FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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If your question isn't answered here, or if you would like more information about any topic, please call our Customer Service Department at 614-525-3438.

 

1. What are property taxes?
2. When are taxes due?
3. How much are my taxes?
4. What should I do if I didn't receive a tax bill?
5. What is the value of my property?
6. Can I write a personal check to pay my taxes?
7. Have my taxes been paid?
8. Can I get a receipt for taxes paid by mail?
9. Can taxes be paid in advance?
10. Does the Treasurer's Office have automatic payment deduction?
11. How do I make an address change?
12. How much of my tax payment goes to schools, etc.?
13. Can I appeal a penalty amount?
14. I don't agree with the value that has been placed on my property. What can I do?
15. I paid off or refinanced my home and now no longer escrow my taxes with my lender. What should I do to ensure I receive my tax bill?
16. I received a notice from my bank that my check has been returned. What do I need to do?
17. Can I pay my taxes monthly?
18. What methods of payment do you accept?
19. How do I cancel my monthly direct debits or update my banking information?
20. I am selling my property. How do I stop the monthly bills?
21. Do you take credit cards at your teller window?
22. I am having trouble paying my taxes. What are my options?

• WHAT ARE PROPERTY TAXES?

  In the State of Ohio, real property taxes (commonly known as real-estate taxes), are levied by any taxing subdivision on a real estate parcel. Levies raise tax revenue for school districts, municipalities, libraries and other special issues such as mental health services.

• WHEN ARE TAXES DUE?

  For people who pay their annual real-estate property taxes in two payments every year, the due dates are in January and June. Due dates for 2024 are:
  
  ● First-Half Payments: January 31, 2024 
  ● Second-Half Payments: June 20, 2024

• HOW MUCH ARE MY TAXES?

  To obtain your tax amount you may call our Customer Service Department at 614-525-3438 or check the Property Search page of our website. You will need to look up your parcel information, and your bill will be displayed along with other important information regarding your parcel.
   

  WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I DIDN'T RECEIVE A TAX BILL?

  Ohio law states that it is the responsibility of parcel owners to make sure they obtain a property tax bill in time to pay their taxes. A duplicate tax bill may be obtained by calling our office at
  614-525-3438 or submitting your request online.

• WHAT IS THE VALUE OF MY PROPERTY?

  Property values are available at the Franklin County Auditor's website or by calling the Auditor's Office at 614-525-4663.

• CAN I WRITE A PERSONAL CHECK TO PAY MY TAXES?

  Yes. Checks should be made payable to Franklin County Treasurer. Please write your parcel number and daytime phone number on the check and include your billing statement with your payment.

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• HAVE MY TAXES BEEN PAID?

  To find out if your taxes have been paid, please check the Payment Status page of our website. The Payment Credit Timeline details how long it typically takes for payments of various types to be posted.

• CAN I GET A RECEIPT FOR TAXES PAID BY MAIL?

  Yes. To receive a receipt for payment, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope along with your entire tax bill and payment.

• CAN TAXES BE PAID IN ADVANCE?

  Property taxes are billed in arrears and can only be paid once they are assessed by the Franklin County Auditor's office. However, our Budget Payment Program allows you to make monthly prepayments on your semi-annual property tax bills. It is an easy way to set aside money on a monthly basis for the payment of your next real estate tax bill. The money that you pay will be held in an escrow account in your name and will automatically be applied to your semi-annual real estate tax bill when it comes due.

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• DOES THE TREASURER'S OFFICE
  HAVE AUTOMATIC PAYMENT DEDUCTION?

  We offer the convenience of having your monthly payments direct-debited from a checking or savings account if you are enrolled in the Budget Payment Program.

• HOW DO I MAKE AN ADDRESS CHANGE?

  Ohio law requires that any change in the mailing address for property tax bills be provided to the County Treasurer. Please keep the Treasurer's Office advised when you move, change lenders or want your tax bill to go to a different address.

  You can submit an Address Change Form online, or you can fill out a printed form and send it to our office via U.S. mail, email or fax. 

• HOW MUCH OF MY PAYMENT GOES TO SCHOOLS, ETC.?

  You can get this information by looking up your parcel by name, address or parcel number on our Property Search page. Click on the Distribution tab to see the amounts of your taxes that go to your local school district, municipality, local library and other entities. 

• CAN I APPEAL A PENALTY AMOUNT?

  Yes. However, by law, penalties can only be forgiven in certain circumstances. For more information, visit the Request for Penalty Forgiveness section of our website.

• I DON'T AGREE WITH THE VALUE THAT HAS BEEN PLACED ON MY PROPERTY. WHAT CAN I DO?

