Still owe property taxes? This year’s calendar offers a few extra days before deadline
.JPG "Thurston County has pushed back the 2020 first half property tax deadline to June 1.")
Thurston County residents have until Monday to pay the first half of their 2022 property taxes without late fees being added.
The deadline to pay the first half is officially April 30, according to a county news release. However, residents have a few more days to pay because the deadline falls on a Saturday.
In such cases, state law requires a payment to be considered on time if it is received or postmarked by Monday, May 2.
Taxpayers have four options for paying their property taxes:
- Online at www.thurstoncountywa.gov/treasurer
- At the parking lot drop box at 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW
- In person at the Treasurer’s Office; or
- By mail to the Thurston County Treasurer at the Lakeridge address.
Office hours for the Treasurer’s Office are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those who pay with credit card will be charged a 2.35% transaction fee while those who use a VISA debit card will be charged a flat $3.95 fee.
Those who fail to make payments on time will be charged interest in accordance with state law, per the release. Anyone with questions can contact the Treasurer’s Office at 360-786-5550 or email trsr@co.thurston.wa.us.
In 2022, total property tax to be billed in Thurston County reached $536 million — a $34.3 million increase compared to 2021, according to the county Assessor’s Office. That total amount is distributed among 42 taxing districts in the county.
Voter-approved levies, legislative action from 2017-2019, and changing budgets led to the increase, according to the Assessor’s Office.
Local taxing authorities set their own budgets and tax rates while the Assessor determines assessed property values based on market rates. Taxing authorities include school districts, fire districts, cities, counties and more.
Levy rates are the same for all properties. However, values determined by the Assessor’s Office affect the amount of property taxes an owner pays.
The county’s total taxable property value rose from $40.68 billion in 2020 to $47.27 billion in 2021 — a 16.2% increase. The Assessor’s Office attributes the rise to a mix of new construction and housing market trends.
The average levy rate countywide fell to $11.35 per $1,000 of assessed value in the 2022 tax year compared to $12.35 for the 2021 tax year, according to the Assessor’s Office.
Those interested in learning more about their property tax distribution can search their property on a special county webpage the assessor’s office has created.
