COUNTY OF MACON. Edward D. Yoder, Treasurer Frequently Asked Questions about the 2014 payable 2015 Macon County Tax Bills

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1 COUNTY OF MACON Edward D. Yoder, Treasurer payable 2015 Macon County Tax Bills Q: My assessed value declined; why did my tax bill increase? A: Your taxes may be higher than they were last year for any or all of the following reasons: The local governments (such as schools and municipalities) in your area may have approved a higher tax levy than last year, thereby requiring a higher tax rate. The taxable value of your property may have increased. However, if your taxable value remains the same or declines, and the taxing district rates increase, your bill will increase. You may not be receiving all of the homestead exemptions for which your property is eligible. If you are comparing your tax bill to those of your neighbors, keep in mind your neighbors may be receiving homestead exemptions for which you are not eligible. Q: Does Macon County decide how much in property tax that the local governments listed on my tax bill can levy? A: No. Each local government has a board which makes this decision independently. Macon County has no authority to issue any property tax levy except its own. Q: Did Macon County increase its property tax levy over last year? A: Yes. The 2013 tax levy, excluding bonds, for the County of Macon funds was $10,131,379. The 2014 tax levy for The County of Macon funds is $10,571,379. This represents a 4% increase. Q: Did other taxing district levies increase over last year? A: The Macon County tax bill lists rates and amount of tax paid to each taxing district for the current year as well as the prior year. This is one way you can determine where increases and decreases are occurring on your tax bill. Q: If I think my assessment is incorrect, is it too late to file an assessment complaint? A: Generally, yes; by state law, complaints to the Board of Review must have been filed within 30 days after your township s assessment roll is published in the newspaper. The only exception is if there is a discrepancy in the physical data about your property, such as the square footage of the house. To compare your property s physical attributes to the assessment records, contact your Township Assessor (payable 2015) Macon County Property Tax Bills Page 1

2 Q: How is my property s assessment determined? A: For most non-farm property, the Township Assessor calculates the fair cash value of the property, and then develops an assessed value based on 33.33% of that fair cash value of the property as of January 1 of the assessment year, based on the three prior years of sales. The Supervisor of Assessments then equalizes all assessments to provide for uniform valuations in the County. Information about farm assessments can be obtained from the Supervisor of Assessments Office. Q: What methods can I use to pay my taxes? A: Taxes may be paid by cash, check (except last 30 days before tax sale), cashier s check, or bank money order payable to Macon County Collector. The Macon County Treasurer s Office accepts Credit and Debit cards with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover logo. NOTE: There is a convenience fee charged for using debit or credit cards. This is governed by State Statute. You may also pay online or by telephone through the State Treasurer s Illinois E-Pay system. (See Detailed Information on how to pay online or by phone on Page 4) Q: Where can I pay my taxes? A: You may pay your taxes in person at the Macon County Treasurer s Office during normal business hours. You can mail your payment to Macon County Collector, 141 S. Main Street, Room 302, Decatur, IL Mailed payments must be postmarked no later than the installment due date to avoid penalty. Payments may also be placed in the outside Drop Box located at the North end of our building, 141 S. Main Street. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you wish a receipt returned to you. Also many banks and credit unions in Macon County accept payments from their customers. Finally, you can make payment through Illinois E-pay. Q: What will happen if I don t pay my property taxes on time? A: If your installment is late, you will be charged 1 ½ % per month penalty. Penalty begins the day after the installment is due. Any portion of taxes not paid by the annual tax sale, usually held in November, will be sold at the tax sale. If your taxes are sold, you will retain the right to redeem your property for two and one half years if it is owner occupied. Other property must be redeemed within two years. To redeem the tax, you will have to pay costs and interest in addition to any tax due. For more information, contact the County Clerk s Tax Redemption Department. The Redemption of sold tax must be made by guaranteed funds. Q: Where can I view my property tax information online? A: contains a tab at the top entitled property tax info Under this tab is a link for Property Tax Bill Information. You will choose Parcel inquiry. This screen provides information about your parcel (payable 2015) Macon County Property Tax Bills Page 2

3 Q: How do I change the name/mailing address for my tax bill? A: Names and mail to addresses for tax bills must be made in writing to the Macon County Treasurer. Forms are available in the office or on the Treasurer s web page at Q: How do I change the name/mailing address for my assessment change notice? A: Assessment notice changes are made through the Supervisor of Assessments Office The Treasurer and Supervisor of Assessments maintain separate mailing address files. Q: What if I have other questions? A: For questions about Property Valuation, contact your Township Assessor: Austin Township - Fred Spittler Blue Mound Township John Jesse Decatur Township Vicki Sheets Friends Creek Township Shirley Wallace Harristown Township Supervisor of Assessments Hickory Point Township Roger Beanland Illini Township Fred Spittler Long Creek Township Julie Magana Maroa Township Barb Lamont Mt. Zion Township Supervisor of Assessments Niantic Township Supervisor of Assessments Oakley Township Tricia Napier Pleasant View Township John Jesse South Macon Township John Jesse South Wheatland Township Supervisor of Assmts Whitmore Township Tricia Napier For questions about exemptions or appeals, call the Supervisor of Assessments at For questions about how tax rates are developed, call the Macon County Clerk at For questions about tax bills or payments, call the Macon County Treasurer At (payable 2015) Macon County Property Tax Bills Page 3

