The Tax Collector’s office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.The office does not close for lunch.
Telephone: (203) 758-4461
Fax: (203) 758-4466
Tax Collector’s email: [email protected]
Assistant Tax Collector’s email: [email protected]
Tax Collector Clerk email: [email protected]
The current Grand List year is 2023 and covers from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024.
A mill is equal to $1 or tax for each $1,000 of assessed value.To calculate property tax, multiply the assessment of the property by the mill rate, then divide by 1,000.For example, real estate with an assessed value of $350,000 (70% of the fair market value of $500,000) located in Prospect with a mill rate of 32.30 would be taxed at $11,305.00 per year ($350,000 x 32.30 divided by 1,000).A motor vehicle with an assessed value of $19,600 (70 % of the NADA value of $28,000) located in Prospect with a mill rate of 32.30 would be taxed at $633.08 per year ($19,600 x 32.30 divided by 1,000).
Following budget votes for both the Town and Regional School District, the Mayor recommends a mill rate to the Town Council for approval for the upcoming fiscal year. (All Connecticut municipalities have a uniform fiscal year which runs from July 1 through the following June 30.)The mill rate is determined by dividing the amount of revenue required for the upcoming fiscal year by the total assessed value of all taxable property.
Prospect’s current mill rate for the October 1, 2023 Grand List Year is 32.14
Three types of property are assessed and subject to taxes: Real Estate, Motor Vehicle, and Business Personal Property. Any land or buildings you own are considered real estate. Registered motorized or unmotorized vehicles, (including cars, trucks, trailers and motorcycles) are considered motor vehicles for tax purposes. Business Personal property is a general category including business equipment, machinery, furniture and fixtures either owned or leased by business. Unregistered motor vehicles are also taxed as personal property.
According to office records, there are past due taxes in your name or on the parcel of property in question. The Tax Amount Due on your current bill does not include the past due tax and interest amount. Back taxes and interest must be paid in full before payment on current bills can be accepted. Any payment you send in toward your current bills will be applied to the back taxes.
The tax bills that become due July 1st are generally mailed by the last week in June. The Town Budget must be passed in order for a mill rate to be set and tax amounts calculated. Following that process the bills must be printed and mailed. Duplicate bills are not mailed for the January portion of bills due in two installments.Real Estate and Personal Property (business) tax bills over $100 are sent in three-part forms, including copies for the July installment, January installment, and taxpayer’s record.Supplemental motor vehicle tax bills are mailed in December and become due January 1st.
Real Estate and Personal Property (business) taxes over $100 are due in two installments. The first installment of all Real Estate and Personal Property (business) tax bills become due July 1, 2024 and payment must be received by the Tax Collector on or before Tuesday, August 1, 2023, or contain an Official US Postmark of August 1, 2023 or prior.
The entire motor vehicle tax bill becomes due July 1, 2024 and payment must be received by the Tax Collector on or before August 1, 2024 or contain an Official US Postmark of August 1, 2024 or prior.
The second installment of all real estate and personal property (business) tax bills become due January 1, 2024 and payment must be received by the Tax Collector on or before February 1, 2024, or contain an Official US Postmark of February 1, 2024 or prior.
The entire supplemental motor vehicle tax bill becomes due January 1, 2024 and payment must be received by the Tax Collector on or before February 3, 2025 or contain an Official US Postmark of February 1, 2024 or prior.
There is a one-month grace period, from the due date of the bill (July 1st or January 1st) to pay without penalties .Late payment is subject to interest at the rate of 1.5% per month, 18% per annum, from the due date of the bill, on outstanding tax balances (CT General Statute 12-146). As an example: a tax becoming due on July 1st, but paid after the grace period on August 1st would be considered two months late and have an interest charge of 3%. Minimum interest is $2.00 per account. Late payments received will be applied to fees and interest first, followed by remaining tax balances (CT General Statute 12-144b). Interest charges cannot be waived or reduced (CT General Statute 12-146).
Per Connecticut statute section 12-146, interest cannot be waived. There are no exceptions.
