Champaign County Treasurer

Daniel J. Welch

Frequently Asked Questions

Tax Collection Questions and Answers

1. What is my PIN #?
   
   Your PIN # is a 12 digit number that identifies your particular piece of property. It appears above your name and address on the payment coupon. If you need this number, contact the Supervisor of Assessments at 217-384-3760.
    
2. I have not received my tax bill yet.  When will I get it?
   
   Tax bills will be mailed on April 30, 2010. If you have not received your bill by May 15, 2010 please contact our office at 217-384-3743.
    
3. What if I do not receive a tax bill?
   
   If you do not receive a tax bill, it is your responsibility to contact our office to request a duplicate bill. If you are a new homeowner and the bill was issued in the previous owner’s name, contact our office for a duplicate bill. By law, failure to receive a tax bill, or receiving one late for any reason, will not relieve the taxpayer from paying taxes or late fees.
    
4. What if I just purchased the property and didn't own it last year?
   
   New homeowners should check their real estate closing documents, or with their Title Company or attorney, to see if they owe taxes due this year. Depending upon the closing and document recording dates, the tax bill may have been sent to the previous owner. If you find that you do owe taxes, please contact our office for a duplicate bill.
    
5. What year is this tax bill for?
   
   The tax bills that will be mailed on April 30, 2010 are for the calendar year of 2009. Illinois property taxes are based on the taxable value of your property on January 1 of the previous year.
    
6. What if I receive a tax bill for a property I no longer own?
   
   If you no longer own the property, please forward the bill to the new owner.
    
7. My mortgage company pays my tax bill, why did I receive a tax bill in the mail?
   
   We always send the tax bill to the homeowner, so that they can check their assessment and exemptions and confirm that they are correct. Mortgage companies do not need your bill to pay. They request your amount electronically and they pay your bill electronically. If your mortgage company has requested your amount that will be notated on your payment coupon with the following message: “This amount has been reported to a mortgage company (See mortgage information)”. If your payment coupon does not have this message, and your mortgage company is paying the bill, you will be responsible for getting the bill or the amount due to them.
    
8. When is each installment due?
   
   The first installment is due on Tuesday, June 1, 2010 and the second installment is due on Wednesday, September 1, 2010.  Due dates of June 1 and September 1 are set by law and can only change if they fall on a holiday or weekend.
    
9. Can I pay both installments at once?
   
   Yes, as long as it is done on or before the first installment due date, or with late fees included for payments made after the due date.
    
10. Do you accept a postmark as being on time?
    
    Yes we do. Be sure to mail your payment on or before the due date, and be sure that the Post Office marks your envelope with the date that you mail your payment. It is strongly recommended that you take your payment envelope inside the Post Office and have them apply a postmark at the counter in your presence.
     
11. What are the different ways that I can pay my bill?
    
    There are several convenient ways to pay your tax bill. They are all listed on the back of each payment coupon.
    
    a. We encourage you to pay at your local participating bank (see insert in your tax bill for names of banks) on or before the due date. Banks cannot accept any payment after the due date. You must have an original payment coupon to pay at a bank.
    
    b. You can mail your payment to us at P.O. Box 9, Urbana, Illinois 61802 (make checks payable to Champaign County Collector). Please include your payment coupon with your check. See question 10 for postmark information.
    
    c. You can pay on-line at www.illinoisepay.com and using a toll-free number (1-877-455-3729) with a credit card (see insert in your tax bill for details). Most major credit cards can be used. All credit card payments require a fee which is neither charged nor collected by the Champaign County Collector.
    
    d. You can pay at our office at the Brookens Center, 1776 E. Washington, Urbana, Illinois. Our office hours are 8am to 4:30pm Monday-Friday, except for holidays. We do extend our office hours on the due dates from 7:30am to 5pm. You can also use our 24-hour drop box in the south circle drive of the Brookens Center (under the flag pole). We accept cash, checks, money orders, cashier’s check as well as most major credit cards (fee required).
    
    e. Finally, you can sign up for Automatic Withdrawal of your payment from your bank account (see insert in your tax bill for enrolling details).
     
