 1/3 Payment -- No discount is allowed. Pay one-third by November 15th, followed by another 1/3 payment by February 15th. Pay the final 1/3 balance by May 15th.
What is the interest rate on delinquent taxes?
Answer: If taxes are not paid timely each trimester interest is charged on the portion that is delinquent. In calculating delinquent interest, the time period runs from the 16th of the preceding month to the 15th of the current month. Current delinquent interest is 16 percent per annum or 1 1/3 percent per month.
Can I pay my taxes before I receive my bill?
Answer: Per State administrative rule 150-311.260 we are not able to collect or accept payments until the tax roll has been certified. This usually happens the second week of October, you may check your balance online or contact our office to see if the roll has been certified, once it has you may get amount due and send payment.
When will the tax statements be mailed?
Answer: Tax Statements are mailed out no later than October 25th.
Can I pay my taxes with a credit card or electronic check?
Answer: Yes, credit cards and Echecks can be accepted on-line (Visa/MasterCard/Discover/American Express) and credit cards only over the counter (Visa/MasterCard/Discover).
We can not accept any kind of payment over the phone.
Are there any fees to pay with a credit card?
Answer: Yes, a third party service fee is charged by the credit card processing company.
Are there any fees to pay by electronic check through the Hood River County Payment site?
Answer: Yes, a third party service fee is charged by the payment processing company as follows:
Echecks for payments of $0.00 to $50,000.00 fee = $2.00 per check.
$50,000.01 to $75,000.00 fee = $3.00 per check
$75,000.01 to $100,000.00 fee = $6.00 per check
$100,000.01 to $150,000.00 fee = $10.00 per check
$150,000.01 to $250,000.00 fee = $15.00 per check
You can pay multiple accounts on one check for one fee.
Refunds: All tax payments received are applied to the indicated tax account. If a tax account is overpaid, or if incorrect information is entered and we are unable to locate account, a refund will be issued by check made payable to the payer of tax. Refunds for any reason will not be credited to the credit card used to make payment. There is no refund for the service fees.
Privacy: Hood River County will endeavor in good faith to keep taxpayer's credit card numbers, expiration dates, and security codes private, subject to compliance with the Oregon Public Records Law. Taxpayer expressly acknowledges and agrees that the use of any information or link appearing on the Hood River County Web Site is a the taxpayers' sole risk. Hood River County shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages caused by mistakes, omissions, deletions, errors, defects, or any failure or delays.
Are the taxes included in my mortgage payment?
Answer: You are responsible for making sure your taxes are paid, it is very important that you have good clear communication with your mortgage company and understand who is responsible for paying your tax bill. If you have questions about your loan and escrow account you will need to contact your lending institution.
Why did I get a yellow statement when my neighbor got a green statement?
Answer: Statements are color coded to represent original statement (green) and a copied statement (yellow). Yellow represents that another payer has requested a copy of your statement; most likely this will be your mortgage company. Green represents original statement. If you have received a green statement and have a mortgage company that is responsible for paying your taxes you must contact your mortgage company immediately as they have not requested nor received a copy of your statement. Please note however that just because you have received a yellow statement, this does not guarantee that someone else will be paying your taxes. You should consider contacting your mortgage company to insure that they are making the payment for you, personally, are ultimately responsible for paying your tax bill.
Do postmarks count?
Answer: Yes, all payments will be considered received as of the date shown on the cancellation mark from the U.S. postal service or other private carriers. Credit card payments will be time stamped date and time of payment initiation.
Can I get a receipt for payment?
Answer: When making the payment in person you will get a computer generated receipt at the time of payment. If payment is made online, you will get an emailed receipt. If making payment by mail, you must send a self addressed stamped envelope in order to receive the receipt by mail. You may order a 'History Print' for $.60 at anytime to get a PDF of all tax and payment history. You may order a PDF copy online by clicking here
How can I get a copy of my statement?
Answer: For current tax year requests there is a $.60 per statement reprint fee. The fee for 2005 and prior year statement reprints is $5.50. You may order a PDF copy online by clicking here. If requesting by mail, you must send a handwritten request with your name, account number, and physical address of property with the $.60 reprint fee and a self addressed stamped envelope. We can usually fulfill the request within 48 hours from receiving request. If requesting multiple years, or multiple accounts there may be research fees involved along with the per print fee. Please contact our office for rate and time estimation for completion.
What if I never received a statement?
Answer: If you do not receive your property tax statement by November 1, contact the County Tax Collector's office (541) 386-1301 for instructions. You are still required to pay your taxes, even if you do not receive a statement. Late payments result in loss of discounts, and interest will accrue.
How long can property taxes be delinquent before the County forecloses on the property?
Answer: For personal property taxes (manufactured structures, and business personal property) that are not paid the County has the authority to immediately seize the property. Real property will be foreclosed on three years after the property taxes first become delinquent on May 16 of the tax year. So for taxes that first become due on November 15, 2018, the property will be foreclosed on three years after May 16, 2019 which would be in May 2022.
What is the process for foreclosing on property?
Answer: Once the three year period has expired following the May 16 delinquency, the County sends the property owner several notices, including publication in the Hood River Newspaper that the property is subject to foreclosure. During this time the owner has the option of paying the oldest year that is delinquent, in addition to some fees. This removes the property from the foreclosure proceedings since there are no longer any taxes that are three years delinquent. If the oldest year is not paid by the end of September, the county files what is called a Judgment with the Circuit Court. Once this document is filed all of the property taxes, interest and fees have to be paid in order to remove the property from foreclosure. From that point there is a two year period of redemption. After the two year redemption period the county takes title to the property.
What does the County do with property it acquires through foreclosure?
Answer: Since the property tax system is for the benefit of all taxing districts, the property the county acquires through foreclosure is held in trust on behalf of all taxing districts that levied taxes against that property. The County therefore has an obligation to sell the property and distribute the proceeds to those taxing districts. This also puts the property back on the tax rolls since it is exempt from property taxes while in county ownership.
How does the County sell property it has acquired through foreclosure?
Answer: Oregon law requires the County to first offer the property through a public auction. The only exception to this rule is that the former owner can negotiate to purchase the property without the property having been offered at an auction. If the property is offered at a public auction and no one purchases the property the County can negotiate to sell the property to anyone. In all cases, if the property is sold, the purchase price, less expenses incurred by the County, are distributed to the taxing districts.
Who sets to rules for property tax billing and collection? The State of Oregon sets the rules for this process and the County governments in the state of Oregon are the collection points for all property taxes. The County governments are also the distribution points for the collected tax revenues, sending out the legally proportionate shares to the various taxing districts as dictated by the County Assessor's office. Any questions on issues related to tax assessment or property valuations should be directed to the County Records & Assessment office (541) 386-4522.