Debt Dumpers 2026

[mmbrad02]

Our property taxes are annual here. You can get a 2% discount in my county if paid in November, full value in December, and then it goes up from there.

 

[FreeTime]

Ours are every six months although you can opt into a no fee, monthly plan. I tried to prepay for the year and they sent back the second half.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Ours are December and May periods. If you're paying taxes yourself you can pay in one payment but that is due by the December date of the current year which is the due date for the 1st half of the payment if paid in two installments.

There's no incentive to paying in 1 payment; there's no discount for my county.

Here the property valuations are done every January 1st (state law) and you're sent notification of what that new value is typically in March.

Several years ago a law was added where if any one entity plans to raise the mill levy they have to have a public hearing about it, you also by law have to be sent paperwork that advises what your estimated new tax amount will be I think that's sent late summer??. Then in mid-November-ish you're sent the actual property tax bill based off the valuation from January with the first half of that bill due just after mid-December.

So this upcoming May payment due date is just the second payment from the valuation from 2025.

 

[focusondisney]

My town we pay town, county & sewer district taxes in February. School taxes are paid in October. No options for partial or installment payments without late fees.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

When we owned (from 2016-22), we had our escrowed into our payment. It was nice because we didn't have to worry about getting the paperwork, deadlines, etc. Now that we rent, it's just part of the payment we make I guess.

 

[royeheat]

When we owned (from 2016-22), we had our escrowed into our payment. It was nice because we didn't have to worry about getting the paperwork, deadlines, etc. Now that we rent, it's just part of the payment we make I guess.

Because you do not own property you do not pay property taxes.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

Because you do not own property you do not pay property taxes.

Oh I know I don't. But I'm sure it's built into our rent payment. No way they don't charge us for the tax payment on the house. It's just not a direct line item. It's built in, I'm guessing.

 

[amalone1013]

Ours are December and May periods. If you're paying taxes yourself you can pay in one payment but that is due by the December date of the current year which is the due date for the 1st half of the payment if paid in two installments.

There's no incentive to paying in 1 payment; there's no discount for my county.

Ours is similar to this, but I think closer together - like February and May. I've been looking into this since we could now remove it from our escrow account and start paying ourselves

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Ours is similar to this, but I think closer together - like February and May. I've been looking into this since we could now remove it from our escrow account and start paying ourselves

I think the 6 month timeframe is easier on the budgets if having to do it yourself but that February is just so close to the beginning of the year. I guess it would give you a long while after that May payment to save up (or put in a specific bank account) but yeah I wouldn't want to have to pay so close together to each other

 

[barkley]

You have to pay your taxes for 6 months at a time? Ours are quarterly.

if you self pay it's due in April and October. The County Courthouse where the office to pay is NUTS the last week of the month with people paying in person. I have to go in the same building to a couple of offices in close proximity every April to file my yearly reports for my son's guardianship and I made the mistake a couple of times putting it off until the end of the month NEVER AGAIN! lines of people down the hallway.

Our property taxes are annual here. You can get a 2% discount in my county if paid in November, full value in December, and then it goes up from there.

I would take advantage of that in a heartbeat! no discounts here.

Ours are every six months although you can opt into a no fee, monthly plan. I tried to prepay for the year and they sent back the second half.

I don't know if ours will let us do a monthly-if you self pay they just send the 2 invoices at onces with two return envelopes to mail in payment (unless you want to walk in to self pay or pay extra and use a card online).

Oh I know I don't. But I'm sure it's built into our rent payment. No way they don't charge us for the tax payment on the house. It's just not a direct line item. It's built in, I'm guessing.

good on you for reccognizing that! I get so frustrated when something is on a local ballot that will increase property taxes and the local news does 'man on the street' surveys-so MANY people who self identify as renters say 'i'm not voting, i don't own where I live-makes no difference to me' I want to shake them and say 'the h--- it does'nt. who do you think is going to absorb your landlord's increased property taxes????? YOU!'.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Our property taxes are annual here. You can get a 2% discount in my county if paid in November, full value in December, and then it goes up from there.

I would love a way to get a discount! Even a small one.

if you self pay it's due in April and October. The County Courthouse where the office to pay is NUTS the last week of the month with people paying in person. I have to go in the same building to a couple of offices in close proximity every April to file my yearly reports for my son's guardianship and I made the mistake a couple of times putting it off until the end of the month NEVER AGAIN! lines of people down the hallway.

I'm surprised that so many people pay in person. Unless you're retired and can't afford stamps, who has time to stand in line?
I can either mail a check or pay $1.95 fee to pay it online. I pay it online so I don't have to worry about if the check got there or not. The payment is credited the next day.

 

[barkley]

I'm surprised that so many people pay in person. Unless you're retired and can't afford stamps, who has time to stand in line?
I can either mail a check or pay $1.95 fee to pay it online. I pay it online so I don't have to worry about if the check got there or not. The payment is credited the next day.

I am not sure why so many in person payors. the only thing I can figure is that a good number of those self paying want to hold on to that chunk of change until the last minute to earn any little bit of interest on and not trusting the USPS to get their payment in by the deadline to avoid a late pay penalty. I mailed mine already so I can just periodically check my checking account to see if it's been processed (I have NO desire to do the e-pay on the website b/c I am not going to pay an additional 2.65% for using a debit or credit card).

