The following is compiled from a press release from the Town of Wilton.

Now that the town budget has been approved by voters, Wilton residents and property owners will receive the first half of their real estate tax bill and their property tax bills after they are mailed on June 26, 2024. The second half of the real estate tax will be billed in January.

Payments will be accepted by the Tax Collector’s office between July 1 and Aug. 1. The Town cannot accept payments before July 1, as that day marks the start of the new fiscal year. Payments received after Aug. 1, or that are postmarked after that date, will incur a penalty fee of 18% interest rate per year, with a minimum interest charge of $2. All checks mailed on Aug. 1 must be postmarked with an official U.S. Post Office postmark with that date in order to qualify as being on time.

Residents are also able to pay online, starting Monday, July 1.

Online payment fee: One change to this year’s tax payment process is that Wilton will be passing along the service fee companies have been charging the Town for accepting ACH payments for tax payments. This is in keeping with all of the surrounding towns who have been charging their constituents a small fee for years. Beginning in July, anyone who chooses to pay online using their banking information (ACH) will have a $1.95 per transaction fee added to their totals. Anyone who pays their real estate and property taxes at the same time will only be charged the service fee once. Anyone paying separate tax bills at separate times will incur the $1.95 fee for each payment. The fees for using a debit and/or credit card are 2.95% or a minimum of $2.95.

Payment processing change: Another change to this year’s tax collection is that tax payments will no longer be mailed to a lockbox in Hartford, where they were previously processed before being deposited. For the sake of safety and efficiency, payments will now all be processed at Town Hall by the tax collector before being deposited in the Town’s local bank.

In the town-issued press release, officials had words of caution for paying taxes this year:

“We cannot stress enough how important it is to look closely at your tax bill as soon as it’s received, and pay your taxes as soon as possible after July 1. As Aug. 1 draws near, phone lines, voicemail, email inboxes and lines at Town Hall grow extremely full. It becomes increasingly difficult for our staff to answer questions or address unforeseen problems the closer we get to the deadline. With construction of the new Police Headquarters, parking is also constricted this year, making trips to the Tax Office a little more complicated than in year’s past. Again, please plan accordingly.”

For anyone who does encounter a problem or has a question, officials recommend emailing the Tax Office, rather than calling. Using the email addresses for the whole department — Tax Collector or Assessor — ensures that many eyes will see a message and it will not be missed.

The press release included a message of thanks: “Thank you to all who participated in our Annual Town Meeting and to those who voted on next year’s budget. Your engagement, and your tax dollars, keep Wilton strong.”