Why pay my property tax bill with an e-Check?

• It's fast
• It’s free
• It’s convenient
• You get an immediate receipt
• No need to visit the Tax Office

What taxes can I pay with an e-Check?

• Harris County real property, personal property, mobile homes, and mineral account taxes can be paid with no transaction fee when using an e-Check through the Tax Office Web site.

Can I make an e-Check payment from my savings account?

• No. you must us a regular checking account. No credit card checks, no savings accounts, home equity line checks, etc. can be used. Be aware that funds can be drawn only on U.S. banks. If you’re using a credit union account, be sure to use the appropriate electronic routing number.

Is my bank account information safe and my privacy secure?

• Information provided through this Web site for processing your transaction will not be shared with, or sold to, any party that is not part of the transaction. The information on the Amegy Bank of Texas Web site is encrypted for secure transactions.

How many of my property tax accounts can I pay at once?

• We can process only one account at a time.

Is this service available in Spanish?

• Yes. Just click on the select language button on the top right of our webpage and select spanish.

Who do I contact with questions about this site?

• The site has an e-mail button so questions can be answered by e-mail within 24 hours. The Tax Office phone number is 713-274-8000.

If I don’t have a computer at home or access to one at work, how can I pay my property tax bill with an e-Check?

• You may visit any Tax Office location during regular office hours. Computers are available at all locations for you to pay property taxes online, and employees are available to help. Also, Harris County and City of Houston libraries offer computers with Internet access.

Can I pay only a part of my property tax bill by e-Check?

• Yes. The Tax Office is accepting partial payments online when paying by e-Checks or credit cards.

What are the browser requirements to pay property taxes by e-Check?

• Your browser MUST support 128-bit encryption. If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, your browser should support this encryption. Netscape Navigator 4.08 and Netscape Communicator 4.74 (and later) also support 128-bit encryption, as does the latest version of Mozilla Firefox. If you are using an older version of these browsers, you can download one of the latest browsers from one of the links to Microsoft and Netscape provided on the Tax Office Web site.

Can I pay someone else’s property taxes with an e-Check on my account?

• Yes.

What date will be shown as the date of payment?

• The date the transaction is entered is shown as the date of payment. If you provide an e-mail address, a transaction copy receipt will automatically be sent to that e-mail address.

What do I use as a receipt?

• Your electronic transaction copy receipt will indicate the account number, property address, payment amount, and date paid on the printout. The Harris County Tax Office will mail a receipt of payment to the property owner of record.

How long before I can check my account online and see that my bill is paid?

• We expect to post your payment online within 10 working days. The account will show a pending status until funds are transferred to the Harris County Tax Office account.

Can I pay delinquent taxes online with an e-Check?

• Yes. But you must pay your entire balance-delinquent and current. Separate payments will not be accepted.

Can I reverse the payment from my bank account?

• No. Once submitted, the payment cannot be reversed. Contact our office at 713-274-8000 to make arrangements for a refund.

What if the payment does not clear my account?

• If the payment is rejected by your financial institution there will be a returned item charge of $30

Who is eligible?

• Installment Payment Agreements are available for current year delinquent taxes only. To qualify, you must have paid all prior year taxes and have no judgments or active lawsuits on your account.

When are Installment Payment Agreements available?

• Installment Payment Agreements are available beginning on the first business day in February. The deadline for entering into an agreement is:
  1. April 1st for Business Personal Property accounts
  2. and June 30th for Real Property accounts.
• No payment plan may extend beyond the last business day in October. Thus the number of months necessary to pay your current year taxes will depend on when you enter into the agreement.

What is the benefit of entering into an Installment Payment Agreement?

• Without an Installment Payment Agreement, delinquent accounts incur monthly penalty and interest charges on any unpaid amount due on the account. If the account remains delinquent, it will be turned over to an attorney for collection, at which time an additional attorney’s collection penalty of 15-20% will be assessed as follows:
  1. on Business Personal Property accounts, beginning on the second business day in April
  2. on Real Property accounts, beginning on the first business day in July
• With an Installment Payment Agreement, regular penalty and interest will still continue to accrue on any unpaid balance on the account. However, the additional attorney’s collection penalty of 15-20% will not be assessed and the account will not be turned over to a law firm for collection, provided that:
  1. all monthly payments are made in a timely manner.
  2. the balance is paid off by the date specified in the terms of your agreement.

How Do I Set Up an Payment Agreement?

• If you are interested in setting up an agreement, you may set it up online by entering your information above or contact the Tax Office by:
  1. email (tax.office@hctx.net)
  2. phone at 713-274-8000
  3. fax at 713-274-2219
  4. mail at P.O. Box 4663 - Houston, Texas 77210-4663.

Where do I mail my signed agreement and first payment?

• If you submit your payment online, the transaction must be completed by 11:59 PM Central Standard/Daylight Savings Time on the deadline day and you must mail the signed first payment coupon and the signed agreement to: P.O. Box 4663 Houston, Texas 77210-4663.
• If you submit both your first payment and the signed agreement by mail, please send both, along with the payment coupon to: P.O. Box 4622 Houston, Texas 77210-4622.

When can I expect to receive my installment Payment Agreement?

• You should receive your Payment Agreement packet within 15 working days of the day you contacted our office. If you don’t receive it within that time, call our office for instructions. You may also have a copy emailed to you by making a request through the tax office email address or including your email in your faxed request. If you sign up in person, you will receive your packet at that time.

Can I pay off the agreement early?

• Yes. You may pay the remaining amount due at any time before the end of your contract. If you want to pay the account early, please contact our office for the correct payoff amount.

How can I find out the amount of my final payment?

• The final coupon payment amount is an estimate. Please check the amount due on your account on our website or call (713) 274-8000 or email (tax.office@hctx.net) for the exact amount due before making the final payment.

When is my monthly payment due?

• The payments must be postmarked by the USPS no later than the last day of the month in which it is due. If the payment is made online or via the telephone the transaction must be completed by 11:59 PM Central Standard/Daylight Savings time no later than the last day of the month in which it is due.
• If the payment is sent by common carrier (UPS or FedEx), it must be received in our office no later than the last day of the month in which it is due. If you fail to make the minimum payment on time, your agreement is voided and any applicable delinquent collection penalties will be applied to the account and the account will be turned over to the law firm for collection action.

What happens if I miss a payment? Can I just start a new agreement?

• No. You can only enter into one Payment Agreement per year. If you miss a payment, your agreement will be defaulted.

What happens when my agreement is defaulted?

• Once the agreement is defaulted, you must pay the balance due on your account before the first business day in April ( for business personal property accounts) or in July ( for all real or non-business personal property accounts) to avoid having your account referred to a delinquent collection attorney. At that time, an additional 15%-20% penalty will be assessed on the total amount due on your account.