Need to Know: Paying Your Summer Property Taxes

July is well under way, and you should have received your summer property tax bill, which the city mailed July 1. Birmingham residents receive two property tax bills per year — one mailed July 1, the other mailed Dec. 1.

The summer bill is due next month, so instead of sweating the details, here's what you need to know.

Quick facts

• You have until Aug. 31 to pay your July property taxes.
• If you don't pay by Aug. 31, the penalty is three-quarters of 1 percent of your total bill, per month.
• Tax bills are mailed either to the homeowner or to the homeowner's mortgage company. Keep the city informed of any change in address.
• If you did not receive your tax bill by the end of the first week in July, call the city's Treasury Department at 248-530-1890.
• Deferments are available for senior citizens and legally disabled people who have an annual income of less than $40,000. If a deferment is granted, summer taxes may be paid on or before Feb. 14, 2012.

How to calculate your tax bill

Wondering how the city calculates your tax bill? The city of Birmingham offers these simple instructions:

• Divide the taxable value of your property by 1,000.
• Multiply that number by the millage rate (43.3681).

How to pay your taxes

Taxes may be paid in person or by mail. The Treasury Department is located at , 151 Martin St. The office is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, except for holidays. Payments must be received by the city on or before the due date to avoid penalty.

Visa and MasterCard payments are available through CertifiedPayments.net by phone or Internet only. For property taxes, click on the Payment Center and use Bureau Code 8969422. To pay by touch-tone phone, call 866-549-1010.

If you wish to pay in installments, you must pay at least 30 percent of the taxes due, complete an installment payment form at the Treasurer's Office, and pay an additional 2 percent of the remainder of the taxes on or before July 16. After Aug. 31, you will be required to pay 0.75 percent of the remaining balance per month.

For more information, visit bhamgov.org, click "Services," then "Online Payments."

All information is courtesy of the city of Birmingham's .