How to Pay Property Taxes Online: Fees, Deadlines and Safe Sites

To pay property taxes online, go to the website of the office that collects the tax. Depending on the state, that is the county treasurer, tax collector, tax commissioner, or tax assessor-collector. It is usually not the assessor or appraisal district that set your value. Look up your bill by account or parcel number, check the tax year and amount, and pay by e-check or card. Then save the confirmation number.

The method you choose affects the cost. Most large counties take e-checks free or for a small flat fee. Card payments go through a payment processor that adds about 2 to 3 percent. The method can also change the date your payment counts as made, how quickly it posts, and what happens if it fails. This guide covers each step, the fees large counties charged in October 2026, how to tell an official payment page from a look-alike site, and what to do when something goes wrong.

The short answer

• Pay the collector, not the assessor. The office that values your home usually does not take payments. Find the collector on your bill or on your county’s page in our directory.
• Have your account or parcel number ready. Searching by number is more reliable than searching by address or name. The number must match the property you own.
• E-check is usually the cheapest way to pay. Maricopa, Los Angeles, and Cook counties charge nothing for it. Card fees in large counties ran from 2.08% to 3% in October 2026.
• Official processors are normal, look-alike sites are not. Many counties send you to a vendor such as Paymentus, Point & Pay, PayIt, or Grant Street Group to pay. Always start from the county’s own website, not from a search ad.
• Online payments count when you complete them. In most places that means by 11:59 p.m. local time on the last day, but they can take several business days to post. Keep the confirmation number until the payment shows on the county record.
• Check for escrow before you pay. If your mortgage lender pays from escrow, paying the bill yourself can mean it gets paid twice.

Step 1: Find the office that collects your tax

Property tax is handled by two different offices, and they have different jobs. One values the property. The other bills and collects the tax. Paying the wrong office, or a website that only looks official, is a common mistake.

The Texas name is confusing. The county tax assessor-collector collects tax but does not set values; the separate appraisal district does that. In California, San Bernardino County’s assessor put it plainly in a 2025 scam warning (opens in a new tab): her office values property and applies exemptions, but “we never collect payments for property taxes.”

The fastest way to find the right office is your bill. The collector’s name, website, and mailing address are printed on it, often next to the payment stub. Without a bill, open your county page in our state and county directory. Each county page lists the official tax collection site next to the assessor. For example, see Harris County, Texas, or Maricopa County, Arizona. Some properties get more than one bill. A city, school district, or special district may bill on its own, so check whether every line on last year’s bill came from one office.

Step 2: Get your account or parcel number

Every collector looks up bills by an identifier: an account number, parcel number (APN), PIN, folio, or property ID. Most portals also let you search by address or owner name. The number is the safer key, because an address can match more than one parcel and an owner name may still show the previous owner.

• Where to find it: on last year’s bill, your assessment notice, the assessor’s or appraisal district’s property record, or your closing documents.
• Format matters: Harris County uses a 13-digit account number for real property, Cook County a 14-digit PIN, and Miami-Dade a 13-digit folio. Some portals want dashes and some want digits only. Our parcel number guide explains each format.
• Match it to your deed. The Cook County Treasurer (opens in a new tab) warns that if you pay on the wrong PIN, “the taxes on the PIN you actually own are still delinquent.” Condos, parking spaces, and lots split from a larger parcel are where this usually happens.

How to pay property taxes online, step by step

Every county’s screens look different, but the steps are close to the same everywhere:

1. Type the collector’s web address yourself, or follow the link on your bill or your county page. Don’t click a sponsored search result.
2. Search for your bill by account or parcel number. Confirm the property address and legal description.
3. Check what you are paying. Look at the tax year, the installment (first half, second half, or full year), and the balance. If prior-year taxes are unpaid, the portal may show them on the same screen.
4. Choose the amount. Pay the full year, one installment, or a partial amount if the collector allows it. See the installment section below.
5. Pick a payment method. Before you confirm, look at the fee line on the review screen. The fee should appear there before you submit.
6. Enter the bank or card details carefully. For an e-check you need the routing number and account number from a U.S. checking or savings account. Business accounts with ACH debit blocks may need to authorize the processor. Maricopa County publishes its processor’s company ID for this.
7. Submit once. A slow page is not a reason to click again. Duplicate payments are a common problem, and they take weeks to refund.
8. Save the confirmation. Keep the confirmation number, emailed receipt, date and time, amount, and parcel number.
9. Check the county record a few days later. Maricopa County says to allow 1 to 3 business days for a payment to post. Yuba County, California, says 2 to 3 business days.

