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Receiver of Taxes

Show All Answers

1. Where is the tax office located?

The Receiver of Taxes Office is located at:
200 N Franklin Street
First Floor
Hempstead, NY 11550

2. What is the tax office phone number?

The tax office phone number is 516-538-1500.

3. How do I get to the tax office?

If you live West of Hempstead:

• Hempstead Turnpike (Route 24) East, turns into Fulton Street in the Village of Hempstead. Left on N Franklin Street. Proceed 3 blocks north, gray building on right, between Bedell Street and Kellum Place.
• Southern State Parkway East (Exit 19 North - Peninsula Boulevard). Take Peninsula to N Franklin Street. Left onto N Franklin Street. Go north 4 blocks, gray building on right.

If you live East of Hempstead:

• Take Hempstead Turnpike (Route 24) West into Hempstead Village. Right on North Franklin Street. Go north 3 blocks, gray building on right.
• Southern State Parkway West (Exit 19 North - Peninsula Boulevard) Take Peninsula to N Franklin Street. Left onto N Franklin Street. Go north 4 blocks, gray building on right.

4. What taxes does your office collect?

We collect both School and General County, Town, and Special District taxes.

5. I live in the City of Long Beach. Do you collect taxes there?

Because we collect taxes for the Long Beach School District, you must notify both the Town Receiver and the City Tax Office at 516-431-1000 so that both offices can update their tax billing records. Timely notification will ensure the receipt of a School tax bill with sufficient time for payment within the 40-day grace period.

6. What is the penalty for making a late payment?

Payment(s) are due on/or before the last day of the penalty-free 40-day collection period. Payment(s) made after the due dates will be assessed a penalty which will be added in accordance with the penalty schedule located on the back of your tax payment stubs.

7. Must I notify your office if I buy a home in Long Beach?

Since you do not receive a General tax bill from the Town, you don't need to notify our offices. The City of Long Beach Tax Office bills you directly for City and County taxes.

8. What should I check before remitting payment?

Check the following before remitting a payment:

• If mailing your payment, have you included the tax payment stub(s) in the envelope? If paying in person, have you brought the entire tax bill with you, leaving the payment stub(s) attached?
• Is the check payable to Jeanine C. Driscoll Receiver of Taxes?
• Is the check signed and dated?
• Do the "numerical and written" amounts agree?
• Are your School District, Section, Block, and Lot(s) numbers written on your check?
• Did you affix postage to the envelope?

9. Why is my check payable to Jeanine C. Driscoll Receiver of Taxes?

The Receiver of Taxes is an independently elected official of the Town. As such, the law holds the Receiver of Taxes personally responsible for tax collections their office receives and for ensuring that they are properly distributed to schools, county, town, and special tax districts.

10. How can I view my tax bill online?

To view your current School or General Tax Bills online, proceed to the Receiver of Taxes Payment Center and search for your property using your parcel ID (school district, section, block, and lot numbers) or tax bill number. If you don't know your parcel ID or have an old tax bill for reference, you may look up your parcel ID by your address by visiting Nassau County's Land Records Viewer.

11. What are my payment options?

As always, you may pay your current tax bill in person and by mail. Payments may be made in person at the Receiver of Taxes Office located at:
200 N Franklin Street
Hempstead, NY 11550

The EZ-Pay Drive-Thru Payment Window is located behind the Receiver's Office, our satellite offices are located at Levittown Hall and Rock Hall Museum, and our Mobile Tax Office.

In addition, you may pay your tax bill online or by telephone using a credit card or electronic check. Payment by credit card will incur a convenience fee of 2.3% of your total tax payment. Please note that a minimum convenience fee of $1.50 applies for credit card transactions. VISA Personal Debit transactions for tax payments are a flat rate fee of $3.95 per transaction. A flat fee of $0.90 will be charged for electronic check payments. These fees are not payable to the Town of Hempstead, but rather to eGov Strategies, the company that processes the credit card and electronic check transactions. Under New York State law, the Receiver of Taxes must collect the full tax amount; therefore the credit card user must incur this fee.

12. What should I include when paying by mail?

Do not send in the entire tax bill. Enclose your check in the return envelope provided with the:

• Number 1 tax stub, if paying only the 1st half
• Number 2 tax stub, if paying only the 2nd half
• Number 1 and number 2 stubs, if paying both the 1st and 2nd halves

13. What should I bring when paying in-person?

You must bring in the entire tax bill when making payment at our office. Do not detach the tax stub(s) from your bill. Upon processing, a receipted tax bill will be returned to you.

14. Do I get a discount for paying the taxes in full?

Yes, if you pay both the first and second half school tax on/or before November 10; or the first and second half general tax on/or before February 10, you may deduct a 1% discount on the second half tax. The discounted amount to pay can be found underneath the total tax box on your bill(s).

