Deadline to pay property taxes nearing

Office reports Pulaski County still has $204M, or 37.6%, of bill left to collect

If you recently bought a car or own a home, the deadline for filing your property taxes is fast approaching.

While the exact day you received your tax bill may differ by where you live, all Arkansans have to pay their property taxes by the same Oct. 15 deadline.

Those who miss the deadline will have to pay a 10% penalty on their personal property. For real estate, there is a 10% penalty and an interest penalty that accrues daily and maxes out at 10% each year.

For the fiscal year, the Pulaski County treasurer’s office has billed taxpayers $543 million and had collected $302 million as of Friday.

If you haven’t paid your property taxes yet, don’t fret. You’re not alone. With less than three weeks to go until the Oct. 15 deadline, the county still has about $204 million, or 37.6 %, of the bill left to collect, according to the Pulaski County treasurer’s office.

“That just shows you that there is certain people that wait until the last two weeks to pay it,” said Bentley Hovis, Pulaski County chief deputy treasurer. “And the numbers are eerily consistent over the years. It’s roughly about 30% that comes in the last 14 days. I mean, you could almost chart it.”

With many taxpayers waiting until the last minute to pay their property taxes, the county has made a public-relations push, mailing out reminders and buying radio advertising slots.

“You’ll be surprised, people just kind of forget,” Hovis said. “It kind of sneaks up on them.”

Residents in Pulaski County have several ways to pay their property taxes. They

can pay by mail, at a drop box at the Pulaski County administration building, at one of four Centennial Bank drivethrus or in person at several select locations throughout the county.

The Pulaski County treasurer’s office accepts payments from PayPal, PayPal Credit, Venmo, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Those who pay online can expect a surcharge from their payment processor, and those who pay in person will be charged a $3 parcel fee per parcel.

For those who pay their property taxes at the same time as their mortgage payments there is no need to worry, but they may still want to check with their lender or tax collectors, Hovis said.

In Pulaski County, as is the case with the rest of the state, the majority of property taxes go toward schools, but the breakdown of what your tax money pays for differs based on the city you reside in.

After schools, the next-largest chunk of Pulaski County property tax revenue goes toward county services, roads, the Arkansas Central Library System, police and fire pensions and Arkansas Children’s Hospital.