No. Real Estate and Personal Property tax bills that are more than $100.00 may be paid in two installments, however, the tax bill you receive in July has the payment stubs for the first installment and the second installment as well as your Taxpayer’s Copy receipt. Reminder notices are sent the third week of January for real estate tax bills to those people who have not paid their second installment.
Yes. Please do not send cash payments in the mail.Checks can be mailed to: Tax Collector, Town of Prospect, 36 Center Street, Prospect, CT 06712.
Please be sure if you are mailing your tax payment, it arrives in the Tax Collector’s office on or before the last day to pay without penalty or contains and Official US Postmark of a date on or before the last day to pay without penalty. (CT General Statute 12-146)
Send a self-addressed stamped envelope along with the entire bill (Taxpayer Copy AND Remittance Copy) with your payment and we will mail you a receipt. A receipt will NOT be returned to you if you do not include the Taxpayer Copy, Remittance Copy AND a self-addressed stamped envelope.
You can also print a copy of your payment from www.townofprospect.gov under the Print A Paid Receipt tab. Paid receipts will be available on line 24 hours after payment is received and posted in the Tax Collector’s office.
Yes, one check can be written for all taxes due. Please double check your addition before writing your check to ensure a proper payment. Please include a daytime phone number on your check in case we have questions regarding your payment.
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Yes, payments can be made by taxpayers using your personal or business bank’s online bill pay services.Taxpayers are cautioned however that while payments are made electronically, banks issue actual checks, usually through a clearing house, which are then mailed to the Tax Collector.These checks may take several days to generate and are received without an Official US Postmark.Such payments are posted as of the date they are received in the Tax Collector’s office, regardless of when the bill payment transaction was initiated by the taxpayer. Taxpayers utilizing this payment option do so at their own risk.
If your name has been reported to the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as being delinquent in payment of motor vehicle tax, you will not be able to register, or renew the registration of, any motor vehicle until full tax payment in your name is made. There are no exceptions! Payments made by personal or business check and online payments take 7-10 business days from the date we receive the payment to clear DMV. An immediate release requires payment by cash at the Tax Collector’s office. Add an Additional $5.00 release per registrant.
Yes. All taxes must be paid in full to obtain a Release for DMV. If you need a release for DMV the same day you pay your taxes, you must pay by cash at the Tax Collector’s Office. Payments made by personal or business check and online payments take 7-10 business days from the date we receive the payment to clear DMV.
Do Not Ignore The Bill !!!
If you transferred the plates from one vehicle to another, you will pay the tax bill for the old vehicle in July. The following January you will receive a supplemental bill for the vehicle you currently own. The supplemental bill will have a credit for the old vehicle from the point in time that the plates were transferred.
If the vehicle was sold, totaled, junked, registered out of state, stolen and not recovered, or donated during the assessment period and you cancelled the plates with the Department of Motor Vehicles, you should contact the Assessor’s office to see if you qualify for a credit on your tax bill.You have a limited amount of time to apply for any credit.
Supplemental Motor Vehicle tax bills are issued when a vehicle is purchased after October 1st and before July 31st of the given grand list year. For example, if you purchased a vehicle in December, that motor vehicle supplemental tax bill covers the months of December through September of the following year. You will receive the supplemental tax bill for that vehicle the following January.
Your tax town is your town of residency as of October 1st each year. If you moved from Prospect after October 1st but still reside in Connecticut, you will pay Prospect for that October grand list year. If you do not update your registration address for each vehicle at DMV before October 1st you will be billed from the town DMV records show effective each October 1st. Municipalities within Connecticut do not apportion motor vehicle tax bills for part of a tax year. If you registered the vehicle in another state, contact the Assessor’s Office. If you move, you are required to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of your new address within 48 hours. Be sure that you request a change of address on your driver’s license and on your vehicle registration(s). Forms for this are available online at the DMV web site.
