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Tax Collection
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Revenue from Property Tax Levies / Tax
Roll Correction /
Filing a Protest / Mortgage Company Payments
Delinquent Taxes / Escrow Payment Plan
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Frequently
Asked Questions / Forms
Available*/
Pay Taxes Online
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*Any forms available on this page require
Adobe
Acrobat Reader for viewing and/or printing. This is a free download
which can be acquired by clicking the icon below. If you have trouble
accessing these forms,
request them from the County Treasurer's office at
treasurer@prattcounty.org
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Tax bills are mailed on or soon after November 1. The first half is due by December 20. If the first half is not paid by then, it begins to accrue interest. If the first half is paid by December 20, the last half will be due by May 10th of the following year. Second half tax bills are mailed around the middle of May. If your property taxes are paid out of an escrow account, your tax bill will be sent to the mortgage company or bank that handles your escrow account.
If your property value goes up, it does not necessarily mean you will pay more taxes. Likewise, if your property value goes down or does not change, it does not automatically mean you will pay less or the same amount of taxes. Your property taxes are based on how much your local taxing authorities decide to spend on services each year.
The first $2,300 in residential assessed value is exempt from statewide USD taxes.
Real Estate Taxes:
After December 20 and until May 10th, the first half payment plus interest can be paid. If not paid by May 10th, the full tax plus interest must be paid. There is no longer the option of paying the first half. If taxes are due and unpaid for three years, the property is subject to a tax foreclosure suit by the County. The property can then be sold at public auction. Anyone that has delinquent real estate taxes in the county cannot bid at these auctions.
Personal Property Taxes:
After December 20 the full amount of personal property taxes are due plus
interest. Full unpaid personal property taxes are sent to the Sheriff
for collection in March. If the first half taxes are paid in December,
the second half is due May 10th. Second half unpaid personal property taxes
are sent to the Sheriff for collection in August.
Mill
Levies:
The mill levy is the tax rate applied
to the assessed value. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value.
Since 1996 the Legislature and Governor have reduced the statewide USD
levy from 35 mills to 20 mills. The County Clerk computes the mill levies
for each local taxing authority by dividing the portion of the taxing
authority's budget that is property tax funded by the taxable assessed
value in the taxing authority's service area.
Revenue from Property Tax Levies:
Local taxing authorities do not receive more money by raising property
values. Changes in property values do not change the amount of tax dollars
needed for local services. A local taxing authority has authority to levy
tax on property within its jurisdiction based on the amount of money needed
to provide public services. The local taxing authorities' budgets are
published, public hearings are completed, and budgets are set in August
of each year.
The following is a list
of the most common taxing authorities:
Airport Authority
Ambulance
Cemetery
City
Community College
County
Fire
Hospital
Improvement district for sewers, streets, water, etc.
Local USD
Public library
Statewide USD
Sewer-Water
State
Township
Watersheds
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All tax bill corrections are issued by the Pratt County Appraiser. The County Clerk's office receives this information and issues a corrected real estate or personal property tax bill. Reductions will be reflected on the second half payment if taxes are not paid in full. Fully paid taxes with a reduction will create an overage resulting in a refund.
1. If you have not had a meeting with the County Appraiser on the valuation of your property for the same tax year, you can file a protest. Protest forms are available from the County Treasurer or online below.
You must have Adobe
Acrobat Reader to view and/or print out the following form.
To download free, click on the icon below.
If you have trouble accessing this form, request it at
treasurer@prattcounty.org
2. Please read and follow the instructions on the form carefully for a successful appeal. Note: If the protest form is received in the Treasurer's office unsigned, the protest will be considered invalid and will be returned to you. The delay may jeopardize your chances for a hearing.
3. Tax protest forms must be completed, then signed before sending to the Treasurer's office on or before December 20. If the taxes are paid by an escrow agent in full (not first half), you have until January 31 of the following year to file your protest.
4. You must keep a copy of the protest form. You will need to use this form to file the protest with the Board of Tax Appeals if you are not satisfied with the County's decision.
5. The County Appraiser will contact you to schedule an informal meeting after the County Treasurer forwards your protest form to the Appraiser. If you are filing a protest on the basis of an illegal tax levy, an Appendix must be completed and attached to the protest form. Those protest forms will be mailed by the Treasurer to the State Board of Tax Appeals. No informal hearing will be held with the Appraiser in the case of illegal tax levies.
6. If you are successful in your appeal and your taxes are reduced and result in a refund, payment will be issued upon the Treasurer receiving a correction from the County Appraiser's office.
