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Treasurer |
| Michelle
M Sarault - Treasurer
Phone:
765-884-1070 |
| The County Treasurer must reside within the county as provided in the constitution of the State of Indiana. The Treasurer serves a four-year term with a two-term limit during any twelve-year period. The County Treasurer is the custodian of all money coming into the county and disburses the same on the proper orders issued and attested by the County Auditor. |
| The responsibilities of the County Treasurer include: Billing and collecting property taxes (real estate, personal, mobile home & drainage): collection of delinquent property taxes and taxes in judgment; search and collect delinquent taxes of pubic employees; contact annual real estate tax sale; file claims on taxes involved in bankruptcy; the collection of gross income tax, inheritance tax; issuance of tax clearance for mobile homes, alcoholic beverage permits. |
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| Tax
Collection
On March 1st the owner of record is assessed for taxes due and payable the following year in two (2) equal installments on or before May 10 and November 10. If the total due is less than $25.00, the full amount is due with the (A) tax statement, spring installment. If a due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or national legal holiday recognized by the federal government, or a statewide holiday, the deadline is extended to the next working day. Tax bills are mailed one time a year, hopefully the first part of April, with both the spring and fall tax bills included. Payments must be received or federally post-marked by the deadline to avoid penalties. Failure to receive a tax statement by mail does not relieve the taxpayer of the responsibility for payment and penalties when delinquent. Payment Options: Here are two options we would like to emphasize:
10% Penalty for late payments of current tax per installment plus 10% for any prior year tax still due. Acceptable payments are:
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Tax Information:
Credit Card Payment Instructions:
The system will give you a verbal receipt number. There is a nominal fee for using this service. See fee schedule. |
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Address Cards: All address changes need
to be submitted to the Auditors office or mailed to the address on the
pink card that is included in each tax statement mailed. Please list
each tax bill # or parcel number or legal description of your property so
all will get changed.
Questions concerning Property Values, call the Benton County Assessor, 765-884-1205. Questions concerning Exemptions and deductions should be directed to the Benton County Auditor 765-884-0760, for proper instructions. A twelve ($12.00) fee will be charged for each check returned for non-sufficient funds (NSF), and payment will be removed immediately. |
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Real Estate Tax Sale:
All real estate, drainage & special assessments, that have a balance from the spring of the prior year or before are eligible for Tax Sale. A courtesy letter is mailed out to notify the taxpayer of the delinquency. There are deadlines that must be met when making payments. You can call the Treasurer's office for further information on the taxes due. On July 1st the Treasurer will certify the list of properties eligible for tax sale to the County Auditor. In August, the Auditor's office sends out a certified letter to each property owner listed on the tax sale list. This letter will list the unpaid taxes & assessments levied on the real estate and date when the property will be sold on tax sale. Taxpayers may pay the amount due up to the time of the sale. The Annual Tax Sale, according to Indiana law must be held after August 1st, and before November 1st. Benton County's tax sales are held in late September or early October in the Courthouse at the office of the County Treasurer. Bidders must register in the morning just before the sale. The minimum bid will be everything owed on the tax parcel including the current year taxes. Highest bid wins and method of payment may be cash, certified check or cashier's check, written to the Benton County Treasurer, immediately following the sale. The County Auditor will issue a Tax Sale Certificate. It is the purchaser's responsibility to determine the requirements of notification and all other actions required of the purchaser leading to the issuance of a tax deed. If the property owner loses their property through a tax sale, the owner still has one year to redeem their property by paying an additional 10% on the sale price if redeemed in the first six months following the sale, and 15% in addition to the sale price, if redeemed in the second six months after the initial tax sale. In addition, the law currently allows the County Treasurer to schedule the expedited (second sale) after January 1st and before March 31st of the subsequent year following the initial tax sale. This allows for properties, which did not sell at the first sale to be offered in a more expeditious manner, achieving the goal of cycling property back on the tax rolls sooner. "Our goal is to put property taxes back on tax rolls, so the revenues can be collected to meet the needs of each of the units of government. Each unit of government is depending on this revenue to supply the services our community depends upon," said Tamara Goetz, Benton County Treasurer. "I am willing to work with taxpayers who are delinquent and urge those delinquent tax payers to act now. I must follow the deadlines that are set by law, with no exceptions." |
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Judgments:
Annually, after November 10th but prior to August 1st of the succeeding year. Personal Property Taxes that are not paid and were due in the prior year will be certified to the court as judgments. A certified demand for payment of the delinquent taxes and penalties is mailed to the taxpayer. After the (60) days the treasurer files a judgment in the court and advertises all of the names in a local newspaper. Release of this judgment will require payment of the delinquency with interest, which accrues daily from the date of the judgment until the date of payment. |
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Mobile Home Permit:
Mobile Home assessment date is January 15th for a current year billing. If a mobile home owner sells his mobile home on January 16th, the taxes due and payable May 10th and November 10th of that year must be paid along with any taxes payable in proceeding years before a permit can be issued. The owner of a mobile home who sells the mobile home to another, shall provide the purchaser with the permit required before the sale is consummated. The owner must bring in their title before a permit can be completed in the County Treasurer's office. The mobile home tax clearance form must be completed by the Treasurer's office when applying for a title transfer at the License Branch.
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