15. When do I get my tax receipts?

• If you pay in person at our office, you will be issued an immediate receipt for your payment by the tax cashiers.
• If you mail your payment, a receipt will be issued shortly after your payment is processed and posted to the tax roll(s).
• If you make a payment at a satellite office, mobile tax office or at the EZ-Pay Drive-Thru, a temporary receipt will be issued. Your tax receipt will be mailed within seven business days.
• For escrowed mortgage accounts, the law requires the Receiver to send tax receipts directly to taxpayers who have their taxes paid by a financial institution or bank. Receipts are issued after the bank's payment is processed and posted to the tax rolls.

16. What happens if my check is returned from the bank? Do you re-deposit checks?

Checks returned by your bank for any reason will automatically cancel your tax payment and a tax receipt issued for same. If your payment is canceled after the penalty-free collection period, you will incur a penalty charge(s). Returned checks will require re-payment by cash, certified, or bank check. We do not re-deposit checks.

17. How can I avoid paying penalty?

To avoid paying penalty, your payment envelope must be postmarked on/or before the last day of the taxes' penalty-free collection period. By law, only an official U.S. Postal Service cancellation date stamp is acceptable as proof that your payment was mailed on time. A metered postmark is not acceptable by law. If making payment close to a tax deadline, we suggest that payment be sent by registered or certified mail, or have the envelope "hand" canceled with the date at your local post office.

18. I keep forgetting to pay my taxes; what can I do?

You can sign-up for the Third Party Notification Program. Any taxpayer, 65 years or older, or who is handicapped, and owns a 1, 2, or 3 family residential property, may designate a third party to receive a duplicate tax bill on their behalf. The designee is not legally responsible for making a tax payment. Please write our office at:
200 N Franklin Street
Hempstead, NY 11550

You may request an application for the Third Party Notification Request form.

19. What kind of tax exemptions are there and when do I file?

Homeowners may be eligible to receive a Senior Citizens, Veterans, Disability/Limited Income, STAR, Home Improvement and/or Volunteer Firefighter/Ambulance Personnel exemption. Applications are accepted by the Nassau County Department of Assessment year-round. The deadline for filing an exemption with the Nassau County Department of Assessment is January 2nd.

For further information or to obtain an application call 516-571-1500 or visit the Nassau County Assessor's website. New applicants for the STAR Program must register with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, rather than applying with the Nassau County Department of Assessment. New STAR recipients will obtain credit in the form of a check from the New York State Department of Taxation, rather than receiving a property tax exemption.

20. I'm buying a house in the Town. What should I ask the owner concerning his property taxes?

When purchasing property, you should ask the real estate agent and/or owner if the property has any tax exemption(s). As the new owner, you may not be entitled to an exemption(s), and upon title transfer, the exemption(s) will be removed by the Nassau County Department of Assessment. Accordingly, the total amount of taxes you may pay could be significantly different from the amount paid by the previous owner.

21. I'm a new homeowner. Do I have to contact the tax office?

New homeowners and taxpayers who have paid off their mortgage should contact this office as soon as possible so that we can update our tax billing records. Failure to notify the tax office timely may result in your having to pay a penalty for late tax payment. Do not assume your attorney or financial institution will notify this office.

View the New Owner/Mortgage Satisfaction Form

22. What information do I need when calling the tax office?

When you call you will be asked for your property description so that we can access your records. A property description consists of a school district, section, block, and lot(s) numbers. For taxpayers who own a condominium, a building and unit number is also required.

23. What is a property description? Where can I get my property description?

You may find your property description on your property deed, you may search for it online using Nassau County's Land Record Viewer or you may call the Nassau County Department of Assessment at 516-571-2663 for assistance. Please note that it is the homeowner's responsibility to verify that they are supplying this office with their correct property description in accordance with the Nassau County Tax map.

24. How long after second-half school and general taxes are due can I pay them at the Town Receiver's Office?

You may pay your School taxes in the Receiver's Office up to and including May 31st. The General taxes can be paid up to and including August 31st. If you do not pay your taxes by these dates, your payment must be made directly to:
Nassau County Treasurer
1 W Street
Mineola, NY 11501

You may also reach the Treasurer's office via phone at  516-571-2090.

25. Are Town and County penalties for late payments the same?

No. Nassau County has adopted a different late penalty schedule than the Town. We, therefore, suggest that you call the Nassau County Treasurer for the correct amount to remit before tendering payment. You may reach the Nassau County Treasurer's Office at 516-571-2090.

26. What are tax arrears? What should I do if tax arrears is printed on my tax bill?

If the word "arrears" is printed in the upper left-hand corner of your tax bill(s), please contact the Nassau County Treasurer immediately, as this indicates you have an unpaid tax(es) accumulating penalties at their office. You may reach the Nassau County Treasurer's Office at 516-571-2090.

27. What is AutoPay and how do I sign up for that program?

AutoPay subscribers enjoy the convenience of having their tax payments made automatically via a checking account or a credit card on file. Payments will be taken from the subscribers’ credit card or checking accounts approximately 10 days prior to each of the first and second half school and general tax payment due dates.

To enroll, visit the Receiver of Taxes Payment Center. There is no additional fee to subscribe; however, payments by credit card and e-check are subject to a convenience fee charged by eGov Strategies, the company which processes online payment transactions.