Important Tax Information: Three Things You Need to Know

Do you have concerns about your tax bill being past due? Would it be helpful to break up your tax bill into smaller payments? The Buncombe County Tax Department wants to work with you to develop a payment schedule that makes paying your bill manageable. Below you will find information about payment plans, what happens if your bill is past due, and important dates to keep in mind.

What types of payment plans does the Buncombe County Tax Department offer?

Is your tax bill too large to pay all at once? Our Tax Department gives you the option of paying over the course of the year so you don’t have to pay all at once. Being enrolled in a payment plan also ensures you won’t be subject to collection actions, such as payroll or bank garnishments.

There are two payment options available: the Casual Payment Plan and the Preauthorized Debit Payment Plan. The Casual Payment Plan allows you to send in a predetermined amount every month; it will not be automatically drafted from your bank account. If you have a bill from 2019, you must finish monthly payments by April, 2020. The Preauthorized Debit Plan automatically withdraws a predetermined amount from your bank account every month. If you have a bill from 2019, you must finish monthly payments by May, 2020.

Both payment plans require you to contact our office. For more information or to enroll in a payment plan call a County Account Representative at (828) 250-4910 or visit here.

For more information about the County’s exclusion or deferment plans for the elderly, disabled, veterans, and families that meet certain income requirements, click here.

My taxes are past due, what happens now?

Our priority is to work hand-in-hand with you to pay your bill. We are required by North Carolina law to advertise properties with outstanding taxes due. It is important to note that just because your property has been advertised does not mean the foreclosure process has begun. Foreclosure is an absolute last resort.

If your property has been advertised, you can contact a Tax Department Account Representative and they will work with you to help find payment options and plans that work with your budget. If an advertised property does not get enrolled in a payment plan then foreclosure is a possibility. We want to work with you to prevent this. You can contact our professional Account Representatives at (828) 250-4910 or click here for more information.

Important dates:

• August, 2019: Tax bills are mailed, payment plan enrollment opens.
• Sept. 1, 2019: Tax bills are due (interest penalties do not begin until Jan.7).
• Jan. 6, 2020: Last day to pay taxes without interest penalties.
• Jan. 7, 2020: Tax bills are delinquent.
• April, 2020: Last month to finish payments in the Casual Payment Plan for current overdue bills from 2019. Those bills must be paid in full by this date.
• May, 2020: Last month to finish payments in the Preauthorized Debit Plan current overdue bills from 2019. Those bills must be paid in full by this date.