If you can’t find your bill or the amount looks wrong, our guide to reading a property tax bill walks through each line, and how to look up property records by address explains how to find the right record first.

Payment methods and fees

Collectors generally can’t absorb card-processing costs, so the vendor adds the fee to your payment. The Travis County Tax Office (opens in a new tab) explains that state law “does not allow us to absorb the fees the private companies charge for these services.” Texas Tax Code §31.06 (opens in a new tab) requires collectors to accept card and electronic payments and caps a card fee at 5 percent of the amount paid. In Florida, §215.322 (opens in a new tab) lets tax collectors pass along the processor’s charges. The fee usually goes to the vendor, not the county.

E-check (ACH bank debit)

An e-check pulls money from your checking or savings account. It is usually free or costs a small flat fee. In October 2026 it was free in Maricopa, Los Angeles, and Cook counties and in Clark County, Washington. Harris County charged $0.50 and Travis County $1. Have enough money in the account. A returned e-check undoes the payment and usually adds a fee.

Credit card

Credit cards cost the most. Large counties charged between 2.08% (Cook) and 3% (Travis). Some also have a minimum fee, such as $1.00 in Harris County and $1.49 in Los Angeles County. Some counties limit what you can pay by card. Cook County’s card payment terms (opens in a new tab), for example, rule out back taxes.

Debit card

Debit cards are sometimes cheaper than credit. In October 2026, Maricopa charged 1.80% for debit and 2.25% for credit. Clark County, Washington, charged a flat $3.95 for debit and 2.39% for credit. Many other counties charge the same percentage for debit and credit, including Harris, Los Angeles, and Cook.

Digital wallets and PayPal

Some collectors now accept wallets. Maricopa takes PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and Google Pay at the credit card rate. Travis takes PayPal and PayPal Credit at its card rate. These are payment methods on the official portal. They are not a reason to pay through an outside bill-pay app (see below).

Should you pay property tax with a credit card?

It usually only makes sense if you need the float, are earning a large sign-up bonus, or can’t make the deadline any other way. Here is a hypothetical example: a $5,000 bill paid by card at a 2.40% fee costs $120 extra. A card that earns 1.5% back returns $75, so you are $45 behind. The card’s interest rate makes it worse if you carry the balance. Also, the fee is not property tax. It isn’t part of what you can deduct as tax, and the IRS says individuals can no longer deduct card convenience fees (opens in a new tab) paid for their income tax as a miscellaneous deduction.

Real examples: how large counties take payments

We checked each county’s official payment page in October 2026. Fees change, sometimes during the tax year, so always look at the review screen before you submit.

Miami-Dade’s card fee changed earlier in 2026, and we could not confirm the current rate on the live page, so check the amount at checkout. Smaller counties often use the same vendors. Clark County, Washington (opens in a new tab), for example, uses Point & Pay: e-checks are free, debit cards cost $3.95, and credit cards 2.39%.

Official payment processors vs. look-alike sites

Why the payment page may not be a .gov site

A lot of counties don’t run their own payment systems. When you click “Pay,” you may end up on a vendor site with a different web address, and your bank or card statement may show the vendor’s name. Yuba County, California, tells taxpayers that the statement will show Point & Pay, “so please double-check your payment records before disputing any payments” (Yuba County Treasurer-Tax Collector (opens in a new tab)). Some vendors you may see:

• Paymentus: the Maricopa County Treasurer calls it “our official online payment processor.”
• PayIt: runs MyHarrisCountyTax, which the Harris County Tax Office says it has “authorized … to provide property tax payments online.”
• Grant Street Group: the Miami-Dade Tax Collector names it as its online payment vendor. The portal runs on a county-taxes.net address, not a .gov one.
• Point & Pay: used by many smaller treasurers, such as Clark County, Washington, and Yuba County, California.
• Government Payments (Hamer Enterprises): processes Travis County’s card and e-check payments.

