GEORGETOWN — Mail those tax returns early if you’re using the U.S. Postal Service, says Williamson County Tax Assessor/Collector Larry Gaddes.
According to a release, Gaddes encourages taxpayers to send payments several days in advance to avoid potential postmark delays from the post office.
Last year, the USPS implemented a nationwide change to its postmarking process that could affect the timeliness of mailed property tax statements, county officials said.
Under the new system, mail is not being postmarked until it passes through an automated sorting process at a regional distribution center, which may not occur until possibly several days after it is dropped off or mailed.
Under this system, tax payments mailed on or before the deadline but postmarked after the deadline may incur penalties and interest, officials said.
In the past, if a payment arrived late but the postmark held the last date for acceptance, tax offices accepted the payments without imposing penalties, according to the release.
Stock photo To avoid penalties and interest taxpayers should use one of the following payment methods, Gaddes said:
• Mail payments several days prior to the deadline to allow time for postal processing
• Request a postmark at a postal service retail location or
• Request a Certificate of Mailing from the USPS
• A commercial postal meter stamp will not be recognized as a valid USPS postmark • Make payments or view alternative payment options at www.wilcotx.gov/ propertytax/paymentoptions For more, email propertytax@wilcotx. gov or call 512-9431601.
