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General
Information |
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As a property owner in Sarasota County, it pays to be informed about
your rights and responsibilities under Florida law. Understanding
the procedures regarding property taxes can save you money and will help
this office to better serve you. If you have questions not answered
here, please do not hesitate to call us at (941) 861-8300, option 3 or
e-mail Info@SarasotaTaxCollector.com
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When do I pay my property taxes? |
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 | Florida law provides for certain discounts on CURRENT
TAXES if they are paid before March of the following year.
Discounts are accepted according to the POSTMARK of your payment.
Tax bills are mailed out in November of each year with the following
discounts in effect for early payment: 4% if paid in November
3% if paid in December
2% if paid in January
1% if paid in February
Gross taxes become due in March
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| Taxes become delinquent April 1st and additional charges become due.
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| If you are paying your taxes on the installment plan, there is a
completely different schedule for payment. For more information
about the installment program, click here. |
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What if I don't get my bill? |
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| According to Florida law, it is the responsibility of
the property owner to see that a bill is received and taxes are paid.
Tax statements are sent to the owner and the address on record. If
you move, it is your responsibility to send written notification to the
Property Appraiser. A delay in recording of the deed can also
result in your not receiving a bill on your property. |
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| You should have received a separate tax bill for each
property you own. Verify that the legal description on the tax bill
is for all of your property. |
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| If you do not receive a bill by November 15th,
notify this office immediately or you can obtain one from this web site.
Click here. |
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The mailing address on my bill is incorrect.
How do I have it changed? |
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| The mailing address on your tax bill is certified to us by the
property appraiser. If your mailing address differs from that
shown on your tax bill, you may note your change on the Property
Appraiser's web site,
www.SC-PA.com, click on
"Address Change" in the navigation panel on the left side of the web page
or to download an address change form
click
here and mail it to the address listed on the form. |
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What if I receive a tax bill and I no
longer own the property? |
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| If you received a real estate tax bill for
property you no longer own, please forward it to the new owner or return
it to this office. If you received a tangible personal property
tax bill for property you no longer own, but you did own on January 1 of
the year on the tax bill, you are still responsible for paying the
taxes. If you did not own the tangible personal property on or
after January 1 of the year on the tax bill, you
need to contact the Property Appraiser immediately at (941)
861-8200. |
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What if I receive a notice stating "This bill has
been requested by an escrow company"? |
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| This statement means that an escrow company has requested your original bill.
By Florida law, when an escrow company requests a property tax bill, the
tax collector is required to send it to them. The property owner
then receives an informational notice, which is what you have. If your taxes are
not escrowed through a mortgage company, you
should submit
payment with the bottom portion of your notice. If your taxes are
escrowed you do not need to do anything further - your escrow company
would have received the same bill. However, if your taxes
are escrowed
and you received the original bill (no statement in the
box at
the top), contact your mortgage company
immediately. |
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How can I get a paid receipt? |
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| Paid receipts can be printed anytime from this web
site (click
here). |
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Do I have to pay all my taxes at once? |
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| There are two options that allow you to pay
less than the full amount due. For taxes that are due now you can make
a partial payment. For future taxes you may be able to pay quarterly
installments. |
| Partial Payments - You can make partial payments for
your property taxes but there are several things you should know before
making a partial payment. For more information
click here. |
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| Installments - If your taxes are at least $100 this year, you may
choose to pay next year's taxes on
the installment plan. Property owners
can apply online or send a completed
application to the Tax
Collector before May 1st for taxes which will be due later that year.
Otherwise, all taxes are due and payable in full. Payments are quarterly: in June, September
and December of the tax year, and March of the next year.
Remember,
you must plan ahead. If you wait until you receive your tax bill in
November, it will be too late to pay by installment for that year. |
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What if I cannot afford to pay my
property tax bill? |
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| Florida law entitles you to
defer payment of a portion of your tax bill if you are eligible for homestead
exemption. This also depends on your age
and income. Interest is charged on the deferred taxes
and treated as a lien against your property. Taxes and interest are
due only upon your death or if you sell your home. Application must
be made on or before January 31st. For more information,
click here. |
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| While your taxes will still be due in full, you are permitted to make
partial payments on your current year's taxes or to apply for quarterly
installments on next year's taxes. For more information, click here
for partial
payment or
installment
information. |
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I bought the property during the year.
Do I have to pay taxes for the whole year? |
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| No matter when you purchase the property, as the
owner, you are responsible for paying the entire tax bill mailed in
November. However, taxes are
usually prorated on the closing statement and credit is given by the
seller for the time during the year that you were not the owner.
This credit is between you and the seller.
No money is given by the seller to the
Tax Collector as partial payment of that year's taxes. |
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Who decides what my taxes will be? |
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| According to Florida law, your tax bill includes both
ad valorem taxes and non-ad valorem assessments. For more
information about each of these: |
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Is my property tax payment
deductible on my federal income tax return? |
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| If you itemize your deductions on your tax return, you may include
the Ad Valorem tax portion of your bill in your deductions.
However, the non-ad valorem assessments on your bill may not be
deductible. You should consult with your tax return preparer
before including the non-ad valorem assessments in your deductions. |
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| According to the IRS website on itemized deductions: "Include
taxes (state, local or foreign) you paid on real estate you own that was
not used for business, but only if the taxes are based on the assessed
value of the property." For further information, the following is
a link to the relevant section on the IRS website. Go to page A-5,
"Line 6 Real Estate Taxes".
www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040sca.pdf
(2012 instructions are not yet available.) |
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Who do I contact for other questions? |
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| Property Values |
| Address Changes |
| Exemption Information |
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Bill Furst
Property Appraiser
(941) 861-8200
www.SC-PA.com |
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| Recording of Deeds |
| Copies of Deeds |
| Documentary Stamps |
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Karen Rushing
Clerk of Circuit
Court (941) 861-7400
www.SarasotaClerk.com |
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