A vendor site is legitimate when you got to it from a link on the county’s own site. A site you found through a search ad or an email link is not proven official. The Cook County Treasurer (opens in a new tab) puts it directly: “This is the only online payment system authorized and accepted by the Treasurer’s Office.”

How to check you’re on the official site

1. Start from a known address. Use the web address printed on your bill, the county’s .gov site, or the collector link on our county page. Bookmark it for next year.
2. Skip search ads. Paid results at the top can be unofficial services that charge their own fee.
3. Check the details. The portal should show your exact parcel number, tax year, and the same amount as the bill. A site that asks for just a name and a card number, or shows a rounded amount, is a warning sign.
4. Look for the fee on the review screen. County processors show the fee before you pay. Be careful with any site that adds an unexplained “service” or “expedite” charge.
5. Never pay by gift card, wire, Zelle, or a crypto ATM, or because someone called, texted, or emailed you about it. The San Bernardino County Tax Collector (opens in a new tab) says it “never initiates unsolicited phone calls or emails requesting payment for secured property taxes.” Los Angeles County keeps a list of current scams (opens in a new tab), including fake letters and people showing up at homes.
6. When in doubt, call the number on your bill. Don’t use a number from the suspicious message.

Bill-pay apps and your bank’s bill pay

Third-party bill-pay apps that aren’t contracted with the county can add fees and delay delivery. Several treasurers have warned that payments sent this way arrived late, and the late penalty falls on the owner. Your own bank’s bill-pay service is different, and some counties accept it for e-checks (Harris and Maricopa both mention it). But many banks send a mailed paper check for bill pay, so a payment you schedule on the due date may not arrive or count in time. If you use bank bill pay, enter the parcel number exactly as the account number and schedule it well ahead of the deadline.

When an online payment counts as on time

Due dates are covered in our property tax deadlines guide and the fall 2026 due-date roundup. What this section covers is which moment counts as payment. For online payments that is usually when you finish the transaction, not when the money leaves your account or reaches the county.

Rules in the three largest states

• California. Under Revenue and Taxation Code §2512 (opens in a new tab), a payment made on the county’s authorized website or phone line is “deemed received on the date the transaction was completed by the taxpayer.” You may have to show a confirmation number. A 2025 amendment (effective January 1, 2026) also covers mail with no readable postmark: it counts on the date the collector receives it, unless you can prove an earlier mailing date. Los Angeles County takes online payments until 11:59 p.m. Pacific on the delinquency date.
• Texas. Tax Code §1.08 (opens in a new tab) treats a mailed payment as on time if it has a U.S. Postal Service cancellation mark or a carrier receipt dated on or before the due date. No Texas statute we found sets a clock time for online payments. Collectors set their own: Harris County says online payments “must be completed by 11:59 PM Central Standard Time on or before the due date,” and Travis County uses the same cutoff. A card payment counts as of the date the collector accepts it, but only if the card charge goes through (§31.06).
• Florida. Department of Revenue Rule 12D-13.002 (opens in a new tab) sets the payment date for discounts and delinquency by the postmark for mail and by “the date the tax payment is submitted to the tax collector’s designated system” for electronic payments.

Other states and collectors follow similar patterns. Clark County, Washington, accepts online payments made “by 11:59 pm of the tax due date” and mail postmarked by the due date. Cook County says card payments are deemed accepted when you submit them, as long as the card issuer approves the charge.

Weekends, holidays, and time zones

• Texas: under §1.06 (opens in a new tab), if the last day falls on a weekend, a holiday, or (since January 1, 2026) a day the collector’s office is closed, payment on the next business day is on time. January 31, 2027, is a Sunday, so a Monday, February 1 payment should count. Harris County still asks mailed payments to be postmarked by the last business day in January, so don’t wait.
• California: if December 10 or April 10 falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to 5 p.m. or close of business on the next business day. April 10, 2027, is a Saturday.
• Florida: under §197.162 (opens in a new tab), a discount period that ends on a weekend or holiday extends to the next working day for payments delivered to the collector’s office.
• Time zones: the cutoff is the collector’s local time. A payment submitted at 11:30 p.m. Pacific to a Florida collector is already the next day in Eastern time.

Pay a few days early anyway. Portals slow down or go offline on the last day, cards get declined, and an e-check with a typo gets rejected after the deadline has passed.