12. What happens if I must pay late?
    
    Late payment schedules are attached to each payment coupon. Follow these schedules only if paying late. If you follow the late payment schedule you will still receive any legally required late notices. By law, late interest must be charged on payments received after the due date (unless postmarked) and is assessed as 1.5% per month or any part of a month. Late interest increases every 30 days accordingly.
     
13. Do you send any reminders?
    
    Yes we do. We send a “friendly reminder” shortly after both due dates. We also send press releases to the local media regarding the bills being mailed and before each due date.
     
14. When do you stop accepting personal checks?
    
    Starting on Tuesday September 28, 2010 we will only accept cash, money orders, cashier’s checks, certified checks and credit cards in our office. You may also pay on-line at www.illinoisepay.com or using the toll-free number (1-877-455-3729) until midnight October 27, 2010.
     
15. What happens if I cannot pay my taxes?  What will happen to my property?
    
    By law, we are required to notify you two ways if you are unable to pay within a few weeks of the second due date. A delinquent notice is sent to you by certified mail and your name and amount due are to be published in a newspaper near your property. If there are any unpaid taxes after 4:30pm Thursday October 28, 2010 we are required by law to hold a Tax Sale. It will be held on Friday October 29, 2010. At that time, any unpaid taxes will be “sold” to a tax buyer who will pay them for the taxpayer. It is important to note, the property itself is not sold, just the taxes. After the tax sale, you will be liable for the tax amount sold at the tax sale as well as interest at a rate determined the day of the sale. Shortly after the Tax Sale, you will receive a Take Notice from the County Clerk letting you know the amount you owe and when that amount will change. To redeem your taxes you pay the County Clerk and the Clerk then pays the tax buyer back. If you do not redeem your taxes within 2 1/2 years the tax buyer has the legal right to petition the court for a deed to the property.
     
16. Who do I contact with questions about my bill?
    
    Listed on the back of each tax bill is a box with contact information for the offices of the County Clerk, Treasurer, Supervisor of Assessments and Board of Review offices. Also listed is the responsibility each office has for the information on your tax bill. Please call the appropriate office with any questions.
     
17. Why does the County charge a convenience fee on credit card transactions?
    
    The convenience fee is not charged by the County. The fees that are charged to the cardholder are given to the vendor that is processing the payment on behalf of the County. The fee goes towards the credit card processing fees and the costs of capturing the payment as well as providing a secure site for all of this to take place. The state and local governments who use the Illinois EPAY program do not receive any revenue from the convenience fee.
     
18. No one else charges me a fee for using a credit card, why on taxes?
    
    Unlike a retail store where the discount fee charged by the credit card company to the store is part of the price of all of the merchandise sold, taxes cannot be discounted, thus the fee is a separate item which the cardholder can see. When you purchase goods at a store with a credit card the fee charged to the store from the credit card company or bank is part of the price of the goods you are purchasing. You do not see the fee, but it is certainly included in the price of the items you are buying.
     
19. How is the convenience fee arrived at?  It seems high?
    
    The County is not involved with setting the convenience fee rate. The convenience fee is negotiated between the State Treasurer’s office and the credit card companies. By law, local governments can only accept credit cards if specific issues of due diligence are followed. Bidding and other issues are handled by the State Treasurer on behalf of the participants in the Illinois EPAY program. If we did the bidding ourselves, we would have no leverage since our numbers would be so small. By combining many local governments throughout the state, the EPAY program can negotiate a favorable rate. The rate that has been negotiated is not out of line with rates paid by retail outlets and in some cases is more favorable. If the County was required to absorb the credit card fees, we would not be able to offer credit cards as a payment option. The Illinois EPAY program is provided to units of local government at no cost.