Thurston Treasurer extends property tax deadline due to COVID-19 impacts
Thurston County Treasurer Jeff Gadman has pushed the deadline for first half property tax payments to June 1 in light of the COVID-19 public health crisis and its impacts on businesses and individuals. The usual deadline is April 30.
Still, Gadman is asking those who can pay early to do so, to ensure adequate funding for essential services.
Gadman told The Olympian he made the decision after much discussion with taxing districts to find a date that wouldn’t leave them in a position where they couldn’t provide services. Property taxes account for a significant portion of funding for services vital to responding to the spread of COVID-19, such as Public Health and Social Services, fire districts, and law enforcement, according to a county press release.
“The first consideration is that the tax districts need the property tax payments in order to provide these vital services that everybody needs. but then, realizing the tremendous economic impact of business closures, people having to stay at home — money is not being spent in the economy the way it was,” Gadman said. “So, even people that are working at, say, a restaurant offering take-out, they’re not earning what they once did. Then, the thought goes to: I need to do something that I have in my power to help people.”
Late fees will be waived for individual taxpayers who send in their 2020 first half property tax payments by June 1, according to the county press release. Payments not received or postmarked by June 1 are subject to late fees.
The due date won’t be pushed out any further, Gadman said.
“I recognize that extending the deadline one month may not be all of the help that somebody needs, but we just could not go beyond that in order to keep the tax districts funded,” he said.
The extension does not apply to intermediaries, including mortgage servicing companies, or to the payment of delinquent prior-year property taxes, according to a county press release. Gadman said 55% of property tax revenue comes from those intermediaries; some residents already hve submitted payments, and he anticipates more to arrive in April.
Thurston County residents can make property tax payments by:
- Mailing a check, money order, or cashier’s check made payable to Thurston County Treasurer to 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW Olympia, WA 98502;
- Dropping the payment in the silver county drop box in the parking lot of the County Courthouse, at the above address;
- Online using a credit card (fee will be charged), Visa debit card (fee will be charged), or e-check (no fee will be charged), at: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/treasurer.
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