 

[Twilghtsprkle]

I'm surprised that so many people pay in person. Unless you're retired and can't afford stamps, who has time to stand in line?
I can either mail a check or pay $1.95 fee to pay it online. I pay it online so I don't have to worry about if the check got there or not. The payment is credited the next day.

What line? I pay my property taxes in person. 95% of the time there is no line, 5% there is 1 person ahead of me. Town hall is connected to the library so I just go on a day I am going to the library.

 

[amalone1013]

I think the 6 month timeframe is easier on the budgets if having to do it yourself but that February is just so close to the beginning of the year. I guess it would give you a long while after that May payment to save up (or put in a specific bank account) but yeah I wouldn't want to have to pay so close together to each other

That part is definitely a bummer. I figured since they paid the first half and we are busy right now I'll let them make the second half, then look into doing it myself. Take whatever we get out of escrow and put the entire difference in our payment to start aside for that as well

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I am not sure why so many in person payors. the only thing I can figure is that a good number of those self paying want to hold on to that chunk of change until the last minute to earn any little bit of interest on and not trusting the USPS to get their payment in by the deadline to avoid a late pay penalty. I mailed mine already so I can just periodically check my checking account to see if it's been processed (I have NO desire to do the e-pay on the website b/c I am not going to pay an additional 2.65% for using a debit or credit card).

I can enter our routing # and account # to have it taken from our checking account for $1.95. We would be charged a % fee also for using a credit card. No way.
A stamp costs $0.78 so for a dollar or so more I don't have to worry about it getting lost. If you've ever had important mail get lost by USPS, you would be as distrustful as I am.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

What line? I pay my property taxes in person. 95% of the time there is no line, 5% there is 1 person ahead of me. Town hall is connected to the library so I just go on a day I am going to the library.

The line that barkley was describing earlier. (see below.) I had replied to her.

if you self pay it's due in April and October. The County Courthouse where the office to pay is NUTS the last week of the month with people paying in person. I have to go in the same building to a couple of offices in close proximity every April to file my yearly reports for my son's guardianship and I made the mistake a couple of times putting it off until the end of the month NEVER AGAIN! lines of people down the hallway.

 

[barkley]

I can enter our routing # and account # to have it taken from our checking account for $1.95. We would be charged a % fee also for using a credit card. No way.
A stamp costs $0.78 so for a dollar or so more I don't have to worry about it getting lost. If you've ever had important mail get lost by USPS, you would be as distrustful as I am.

yeah not a big fan of USPS either but less of a fan of getting those annoying (and heart stopping) notices from different entities announcing 'we've been hacked-you may have had sensitive payment information compromised' so I don't like setting up any electronic payments to my bank accounts if I can AT ALL help it.

 

[Nettlelondon]

I can't think of anything I don't pay by direct debit - it is so much the norm in the UK and I also can't think of much that you can pay in person, at least not easily. And there is often a fee for paying by check.

The Direct Debit Guarantee Scheme provides great protection; if there is any sort of dispute or concern about a direct debit you just notify your bank, they repay you and then you sort it out with whoever took the money (or if it proves fraudulent you are all sorted). Those attempting to take money by direct debit have to jump through a lot of hoops to be authorised deductors and card fraud is usually sorted pretty quickly too.

We once had about £6000 spent on our debit card in the gift shop at Ankor Wat whilst we were clearly not there! A quick phone call and the money was refunded in minutes, and new cards were despatched. I think it helped that my husband offered to pop in to the office of the fraud department as he was working about 100 yards away at the time in the next door building.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I can't think of anything I don't pay by direct debit - it is so much the norm in the UK and I also can't think of much that you can pay in person, at least not easily. And there is often a fee for paying by check.

The Direct Debit Guarantee Scheme provides great protection; if there is any sort of dispute or concern about a direct debit you just notify your bank, they repay you and then you sort it out with whoever took the money (or if it proves fraudulent you are all sorted). Those attempting to take money by direct debit have to jump through a lot of hoops to be authorised deductors and card fraud is usually sorted pretty quickly too.

We once had about £6000 spent on our debit card in the gift shop at Ankor Wat whilst we were clearly not there! A quick phone call and the money was refunded in minutes, and new cards were despatched. I think it helped that my husband offered to pop in to the office of the fraud department as he was working about 100 yards away at the time in the next door building.

We have similar protection in the US.
Still, I prefer credit cards because when fraudulent charges occur from a debit card, it can temporarily lower your bank balance and make other legit expenses get returned as non sufficient funds. Eventually it all gets straightened out and fees refunded but it’s a headache.
When fraud occurs on a credit card, you just report it and doesn’t cost you anything unless for some reason they deny your case of fraud which has never happened to me.

ETA: I never use a cc to pay any taxes or utilities that charge a % fee for using a cc.

 

[focusondisney]

I’m 1 of the retired people that pays in person. But even when I was working, I still paid in person. Town Hall is 5 minutes away, I can stop on my way to other errands. Usually no wait, longest line I ever waited in was 4 people, with 3 clerks working. So minimal at worst. I don’t like leaving big checks sitting in our mailbox to get picked up. Town Hall is a minute away from the post office, the wait at the post office is always longer than at town hall. I also prefer to know it’s paid, not sitting in a mailbox somewhere, get my receipt immediately & be able to put that right in next years tax file. We have a 2.3% fee for any credit or debit card. So I pay by check, although I have paid by credit card when I wanted points. I just did that in February with my new SW card. The small fee amount is going a long way towards the companion pass that I’ll earn next month & we’ll use until December 2027.