4 Paying your taxes online or by telephone: The Macon County Treasurer s Office offers two payment options through E-Pay. To pay your Macon County property tax Online using a credit or bank/ card: To pay your Macon County property tax over the phone using a credit card or bank/ card: 1. Log on to 1. Dial Jurisdiction code is Enter Macon County Treasurer in the search box and click 2. When prompted for payment type, say Property Tax. the search button. 3. When prompted for the county name, say Macon. 3. Click on the link to the Macon County Treasurer s Office E-Pay site. 4. Provide the payment information as prompted 4. Click on the tax payment link near the bottom of the page. 5. Receive a payment confirmation number for your records 5. Fill in the payment information as prompted 6. Receive a payment confirmation number for your records. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted There are Convenience fees attached to every E-Pay Transaction These fees are governed by Illinois State Statute. These fees are NOT collected by Macon County - they are a fee charged by the banking clearing house. The fee structure is: All credit cards 2.35% (minimum $1.00) Debit Cards MasterCard, Discover and American Express 2.35% (minimum $1.00) Visa Debit (only) flat $3.95 Please note: ALL debit cards have a daily maximum limit- you may need to contact your financial institution for a temporary transaction limit increase before making your tax payment. Echeck s Flat $1.00 fee A full convenience disclosure statement is available at The E-Pay program is administered by the Office of the Illinois State Treasurer. Note: The E-Pay Program is available for use from the day the tax bills are placed in the mail through the 2 nd installment due date. (It is not available after the 2 nd installment due date) Macon County will explain and protect your rights as a taxpayer, we do not disclose or distribute your information, except as authorized by law. IDENTITY THEFT WHAT TO KNOW WHAT TO DO 2014 (payable 2015) Macon County Property Tax Bills Page 4

5 What is Identity Theft? Identity theft is a serious crime. It can disrupt your finances, credit history, and reputation, and take time, money, and patience to resolve. Identity theft happens when someone steals your personal information and uses it without your permission. Identity thieves might: Go through trash cans and dumpsters, stealing bills and documents that have sensitive information Work for businesses, medical offices, or government agencies, and steal personal information on the job. Misuse the names of a legitimate business, and call or send s that trick you into revealing personal information. Pretend to offer a job, a loan, or an apartment, and ask you to send personal information to qualify. Steal your wallet, purse, backpack, or mail, and remove your credit cards, driver s license, passport, health insurance card, =and other items that show personal information. How to Protect Your Information Read your credit reports. You have a right to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies. Order all three reports at once, or order one report every four months. To order, go to annualcreditreport.com or call Read your bank, credit card, and account statements, and the explanation of medical benefits from your health plan. If a statement has mistakes or doesn t come on time, contact the business. Shred all documents that show personal, financial, and medical information before you throw them away. Don t respond to , text, and phone messages that ask for personal information. Legitimate companies don t ask for information this way. Delete the messages. Create passwords that mix letters, numbers, and special characters. Don t use the same password for more than one account. If you shop or bank online, use websites that protect your financial information with encryption. An encrypted site has https at the beginning of the web address; s is for secure. If you use a public wireless network, don t send information to any website that isn t fully encrypted. Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a firewall on your computer. Set your computer s operating system, web browser, and security system to update automatically. If your Identity is stolen 2014 (payable 2015) Macon County Property Tax Bills Page 5

6 1. Flag Your Credit Reports Call one of the nationwide credit reporting companies, and ask for a fraud alert on your credit report. The company you call must contact the other two so they can put fraud alerts on your files. An initial fraud alert is good for 90 days. Equifax Experion TransUnion Order Your Credit Reports Each company s credit report about you is slightly different, so order a report from each company. When you order, you must answer some questions to prove your identity. Read your reports carefully to see if the information is correct. If you see mistakes or signs of fraud, contact the credit reporting company. 3. Create an Identity Theft Report An Identity Theft Report can help you get fraudulent information removed from your credit report, stop a company from collecting debts caused by identity theft, and get information about accounts a thief opened in your name. To create an Identity Theft Report: File a complaint with the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint or ; TTY: Your completed complaint is called an FTC Affidavit. Take your FTC Affidavit to your local police, or to the police where the theft occurred, and file a police report. Get a copy of the police report. The two documents comprise an Identity Theft Report. Red Flags of Identity Theft Mistakes on your bank, credit card, or other account statements Mistakes on the explanation of medical benefits from your health plan Your regular bills and account statements don t arrive on time Bills or collection notices for products or services you never received Calls from debt collectors about debts that don t belong to you A notice from the IRS that someone used your Social Security number Mail, , or calls about accounts or jobs in your minor child s name Unwarranted collection notices on your credit report Businesses turn down your checks Your are turned down unexpectedly for a loan or job Federal Trade Commission FTC.GOV/IDTHEFT ID-THEFT ( ) Taking Charge: What To Do If Your Identity Is Stolen Available online at ftc.gov/idtheft Order free copies at bulkorder.ftc.gov 2014 (payable 2015) Macon County Property Tax Bills Page 6