County responds to resident questions following enactment of federal tax reform legislation
New Castle, DE – Following last week’s enactment of federal tax reform legislation, residents have asked whether New Castle County accepts pre-payment of next year’s property taxes prior to January 1, 2018. While federal tax law has allowed unlimited deduction of state and local income and property taxes, the measure signed into law last week will have implications for deductions of state and local taxes beginning January 1, 2018, including a provision that will cap the federal deduction of state and local income and property taxes at $10,000 per year.
While New Castle County emphasizes that it does not provide tax advice and cannot confirm a tax advantage from pre-paying property taxes, the County Finance Department does accept pre-payment of county and school property taxes. County officials strongly advise individuals who are considering the tax implications of property tax pre-payment to consult with their accountant or qualified tax adviser.
Property owners who seek to pre-pay 2018 property and school taxes by December 31, 2017 are encouraged to use the county’s online payments vendor at https://ipn.paymentus.com/otp/stde/nccp. Online payments can be made with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and electronic check. Property owners with questions about online payments can call the County’s online payments vendor Paymentus at 1-877-225-7351. Please note: Paymentus charges a 2.5% service fee for all payment transactions.
In order for payments to be properly credited to a taxpayer’s account, property tax pre-payments must include the property owner’s name, the property’s street address and the property’s account/parcel number. Property account/parcel numbers can be found using the County’s online parcel search page at http://www3.nccde.org/parcel/search.
New Castle County also accepts property tax payments in the following ways (however, please note that payments made late this week through these alternative payment methods are unlikely to clear by December 31, 2017):
- Walk-in payments by cash, check, money order, and debit card are accepted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the New Castle County Government Center, 87 Reads Way, New Castle.
- A drop box at the main entrance of the New Castle County Government Center is available 24 hours a day for making check and money order payments.
- Payments can be sent via postal mail to New Castle County Taxes, P.O. Box 430, Claymont, DE 19703.
- Property owners may also choose to make pre-payments through an online payment service, like those offered through banking institutions.
Learn more about payment of property and school taxes on the County’s website at http://nccde.org/Taxes.
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Contact: Jason Miller, Director of Communications, 302-545-1462