Contact the Tax Collector’s Office at (203) 758-4461 immediately. Failure to receive a tax bill does not invalidate the tax or interest due (CT General Statute 12-130). As owners of property, taxpayers are responsible to know when their taxes are due. Failure to have received a bill does not exempt the taxpayer from payment of all taxes and all interest charges. Interest is charged to all late payments. There are no exceptions to this. You can also look up your tax bills at Tax Bill Online.
Contact the Assessor’s Office at (203) 758-4461. The reasons for not receiving a tax bill for your business are many. You may not have filed the proper paperwork for your business with the Assessor’s Office.
If this is the case, you should not be receiving a real estate tax bill in the mail. Please write your loan number on your bill, and immediately forward it to your mortgage company with a note. The appropriate address for this purpose should be given in your mortgage payment coupon book.
Properties that were issued a Certificate of Occupancy after October 1, 2022 will receive a pro-rated bill in addition to the bill that originated October 1, 2022.You should contact your mortgage company to verify if they will be paying both bills or if you are responsible to pay the pro-rated bill.
Notify the Tax Collector’s office if you receive a tax bill for property that you no longer own. The tax office does not receive transfer of ownership information on the same day it occurs. It may take up to two months for the Tax Office records to update new owner information.
If you recently purchased property in Prospect and did not receive a bill, please contact the Tax Collector's Office immediately at (203) 758-4461.
Contact the Tax Collector's Office at (203) 758-4461 regarding your mortgage payoff and we will forward you a real estate tax bill.Mortgage companies sometimes take 2-3 months to notify the Tax Collector’s office of a paid mortgage.Mortgage companies send a list of properties they hold an escrow for in April for the July installment and November for the January installment.We send those installments to them electronically so those requested bills are not printed and mailed to the homeowner.If you do not notify the Tax Office that you paid off your mortgage and you are responsible to make the tax payment, you may not receive the bill in time to avoid interest being charged.Failure to receive a tax bill does not invalidate the tax or interest due (CT General Statute 12-130).
Exemption categories include Veteran; Spouse of a deceased Veteran; Blind; Totally Disabled; Motor vehicle of a Serviceman or Servicewoman (active duty); Farmers / Merchants; and Forest, Farm and Open Space. Veterans’ & other exemptions appear as a reduction to the assessment on your tax bill. For details, or if you think you qualify, contact the Assessor’s Office at (203) 758-4461.
Yes. If you or your spouse are age 65 or older, permanently reside in Prospect (legal residence), either own your own home or rent, and meet certain income restrictions, you may be eligible for one or more forms of town or state-financed tax relief. The filing period is February 1st through May 15th each year.For more information contact the Assessor’s office at (203) 758-4461.
Yes, the Town of Prospect offers a tax exemption for veterans who meet certain requirements. For more information contact the Assessor’s office at (203) 758-4461.
Collection of past due accounts is enforced by use of the various remedies available under the law, including: withholding and / or suspension of motor vehicle registrations; filling of tax liens; sale of real property at public auction (tax sale); levy and seizure of taxable goods and chattels, with subsequent sale and distribution; withholding, suspension or revocation of licenses or permits required in the operation of a business, including health permits; denial of building permits on tax delinquent property; and garnishment of wages. Also: Seizure of assets; seizure of bank accounts; and issuance of alias tax warrants for collection by marshal or constable. The Prospect Tax Collector's office is sincerely committed to the efficient collection of past due taxes.
Your first appeal should be directed to the Assessor, and then to the Board of Assessment Appeals, a citizen board which meets in March and September. If you are dissatisfied with the Boards decision, you may take your appeal to the Superior Court within 2 months of the Boards action. Appearance before the Board is required, but you do not need to hire an attorney. Documentation substantiating your appeal should be presented at that time. For more information about the appeals process, contact the Assessor's Office at (203) 758-4461.
If a check payment is returned from the bank for any reason, a return fee of $20.00 will be added to your account.If a payment made online is returned or rejected for any reason, a return fee of $15.00 will be added to your account.Unless restitution is made prior to a bill being considered delinquent, statutory interest is charged, just as with any other late payment.