Property tax delinquency happens when you fail to pay your property tax liability on time. For Texas, that’s because on January first, the due date is usually January 30th, regardless of what. If you fail to pay by that time, you’re delinquent as of February 1st. The exact amount you owe depends on how much your home is worth, based on your county s assessment rate. Click here to get a free consultation with a New Jersey tax lawyer.
Two ways exist to help taxpayers avoid delinquency and tax liability. One way is providing tax relief programs (the other way) to taxpayers who can’t pay their taxes. Tax relief programs are actually state-funded programs that are designed to help taxpayers who can’t pay their taxes get some measure of relief from the financial harm that failure to pay can cause. Basically, these tax relief programs are ” carrots “and” sticks. You get a carrot when you qualify for tax relief, and you get a stick when you miss your payments. If you fall behind on your tax bills, your qualified for the relief will be reduced or eliminated, and so will your benefits.
Another way to avoid tax delinquency is through tax debt consolidation. In essence, a tax debt consolidation company would advise you of repayment plans (in terms of installments) that would allow you to keep your home and avoid tax delinquency. The government realizes that, without tax delinquency relief programs in place, the economy would crumble. This is why many local governments offer consolidation loans (at very attractive terms and interest rates), and even counseling services to help people keep their homes.
There is another way, though, to avoid tax delinquency and keep your home: invest in a tax lien. A tax lien is simply the right to buy back a tax delinquent property. You do not have to worry about going through the process of tax delinquency again. A tax lien will allow you to purchase the property back tax free, which means that the initial tax bill will be paid once the property is purchased, thus greatly reducing or eliminating the amount of money you would have otherwise paid in property tax.
The most common way that this occurs is through a “falling” economy – meaning that tax delinquency becomes more likely the less money is spent each year. For example, during a year when a major city’s budget is cut in half, property tax rates can increase by hundreds of dollars. Even when tax delinquency is not a huge problem, the buyer is usually unable to finance the full amount of the mortgage balance at this point, resulting in a short sale or foreclosure. These unfortunate events often occur during tough economic times.
Fortunately, there are many solutions available for tax delinquency. While state governments are often willing to provide assistance to local governments in addressing these issues, most often these programs require upfront payments from the property owners themselves. Many tax delinquents try to avoid their local governments and pay their tax bills directly to the IRS, but in doing so they often find that their tax debts get more complicated and collection calls continue to increase.
For those who cannot pay their property taxes, there are also many tax lien sales that can help property owners return their tax debt to the local governments. Regardless of which path you choose, it is important that you are aware of your options and that you are proactive about making sure that your tax delinquencies do not affect your credit rating or prevent you from obtaining affordable housing down the road.
Another thing a tax law attorney can do for you is help you negotiate a tax settlement or a tax compromise agreement, said