Bills
Real estate and personal property tax bills are collected quarterly. Our fiscal year ends on June 30, so the 1st quarter bill covers the period between July 1 and September 30. (Fiscal year 2014 begins on July 1, 2013 and ends on June 30, 2014.)

Payments must be received in the tax office by the due date to be considered timely. Post marks do not qualify as timely payments so please be sure that we receive your payment in time. There are no grace periods.

If your payment is paid after the due date for any quarter, interest will accrue at 14% of the remainder of the amount due for that quarter.

Quarter	Months in the Quarter	Due Date
1st Quarter	July 1 – September 30	August 1 or 30 days after the bill is mailed.
2nd Quarter	October 1 – December 31	November 1
3rd Quarter	January 1 – March 31	February 1 or 30 days after the bill is mailed.
4th Quarter	April 1 – June 30	May 1 or 30 days after the billis mailed.

Any unpaid balances after May 1 may result in tax liens on the property. Tax liens are subject to interest at 16%.

New Owners
Massachusetts General Law requires that the name on tax bills be the owner of record on January 1. If you purchase a property after the 1st of the year, please contact the Assessor’s Office to have the bill directed to you. You are still responsible for real estate taxes for property that you own, regardless of the name on the bill. Failure to receive a bill does not affect the validity of the tax, interest or penalty.

Mortgage Companies
Tax Bills, by law, are sent to the property owner as of January 1. If your mortgage company escrows your taxes, you may have to supply them with the tax payment information.