If you have an escrow account for your real estate taxes with a mortgage company, the mortgage company should receive the tax statement. If you do receive the tax statement instead of the mortgage company, we ask you to forward it to the mortgage company so they can pay taxes from the escrow account. We also ask you to have your current mortgage company notify the County Treasurer's office so that we can get the correct billing information from them.
Mortgage companies are required by Federal Law to make half payments, so they will be paying taxes on or before December 20 and on or before May 10th.
Past due notices are sent to the homeowner, not to the escrow agent. If the mortgage company was to have paid these taxes, you must inform them that the Treasurer's office for the County did not receive the payment. If there are any questions, the mortgage company needs to call the County Treasurer's office at 316-672-4116.
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Delinquent Taxes
Delinquent real estate taxes not paid within three years are referred to the County Counselor for foreclosure action, thus putting the property in jeopardy of being sold at auction. Details of Tax Foreclosure Sales may be obtained by requesting a list from the Pratt County Treasurer's office. This information will also be available online at the time of a tax sale.
Publication of
Delinquent Real Estate Taxes:
Prior to current year delinquent taxes being put in the delinquent records
of the Pratt County Treasurer, they are published in the official county
newspaper (as designated by the Board of County Commissioners*) for
three consecutive weeks in August in accordance with the provisions
of K.S.A. 79-2301 to 79-2323a.
Publication of
Delinquent Personal Property Taxes:
Personal Property taxes that are unpaid October 1 of the current tax
year are published in compliance with K.S.A. 19-547 for three consecutive
weeks in October in the official county newspaper (as designated by
the Board of County Commissioners*).
*The Pratt Tribune
The Pratt County Treasurer has had numerous requests for advance payments on property taxes. In order to provide such a service, the Pratt County Treasurer has formally instituted a program whereby any taxpayer may make monthly payments to a tax escrow account.
This program is designed for any taxpayer to make 12 monthly payments in order to spread his/her tax liability throughout the year, as opposed to either a half or full payment in late December. Monthly payments will be set by using an estimate on the previous year's taxes. Should the escrow account come up short, the taxpayer would be notified in November of any outstanding balance, thereby allowing the taxpayer sufficient time to pay the balance by the mandated due date. Payments may be made by mail, in person, with automatic bank withdrawal, or by payroll deduction (if offered by your employer). The preferred method of payment is automatic withdrawal.
To initiate the automatic withdrawal process, the taxpayer needs to complete an authorization form. This is available here.
Automatic Withdrawal Authorization Form
You
must have Adobe
Acrobat Reader to view and/or print out the following form.
To download free, click on the icon below.
If you have trouble accessing this form, request it at
treasurer@prattcounty.org
Q. When should I receive
my tax bill?
A. You should receive your real estate and personal
property tax statement for the current year by the middle part of November.
If only the first half of the current year taxes are paid in December,
the second half tax statements are mailed out in Mid May. If the full
amount was paid in December, you should not receive a second half statement.
Q. What if my mortgage company
pays my real estate taxes and I received the tax bill?
A. If you have an escrow account for your real estate
taxes with a mortgage company, the mortgage company should receive the
tax statement. If you do receive the tax statement instead of the mortgage
company, we ask you to forward it to the mortgage company so they can
pay taxes from the escrow account. We also ask you to have your current
mortgage company notify the County Treasurer's office so that we can get
the correct billing information from them.
Q. What should I do if I
don't receive a tax bill?
A. If you are to receive a statement but do not by
the end of November, please contact the County Treasurer's office at 316-672-4116.
Q. When are my real estate
taxes due?
A. If you are responsible for paying taxes
on a home or other real estate property, the full amount could be paid
or the half amount on or before December 20 of that tax year. If the first
half is paid, the second half of that year's taxes are due on or before
May 10th of the following year.
Mortgage companies are required by Federal Law to make half payments, so they will be paying taxes on or before December 20 and on or before May 10th.
Q. What
happens if I don't pay my real estate taxes on time?
A. If the first half of the current year real estate taxes are not paid
by December 20, interest will start accruing December 21. You should receive
a delinquent real estate tax reminder the first week of January.
If the mortgage company was to have paid these taxes, you must inform them that the Treasurer's office for the County did not receive the payment. If there are any questions, the mortgage company needs to call the County Treasurer's office at 316-672-4116.
You or the mortgage company can pay the first half of the current year taxes with interest up until May 10th. After May 10th, if the first half of the real estate taxes has not been paid, the full amount of the current year tax plus interest will have to be paid. If the current year tax has not been paid by the first of August, there will be an additional fee of $15.00 for advertising. Pratt County is required by Kansas State law (KSA79-2303) to publish a list of unpaid real estate taxes.