  Applications to appeal the valuation of your property for tax year 2024 will accepted from November 20, 2024, until March 31, 2024, by the Franklin County Auditor's Office. If you would like to contest the valuation of your property, please visit the Auditor's website to download an appeal form, or contact the Board of Revision at
  614-525-3913 to receive a form by U.S. mail.

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• I PAID OFF OR REFINANCED MY HOME AND NOW NO LONGER ESCROW MY TAXES WITH MY LENDER. WHAT SHOULD I DO TO ENSURE I RECEIVE MY TAX BILL?

  Follow these three easy steps to make sure you don't miss important information about paying your property taxes.

• Make sure you understand how any taxes you previously escrowed will be distributed by your lender. Should they be refunded or will they apply against your next tax bill?

• Check out our free, convenient Budget Payment Program, which allows you to set up an escrow account with the Treasurer's Office, pay your annual taxes in monthly payments and earn interest that’s applied to future tax bills.

• Change your mailing address with our office. This easy step is often overlooked until tax bills are sent to an incorrect address.

• I RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM MY BANK THAT MY CHECK HAS BEEN RETURNED. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

  The Treasurer’s Office will reverse returned payments once we receive a notification from our bank. The process of reversing returned payments normally takes two to three business days to reflect on your parcel; therefore, you may receive your bank’s notification before the payment is corrected in our records. You may submit another payment at any time after you receive your bank’s notification. We do not charge any returned item fees; however, you may be subject to penalty charges on your property if the taxes are not paid by the due date. Please check with your financial institution concerning the reason for the return.

• CAN I PAY MY TAXES MONTHLY?

  If your taxes are paid current, the Treasurer’s Office offers a Budget Payment Program as an easy way to set aside money on a monthly basis for your next real-estate tax bill. The money you pay will be held in an escrow account in your name and will automatically be applied to your semi-annual real-estate tax bill when it comes due.

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• WHAT METHODS OF PAYMENT DO YOU ACCEPT?

  Here are the different ways that you can pay your real-estate taxes in Franklin County:

• Online: 
  • Payments can be made with the following methods:
    • Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express) with a 2.19% processing fee.
    • Debit Card with a 0.85% processing fee.
    • Electronic Check (eCheck)with no processing fee
    • ACH (Automated Clearing House) with no processing fee
  • These fees do not go to Franklin County
  • Payment website
• Budget Payment Agreement: Our Budget Payment Program allows you to be billed monthly for your real estate taxes. Payments can be made by personal check, certified check, money order, cash, credit card or direct debit.
• Mail: Payments can be mailed to our office at 373 South High Street, 17th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43215-6306. Please include the lower portion of your bill with a check or money order made out to Franklin County Treasurer. Be sure to include your name, parcel number and daytime phone number on your method of payment. DO NOT send cash.
• Telephone: While the Treasurer's Office does not accept payments over the phone, we do contract with live agents who can take your payment by credit card, debit card or electronic check. Fees are applied for each type of transaction ($5.00 for electronic check, $8.50 for debit card, and 2.30% of the transaction amount plus $5.00 for credit card). No fees come back to Franklin County in any way. Call 877-495-2729 to pay by phone.
• In-Person: Our tellers are able to accept cash, personal check, business check, money order, cashier’s check or certified check at the window. If you would like to use a credit card or debit card, you may use our computer kiosk to make your payment through our website.
• CheckFreePay: You can pay your bill in cash at participating grocery stores and other retailers. You can find a list of CheckFreePay locations here.

• HOW DO I CANCEL MY MONTHLY DIRECT DEBITS OR UPDATE MY BANKING INFORMATION?

  The Treasurer’s Office requires that cancellation or changes to debit information be made in writing. You can mail your cancellation request to our office at 373 South High Street, 17th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 45215-6306, fax it to us at 614-525-3053, or email the information. To update your banking information, we require either a voided check or letter from your financial institution with the routing number, your account number, account holder's name, and whether the account is checking or savings. You can send this information in one of the ways detailed above. Please note that when updating your debit information to a new account, the change might not take place until the following month depending on when we receive your request. Be sure to include a phone number where we can reach you with any questions. 

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• I AM SELLING MY PROPERTY. HOW DO I STOP THE MONTHLY BILLS?

  In order for our office to stop sending monthly bills we need your permission in writing to cancel. The fastest way for us to make this change is for you to email us. You may also notify us through mail or fax. 

• DO YOU TAKE CREDIT CARDS AT YOUR TELLER WINDOW?

  No. We do, however, have a kiosk that can be used to make credit-card payments through our fully secured website.

• I AM HAVING TROUBLE PAYING MY TAXES. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?

  We offer Delinquent Tax Payment Plans to help you get your taxes current.  

 

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