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Paying Your Property Taxes

In Person The Sumter County Tax Commissioner accepts the following types of payments: cash, checks, money orders, or credit/debit cards in person. Make checks or money orders payable to the Sumter Co. Tax Commissioner. Counter checks are not accepted in the tag/tax office.

A convenience fee of 2.57% per transaction will be added to all Visa, Mastercard and Discover credit/debit card charges in the tag/tax office, while 3% will be added for American Express credit charges in the tag/tax office.

Online You may use a credit or debit card to pay property taxes online, where all major credit cards are accepted (i.e. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express).

Partial payments are not accepted on-line. Contact our office for further information.

A convenience fee of 2.57% per transaction will be added to all Visa, Mastercard and Discover credit/debit card charges online, while 3% will be added for American Express credit charges online.

CLICK HERE to pay property taxes online.

Mail You may pay by mail using a check or money order only made payable to the Sumter Co. Tax Commissioner. Do not send cash by mail.

When submitting payment through the mail, include your payment stub in the provided window envelope. If you do not have a payment stub, reference your parcel ID or property address on the check or money order. Please verify your current address and include a phone number when submitting a check. If a receipt is desired, include a stamped, self-addressed envelope in your mailing.

Mail postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service on the due date is accepted as timely received. Postage meter dates will not be honored as timely if received after the due date. We are not responsible for lost mail, etc.

Payments should be mailed to:

Sumter County Tax Commissioner
P. O. Box 1044
Americus, GA 31709
Important Note! We do not send tax bills to mortgage companies. If your property taxes are in an escrow account, your property tax information will be made available to your mortgage company; however, it is ultimately the responsibility of the property owner to ensure taxes are paid. If you have questions about whether your mortgage company will be paying your taxes, contact the company directly, especially if your mortgage company has recently changed.

Postmark

We honor U.S.P.S. (United States Postal Service) dated postmarks (only) as confirmation of an on-time payment for current taxes owed. Meter-dated postmarks are not honored. If there are delinquent taxes due, we strongly urge customers to bring the payment in person, especially if legal action (levy and advertisement of tax sale) is imminent. For any questions concerning properties in a tax sale status please contact the Tax Commissioner directly.

Partial Payments A taxpayer may be eligible to establish a partial payment plan to pay their property taxes. A taxpayer should consider a partial payment plan only when the following statements are true:

  1. The taxpayer does not have the ability to pay their taxes in one payment.
  2. The taxpayer is not able to borrow the funds needed to pay their taxes in full.
  3. The taxpayer cannot pay their delinquent taxes in a reasonable period of time.
If a taxpayer is interested in setting up a partial payment plan, please contact Wilkie Smith, Sumter County Tax Commissioner, at (229) 928-4530.

Returned Check If your check is dishonored by the bank, a service fee will be assessed in accordance to state law and federal guidelines. The Sumter County Tax Commissioner’s Office uses a third party service for returned checks.

The Sumter County Tax Commissioner’s Office is partnered with Envision Payment Solutions for the recovery of returned checks. If your check is dishonored by the bank, Envision Payment Solutions will contact you directly. In addition, a service fee will be assessed in accordance with state law. In providing a check as payment, you authorize electronic re-presentment if your check should return unpaid. Also, you authorize service charges and processing fees as allowed by state law to be debited from the same account. Envision may be contacted at 1-877-290-5460.

Interest and Penalties Added to Delinquent Bills

Interest will be added to delinquent tax bills as required by state law. Interest is charged the day after the due date and on the first day of every month thereafter, until the tax bill is paid in full.

Prior to July 1, 2016, the annual interest rate was 12% per year. (Effective 7/1/2016) The annual interest rate will be the January prime rate at the beginning of the year plus 3%. The interest rate for 2019 was 8.50%. The interest rate for 2020 was 7.75%. The interest rate for 2021 was 6.25%. The annual interest rate for 2023 is 10.50% (.875% per month).

Penalties may also be added to delinquent tax bills as required by state law. (Effective 7/1/2016) If a property tax bill remains unpaid for 120 days after the due date, a penalty of 5% is added. An additional 5% is added for each 120-day period that the bill remains unpaid, up to a maximum of 20%. The penalty is applied to the actual “tax/fee” balance. Homesteaded property with a tax liability of less than $500 does not receive the penalties. These penalties apply to taxes billed for real estate, personal property, timber and heavy duty equipment.

Mobile home penalties of 10% are added the day after the April 1 due date. This is a one-time only penalty for the tax year. Interest charges also apply to mobile homes in the same manner as real property. If the property taxes remain unpaid, the Tax Commissioner has the responsibility to levy on the property for non-payment.

What if my property was sold during the year?

Tax bills are based on value and ownership as of January 1st each year. Even though a property may be sold during the year, the original bill is mailed to the owner of record as of January 1st. When the new deed is recorded, the Tax Assessor’s Office picks up that information for the deed transfer. The new owner will receive the following year Assessment Notice and Property Tax Bill at the address provided on the deed. If you are the new owner and need a duplicate bill, call the Tax Commissioner’s Office. If you have questions as to who owes the taxes, refer to your closing documents or consult with your closing attorney.

(Tax bills may be printed from the ”Search & Pay Taxes” link on this Home page)

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Contact

Wilkie Smith
Tax Commissioner
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Main Office
500 W Lamar St, Ste. 120
Americus, GA 31709
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Mailing Address
P.O. Box 1044
Americus, GA 31709

Phone: (229) 928-4530
Fax: (229) 928-4533

Monday – Friday
9:00AM - 5:00PM

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