If taxes go unpaid by the first Tuesday after the first Monday in September, taxes will be put on the delinquent tax roll, and it becomes a lien on the real estate. If you want to pay delinquent years, Kansas State Law (KSA79-2401A) requires that the most delinquent year be paid first. Example: If you have taxes owing for 1993, 1994, and 1995, the full amount for 1993 must be paid before payment for the 1994 and 1995, or, of course, you can pay all the years at once.
Q. When would my real estate
property be up for tax sale?
A. Real estate property taxes three years delinquent
are subject to a tax foreclosure action and public sale.
Q. When are my personal property
taxes due?
A. The first half of the personal property taxes
are due on or before December 20. If you pay the first half of the personal
property taxes in December, the second half is due on or before May 10th
of the following year.
Q. What
happens if I don't pay my personal property taxes on time?
A. If the first half of the personal property taxes are not paid by December
20, the full tax amount plus interest becomes due, starting December 21.
Delinquent notices for personal property are sent out the third week in
February. If they are not paid, warrants are issued. Warrants are issued
30 days after notices are mailed. Tax warrants go to the County Sheriff
for collection of delinquent taxes, interest, and sheriff fees. Payments
are payable to the County Sheriff.
If you paid the first half of your personal property taxes on time, the second half of the personal property taxes are due on or before May 10th. If these taxes are not paid by May 10th, interest will begin to accrue.
Delinquent personal property tax notices are mailed on or before July 27. If they are not paid, tax warrants are issued by August 15. All delinquent personal property tax must be paid at the County Sheriff's office. Kansas State Law (KSA79-2017) requires delinquent personal property to be advertised in October. If you have any previous years owing on personal property tax, they must be paid at the County Sheriff's office.
Q. What is the interest charged
on delinquent taxes?
A. At the current time, it is 12% annually.
Q. Can I make partial payments
on my taxes?
A. No. Depending on the time of year, you can only
make half or full payment. Partial payments can only be made through the
Tax Escrow Program.
Q. What type of payment is
acceptable for tax payment?
A. You may use a personal check, money order, cashier's
check, cash, or Discover card.
Q. To whom do I make my check
out?
A. For real estate and personal property tax statements
and reminders, make checks payable to Pratt County Treasurer. For personal
property tax warrants, checks should be made out to Pratt County Treasurer.
Q. Where can I pay real estate
and personal property taxes?
A. You may pay your taxes at our office located at
the Treasurer's Office, County Courthouse, 2nd Floor, 300 S. Ninnescah,
Pratt, KS.
Q. To where can I mail my
tax payment?
A. The Pratt County Treasurer, PO Box 905, Pratt,
Ks. 67124
Q. Do County Treasurers accept
any other credit cards than Discover?
A. No. At this time Discover is the only credit card
accepted. Other credit card companies are waiting for Federal legislation
to allow passing the user fee on to the taxpayer.
Q. What is the Discover Card
user fee schedule?
A.
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Transaction
Amount Fee Schedule
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Tax
Amount
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Fee
Amount
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$.01
- 200
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$3.00
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$200.01
- $500
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$4.00
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$500.01
- $1000
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$9.00
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$1000.01
- $2000
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$16.00
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$2000.01
and up
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$25.00
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Q. Why do I have to pay the
user fee?
A. Unlike a retail business, whose credit card fees
are hidden in the cost of the merchandise, the County Treasurer's office
uses the option of the Discover Card as a service to the individual taxpayer.
The fee is remitted to Discover Card.
Q. Can I pay my taxes by
Discover Card over the phone?
A. No. Due to liability, we require written authorization.
A Discover
Card charge authorization form (available below) is mailed out with tax
statements or available online below. This Discover Card charge authorization
form should be filled out in its entirety.
Be sure to do the following.
- Write in the card number; make sure you write it correctly.
- Write in the expiration date of the card.
- Write in the tax amount.
- Write in the fee amount. Most people forget this; however, the County Treasurer has the authorization to impose automatically the required transaction fee.
- Sign it.
If the authorization form is not filled out in its entirety, your payment can not be processed and will be sent back to you.
Discover
Authorization Form
To use this online form, you need to download Adobe
Acrobat Reader.
To get this free download, click on the icon below.
If you have trouble accessing this form, request it from the County
Treasurer's office at
treasurer@prattcounty.org
Q. How will the charge show on my Discover
statement?
A. The charge will show as a purchase on your statement.