Frequently Asked Questions
Below you will find information that might help you understand how to find things or learn about information you might need to know about your city or town.
Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
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Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
If you are paying late, make sure to look online for the current amount due with penalty and/or interest. However, remember that once a real property tax bill is delinquent, (March 1) real property taxes must be paid to the Wayne County Treasurer, and the City's tax bill information on the website is "frozen" and no longer updated. Information on delinquent personal property tax bills continues to be updated, and the City Treasurer continues to collect delinquent personal property taxes.
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Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
The Summer tax bill is sent out early July and is due September 30 without additional penalty or interest. Certain eligible seniors may qualify for a deferral of the due date to mid-February (check with the Treasurer's office for the exact date each year, because it is set annually by the State of Michigan). They may file an Application for Deferment of Summer Taxes, available from the Michigan Department of Treasury or the City Treasurer. Winter tax bills are sent out early December and due in mid-February (again, check for the exact date each year). The Treasurer’s office accepts payments 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday except holidays. There is also a 24-hour secure drop box outside the Pine Street entrance to City Hall in which payments may be made.
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Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
Penalties and interest are added onto the tax bills if not paid when due. Taxes are considered delinquent if not paid by the February due date. The delinquent tax roll for real property is returned to the Wayne County Treasurer for collection on March 1, and delinquent real property tax bills can only be paid to the Wayne County Treasurer. Note that after real property taxes go delinquent March 1st, the tax bill information on the City's website is "frozen" and no longer updated. Information regarding amounts due would be on the Wayne County Treasurer's website. If the tax bill goes unpaid for two years the property is subject to foreclosure for taxes, which no one wants to see happen. Unpaid personal property tax bills continue to be collected by the City Treasurer, with interest added the 1st of each month.
Additional information is available on the
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The tax roll is "frozen" when the delinquent amounts are reported to the Wayne County Treasurer. They are not updated even after you've paid a delinquent amount to the Wayne County Treasurer, as they are intended to represent the amounts due as of the delinquency date.Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
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Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
Yes. The City uses a service provider, BSAonline, to handle online payment of tax bills by credit card, debit card, or electronic check. Follow the link below to make your payment. The City Treasurer will not accept credit card payments for tax bills except through the BSAonline website. Please note that a processing fee applies to all ACH (electronic check) payments made through BS&A Online. The fee is based on the total transaction amount:
$3.00 for payments up to $1,000
$6.00 for payments from $1,000.01 to $5,000
$12.00 for payments over $5,000.01
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The tax bill amount is the product of the taxable value of the property multiplied by the millage rate (plus the 1% administration fee). The taxable value is determined as part of the assessment process by the City Assessor and the growth of the taxable value is limited to inflation by Proposal A unless there has been a change in the ownership of the property. The millage rate is determined by the various taxing entities.Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
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Special Assessments are items such as delinquent water bills or unpaid invoices or unpaid ordinance citations that are authorized to be included on the tax bills for a parcel to ensure payment. The items are not considered taxes for the purpose of a federal itemized tax deduction or for the Michigan Homestead Tax Credit, so there is nothing to be gained by allowing these items to be assessed on your tax bill. There are typically substantial non-payment penalties added prior to the items being added to the tax bill.Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
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You should forward the bill to the mortgage company for them to pay it.Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
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If you are concerned that the mortgage company may fail to make the tax payment on a timely basis, just check the online tax information via the City’s website to see if the bill has been paid. Payment of the tax bill will usually be reflected online the next business day after payment is received.Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
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If the original payment has already posted, the tax receiving system will recognize a duplicate payment and reject the payment, which would then be sent back to the payer. If payments are made "simultaneously," then a refund check will be issued by the City upon recognition of the duplicate payment. A duplicate payment is refunded or returned to the payer.Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
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Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
In November 2021, voters approved a bond for the new high school. The levy amount reported from the school district is 2.35 mills.
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You should look over the entire bill, but pay particular attention to the Homestead Qualified percentage and the taxable value. If you own and occupy your own house, make sure that you are receiving a 100% Homestead percentage. Also, your taxable value increase should not have exceeded the rate of inflation, unless you purchased your property last year or had new construction on your property.Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
Contact the Assessor’s office at 734-287-6550 for any questions regarding assessments or taxable value. Always be sure to pay the correct amount on the correct parcel with an original tax bill. -
This is really a question best answered on an individual-property basis by the City Assessor. However, most property assessments are based on sales studies of properties in the neighborhood. Property owners are entitled to appeal their assessments at the annual March Board of Review after receiving their assessment notices in late February. In periods of inflation your assessment may have gone down even though the taxable value may have gone up.Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
Keep in mind that, as a result of the application of Proposal A to the taxable values, there may be a significant gap between the (higher) assessed value and the (lower) taxable value such that a lowering of the assessed value may have little or no effect on the taxable value.
Contact the City Assessor’s Office at 734-374-1315 regarding any questions as to the assessment of your property. The Treasurer’s office cannot assist you in any way with assessment issues. -
Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
The tax date is the December 31st each year preceding the tax bills. Therefore the tax date for the 2021 tax bills was December 31, 2020. This was the date as of which the Assessor established the assessed and taxable values of the property being taxed.
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Although the taxable value of the property is established as of the December 31 tax date, it is common to pro-rate the bills based on their billing date. The summer bill is billed July 1, so it is pro-rated on a July 1 through June 30 time period. The Winter bill is billed December 1, so it is pro-rated on a December 1 through November 30 time period. A business acquiring the personal property of a prior owner should make sure to escrow funds for the payment of the personal property taxes yet to be levied on the acquired property.Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
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If your mailing address has changed, submit a change of address in writing to the Assessor's Office, or fill out the information on the new address on the back of the tax remittance stub, and return it with your payment.Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
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Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
If you are 62 years of age and had an income of less than $40,000 for the prior year, you may apply for a deferment of Summer taxes on your principal residence. An application for deferment filed with the City Treasurer by September 30 defers the due date for the Summer taxes to February 15. You may also be eligible for deferment of your taxes if you meet the income requirement and one of the following conditions: you are totally and permanently disabled, blind, a paraplegic or quadriplegic, veteran, or an eligible widow or widower. Applications for deferment are available at the Treasurer's Office and online.
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Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
Contact us by calling 734-287-6550.
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Tax Department - Paying Your Taxes
The window at the Treasurer's Office in City Hall is open between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.