Stearns County residents are reminded the deadline to pay the first half of their 2014 property taxes is due by Thursday, May 15. This is the last day to pay the first half without penalty.
To make paying taxes more convenient, Stearns County has several payment options. Residents can pay their property taxes online on Stearns County’s website at co.stearns.mn.us. Taxes can be paid online using either e-check or credit card.
ACH payment plans are also available. Payments are automatically deducted from a checking or savings account. This spreads payments out over either a quarterly or 10-month period. It’s easy to sign up for and easy to cancel. Call 320-656-3870 and ask for the direct payment plan.
Tax payments can also be made in person at either the Stearns County Service Center in Waite Park at 3301 CR 138, which is west of Mills Fleet Farm off of 28th Avenue S., or downtown St. Cloud at the Treasurer’s Office in the Stearns County Administration Center at 705 Courthouse Square, Room 136. Offices are open Monday through Friday. The Treasurer’s Office in downtown is open from 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. License Center West is open 8:30 a.m. 5 p.m., with a drive-through window that can be used to drop off payments.
Tax payments can also be mailed. When mailing a tax payment, it must be postmarked by the post office, not a private postage meter machine, no later than May 15 in order to avoid penalties. State law does not allow any exceptions. Penalty-rate information is shown on the reverse side of the tax statements. To ensure proper credit, the stub portion of the tax statement must be mailed along with a check or money order.
Residents can now sign up for paperless statements. To receive tax statements by email instead of mail delivery, sign up on the Stearns County web site at co.stearns.mn.us.
For more information or for answers to any questions, call the Treasurer’s Office at 320-656-3870 or e-mail taxes@co.stearns.mn.us.