As the calendar turns over into a new year, property owners face an important deadline at the end of the month. 

Princeton property owners whose taxes were not included in their monthly mortgage payment are reminded that the deadline to pay property taxes to the Collin County Tax Office is Monday, Jan. 31, to avoid fines and penalties.

Tax statements were mailed to property owners in October last year from the county tax office on behalf of entities throughout Collin County. Appraisal values were certified in July 2022 before city and school district tax rates were finalized for the current fiscal year.

Princeton bills include taxes due the city, county, Princeton Independent School District and Collin College.

In Princeton, the property tax rate is $0.534 per $100 of assessed value for the city and $1.44 per $100 of assessed value for Princeton ISD. Additionally, homeowners will pay $.081 per $100 of assessed value for Collin College. 

Taxes are due upon receipt of the tax notice but may be paid without penalty and interest until Jan. 31. For property owners who may have sold last year, the individual listed as the owner Jan. 1, 2022, is responsible for the property tax.

Penalties and interest will be added to bills starting in February and increasing monthly through June 30 when they are turned over to an attorney for collection. Total penalties and interest by month are: 7% in February, 9% in March, 11% in April, 13% in May, 15% in June and 33% in July. 

Property owners who are over 65 years of age, or are disabled, can pay taxes in four equal installments. Payment months are January, March, May and July. If an installment is missed, the full penalty and interest will be applied to the original amount.

There is also a property tax deferral program that allows taxpayers to pay the amount owed at any time with a 5% yearly interest charge instead of the standard 24% interest rate applied. However, the deferrals only count for the current year and cannot be applied to any amount owed for previous years.

The tax assessor-collector office is responsible for mailing out property tax notices for all entities in the county beginning in October. These notices represent more than 50 different taxing entities within Collin County.

Property taxes payments can be made by cash, check or credit card. For credit card payments, a 2.15% service charge will be applied to the property tax bill.

Payments can be made by mail but must be postmarked before Jan. 31. Individuals should also be mindful of liens placed on properties equal to the amount of tax owed.

According to the tax assessor office, it is not recommended to wait until the end of the month to mail the payment because the post office may not postmark the envelope until Feb. 1, resulting in penalty and interest for a February payment.

The tax assessor-collector has offices located at 2300 Bloomdale Road in McKinney, 6101 Frisco Square Blvd., Suite 2000 in Frisco and 900 East Park Blvd., Suite 100 in Plano.

For more information, visit collincountytx.gov/tax_assessor.

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