Installments, partial payments, and early discounts

You don’t always have to pay the whole year at once. What you can do depends on the state and sometimes on the county:

Some counties also partner with vendors for automatic monthly payments toward the current bill. Los Angeles and Yuba counties offer this through Easy Smart Pay. Bank (ACH) payments are free or low-cost, and card payments carry a fee. If taxes are already delinquent, the rules change. Payment plans for past-due taxes are in our delinquent property tax guide.

If your mortgage lender pays through escrow

If your monthly mortgage payment includes taxes, the servicer normally pays the collector directly, often near the deadline. A tax bill or courtesy copy arriving in your mailbox doesn’t mean you are expected to pay it. Before you pay an escrowed bill yourself, ask the servicer whether it has paid or scheduled that exact bill. If you both pay, the county may refund the duplicate, but that can take weeks. Our guide to a mortgage servicer that didn’t pay your property taxes covers how to avoid paying twice and how to get reimbursed. If the tax went up and your payment jumped, see escrow shortages explained.

Watch for bills that escrow often doesn’t cover. Supplemental bills, corrected bills, and separate city or special-district bills are often left for you to pay.

Special situations

The bill is still in the previous owner’s name

Pay it anyway, by parcel or account number. The tax follows the property, and portals look up bills by property, not by who is paying. Then fix the name and mailing address with the right office. Our guide to a tax bill still in the previous owner’s name explains why this happens and how long the update takes.

Paying for a parent, tenant, or someone else

Most collectors take payment from anyone who enters the right account or parcel number. The payment is credited to the property, not to the person who paid. Paying doesn’t change who owns the property or whose name is on the bill. Keep your own receipt if you expect to be repaid. If you are handling an estate, see our guide to property taxes on an inherited house.

Paying delinquent taxes online

Many portals show back taxes, but you may not be able to pay them the same way:

• Cook County doesn’t accept cards for back taxes.
• Harris County applies online payments toward prior years to the oldest year first.
• Once taxes are sold, referred to a collection attorney, or in redemption, the collector may need certified funds, a written payoff amount, or payment to a different office.

Ask for the payoff amount in writing for the exact date you will pay. Penalties and interest usually grow each month. Our delinquent property tax guide explains liens, tax sales, and redemption.

Paying in December for the SALT deduction

For federal income tax, property tax generally counts in the year you pay it, so pay early enough that your receipt shows a December date. The IRS lets you deduct a December payment only for tax that has already been assessed, not an early payment on next year’s estimated bill. Whether paying early helps you depends on whether you itemize and how close you are to the cap. See our 2026 SALT cap guide.

After you pay: receipts and records

• Keep the confirmation number and emailed receipt. California’s §2512 makes the confirmation number your proof that you paid on time. Travis County emails a receipt right away.
• Print or save a PDF of the county record once it shows “paid.” A screenshot of the vendor’s “thank you” page is not the same as the county posting it.
• Match your bank or card statement. The charge may show the vendor’s name, and the fee may be a separate line.
• Save it all with your tax records. You’ll want the receipt for the SALT deduction, an escrow dispute, a sale, or a refund claim.

Troubleshooting: when an online payment goes wrong

“No record found” when you search

Check the number format (dashes, leading zeros) and try the account number instead of the address. New construction, recent splits, and new owners may not show up until the next roll. Some counties don’t post bills until the official mailing date. If the portal still can’t find it, call the collector before the deadline.

The payment was declined or returned

A declined card or a returned e-check means the tax is not paid. Texas law says a card payment only counts if the charge goes through, and other states treat bounced payments the same way. Counties also add fees: Harris County charges $30 for payments dishonored or entered incorrectly. Yuba County charges $35 for a returned payment and requires certified funds or cash for the replacement. Pay again by a reliable method right away, especially if the deadline is close.

You paid the wrong parcel or the wrong amount

Call the collector right away. Many vendors can’t cancel a payment once you submit it. Maricopa allows online cancellations only on the same day, and Miami-Dade says online payments can’t be canceled after checkout. The fix is usually a refund request or a transfer, so pay the correct parcel too before the deadline. Don’t wait for the refund. Cook County, for example, has an online search for overpayment refunds.

You paid twice

This often happens when both you and your servicer pay, or when you click Submit twice. Ask the collector how to claim the duplicate. Some refund it automatically, others need a written request. If the servicer also paid, follow the steps in our servicer guide so the money goes back to escrow or to you.

