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Help With Property Tax Billing Questions
Revised August, 2009

I did not receive my property tax bill. What do I do?
Step 1 – Obtain your current tax bill, so you can pay it on time and avoid penalties.
To locate a duplicate copy of your current tax bill, go online to the Montgomery County web site, www.montgomerycountymd.gov, to find your tax bill. You may pay it online, or print a copy and mail it in with your payment.

Use the following steps to find your tax bill:

• Go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov
   
• Click on the tab at the top of the page marked “Residents.”
   
• Click the link on the right side of the page marked “Property Tax.”
   
• Enter your tax account number (this can be found on a previous tax bill) or the property address. This web page also has a red button marked “FAQ” near the top of the page, which offers helpful information about property tax bills and payment.
   
• Click on the link to the account number to see your tax records, then click the link to view your current bill for 2009.
   
• You will see your current tax bill. You may either choose to pay the bill electronically or process a paper copy. For online electronic payment, see the buttons on the screen at the bottom of the bill. 
   
• Taxpayers may pay by mail with a check or money order payable to: Montgomery County, Maryland
  
  And mailed to:
     Montgomery County, Maryland
     Box 9418
     Gaithersburg, MD 20898-9418
  
  For questions, please call: (240) 777-8950

You may also call the Montgomery County Treasury Division at 240-777-8950 to request a duplicate paper copy of your bill be mailed to you. However, this office cannot make the permanent correction to your mailing address, so you still need to complete Step 2 below.

Step 2 – Correct the mailing address for future bills
The State Assessment Office maintains the records of legal owner information for property taxes. If the mailing address was established years ago (often by the original owner or developer) and it has not been updated by new owners or contacts, the tax bill may not reach the person responsible for the property taxes. The county mails tax bills to the addresses on record from the State Assessment Office and makes several attempts to locate owners if the bill is returned as undeliverable. Unfortunately, neither the county nor the City of Rockville can correct mailing addresses. The owner must contact the State Assessment Office to correct the mailing address for future bills. Follow the directions listed at www.dat.state.md.us/sdatweb/rp_address.html.

• Changes to the mailing address must be requested in writing by the legal owner or representative. The letter must include the following items:
     ·  state your name as the property owner or his/her legal representative
     ·  state the account number and address of the property (to look up the account number, see Step 1 above)
     ·  state the address to which all future correspondences are to be sent
     ·  state the address of the owner's principal residence
     ·  include a daytime telephone number
   
• Mail or fax the letter requesting a mailing address change to both:
   
  John Brennan, Supervisor of Assessments
  30 W. Gude Drive, Suite 400
  Rockville, MD 20850
  Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
  240-314-4510
  Commercial: 240-314-4530
  Fax: 301-424-3864
   
  AND
  
  Mr. Tim Firestine, Director
  Department of Finance, Montgomery County
  101 Monroe Street
  Rockville, Maryland 20850
  Phone: (240) 777-8860 Fax: (240) 777-8857
  Tax Bills: (240) 777-8950
   
• For security reasons, this request may not be e-mailed. However, you may contact the local State Assessment Office with questions by e-mailing mont@dat.state.md.us or calling 240-314-4510.

I own multiple properties in Rockville and received multiple tax bills. I don’t want to write all these separate checks. May I consolidate my payment?
Yes, the Montgomery County Treasury Division accepts a single check that covers multiple property tax bills. 
The following steps outline the procedure:

• Make a table (or electronic spreadsheet in Excel or similar program) that lists the tax account number for each property and the amount of payment due for that property. Show the grand total payment at the bottom of the “payment due” column. 
   
• Write one check for the grand total. It is important that your payment total matches the sum total of all the property bills added together. 
   
• Mail all of the tear-off coupons from the bottom of the paper tax bills (or a copy of each tax bill, if printed from the website), along with a copy of your spreadsheet and your check or money order payable to: Montgomery County, Maryland
  
  And mailed to:
     Montgomery County, Maryland
     Box 9418
     Gaithersburg, MD 20898-9418
  
  For questions, please call: (240) 777-8950

I don’t own this property, but I received a property tax bill for it. What should I do?
If you know the correct person who should have received the bill (i.e., if you received a bill for your homeowners association and it should go to your HOA president), please forward it appropriately. You may also return it to Montgomery County Treasury as undeliverable, but it would be helpful to the current owner/representative if you would alert them about the bill.

If you already have records showing you are not the current owner (i.e., you sold the property),  contact the State Assessment Office at 30 W. Gude Drive, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20850.  Phones: 240-314-4510 Commercial: 240-314-4530

The following information is provided from the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation Web site:
“If you wish to change your name or remove a name on your property record due to marriage, divorce, death, etc., a new deed must be filed with the local Land Records office where the property is located. You cannot change a deed to a property through the assessment office. Should a new deed need to be filed, contact an attorney, or title company for assistance.”

I received my tax bill after the due date. When is my payment due?
According to the Montgomery County Department of Finance Web site:

• Annual tax bills are due Sept. 30.
• First semi-annual installments are due Sept. 30.
• Second semi-annual installments are due Dec. 31.
• Supplemental and revised tax bills are due 30 days from the time of issue.

Pursuant to Maryland Law, tax payments must be made on or before the due date to avoid interest and penalty charges. Since postmarking only indicates when a payment was mailed and not actually made, postmarks are not accepted.

The following is a recommendation to taxpayers to ensure that payments are received and credited to your property tax account on time. For payments sent by regular mail, please allow five to seven  business days for the payment to reach the office by the due date. All payments received at the bank's processing facility (P.O. Box 9418 in Gaithersburg), will be processed using the day they are received. There may be a delay of up to five days in crediting an account if the payment is not sent in the proper form or is addressed to an incorrect location other than the address listed on the return envelope (also listed on back of the payment coupon). Please note that, generally, payments mailed by a courier or express mail to a P.O. Box cannot be delivered. Business days of the bank are Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays.

I believe the number of ERUs identified for my property is wrong. How do I correct this?
If you believe the number of parcels or Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs) for your property is inaccurate, please use the interactive map to view the aerial photo of your property and to see how the ERUs were calculated.

For additional information, e-mail Lise Soukup at lsoukup@rockvillemd.gov or call 240-314-8874, so she can verify your information and correct the records if needed.

I own condominium property and would like to explore how the utility fee can be divided differently between all owners. What should I do?
As a default, the City of Rockville equally divides the number of ERUs for a condominium property by the number of property owners. This equally apportions the fee amongst all owners. The City of Rockville can make changes to how the fee is distributed between property owners. To do this, submit a written request from the Condominium Association Board, or other governing body, outlining the preferred fee distribution percentages. Send the written request to Lise Soukup at lsoukup@rockvillemd.gov or 111 Maryland Ave, Rockville, Maryland, 20850.