The payment hasn’t shown up after a week

Check that the money left your account, then call the collector with the confirmation number, date, and amount. If you paid through an unaffiliated bill-pay app, contact that company too. The county may not have received it.

Paying by phone, mail, or in person

• Phone: usually cards only, with the same fee as online. Harris (713-274-2273) and Los Angeles (1-888-473-0835) take card payments by phone. Cook and Maricopa don’t list a phone option.
• Mail: send a check with the payment coupon and write the parcel number on the check. Use the address on your bill, because many collectors use a separate lockbox address. In most places the postmark decides whether you paid on time, but a postage-meter date may not count. Travis County (opens in a new tab) says a meter imprint is not a postmark. It also warns that since a 2025 Postal Service change, mail dropped in a box may be postmarked later, at a regional processing center. Cook County treats only U.S. Postal Service postmarks as the payment date, so private-carrier deliveries count when received. If the deadline is close, have the post office hand-cancel the envelope or get a mailing receipt.
• In person: the collector’s office takes cash, check, money order, and usually cards. Some counties let you pay at partner banks: Maricopa at Arizona Chase branches and Cook at Illinois Chase branches and at participating community banks where you have an account. Bring the bill or coupon.

Checklist before you click “Pay”

1. I reached this page from the county’s site, my bill, or my county page, not from an ad or a message.
2. The parcel or account number matches my bill and deed.
3. The tax year and installment are the ones I mean to pay.
4. I checked that my lender is not paying this bill from escrow.
5. I saw the fee and picked the cheapest method that works for me.
6. I am paying before the local cutoff, in the collector’s time zone.
7. I will save the confirmation and check that the payment posted.

Frequently asked questions

How do I pay my property taxes online?

Go to the county treasurer’s or tax collector’s official website (the address is on your bill), search for your bill by account or parcel number, choose the installment, and pay by e-check or card. Save the confirmation number and check a few days later that the payment posted. If you don’t know which office collects, find your county in our directory.

Can I pay property tax with a credit card?

Almost every large county accepts credit cards, but a processor adds a fee. In October 2026 it was 2.08% in Cook County, 2.22% in Los Angeles County, 2.25% in Maricopa County, 2.40% in Harris County, and 3% in Travis County. An e-check is usually free or costs $1 or less. A card rarely comes out ahead unless the rewards or bonus are worth more than the fee.

Is there a fee to pay property taxes online?

Paying from a bank account is free in many counties, including Maricopa, Los Angeles, and Cook, and costs a small flat fee in others ($0.50 in Harris and $1 in Travis). Cards and digital wallets carry a percentage fee that goes to the processor. The portal shows the fee before you submit.

Is it safe to pay property taxes online?

Yes, if you use the collector’s own portal or the processor it links to. Start from the address on your bill or the county’s .gov site. Avoid search ads, links in unsolicited messages, and anyone asking for a wire, gift card, or payment app. San Bernardino County, for one, says it never starts unsolicited calls or emails asking for property tax payments.

When does an online property tax payment count as paid?

Usually when you complete it. California law deems it received on the date you complete the transaction, and Florida uses the date you submit it to the collector’s system. Many counties, including Harris and Los Angeles, set the cutoff at 11:59 p.m. local time on the last day. It may take 1 to 3 business days to show on the county record.

Can I pay property taxes in installments?

Often, yes. California bills come in two installments. Florida offers a quarterly plan if you apply by April 30. Texas allows split payments where the taxing unit has adopted them, and quarter payments for homeowners 65 or older, disabled homeowners, and qualifying disabled veterans. Many collectors also accept partial payments, though penalties still apply to anything unpaid after the deadline.

Where do I find my property tax bill online?

On the collector’s website, search by parcel or account number, address, or owner name. Most counties let you view and print the current bill and past bills. If a bill doesn’t show up yet, the county may not have mailed it. Our guide to reading your property tax bill explains what each line means.

Can I pay someone else’s property taxes online?

Generally, yes. Collectors take payment from anyone who has the correct account or parcel number. Paying doesn’t change who owns the property or put your name on the bill. Keep the receipt.

Find the official collector, assessor, and payment site for any county in our state and county directory. To check due dates first, see property tax deadlines by state.