Deadline approaches for property tax half-payment

James Beaty, McAlester News-Capital, Okla.
·3 min read

Dec. 18—A deadline is approaching for those who want to pay one-half of their Pittsburg County ad valorem property taxes without any penalties.

This time the deadlines are a little different.

Normally, the deadline to make the first half-tax ad valorem property tax payment is Dec. 31, said Pittsburg County Treasurer Jennifer Lenox-Hackler.

Since Dec. 31 this year falls on Sunday, when the courthouse is closed, and is followed by Monday, New Year's Day, for 2024, when the courthouse will be closed for the holiday, half-tax payments will be accepted until Jan. 2, 2024.

That's the Tuesday when the courthouse reopens following the Monday New Year's Day holiday.

Lenox-Hackler said her office will also accept a Jan. 2, 2024 postmark from those who mail their payments.

"Be in our office or have a payment postmarked by Jan. 2," Lenox-Hackler said of those who want to make a half-payment of their ad valorem property taxes.

"If you pay half by Jan. 2, you will have until March 31 to pay the second half without a penalty," she said of those who take the half-tax option. Following the March 31 deadline, a penalty of 1.5% will be assessed for each month until the ad valorem property taxes are fully paid.

Clerks at the Pittsburg County Treasurer's Office will accept either half or full ad valorem property tax payments.

Those who opt to pay the full amount have the first two weeks of 2024 to pay the entire amount due without having any late fee assessed.

"They've got until Jan. 15 to pay the full amount without penalty," Lenox-Hackler said.

Following Jan. 15, a late penalty of 1.5% per month will be assessed to the amount due to those who did not make the half-tax payment by the Jan. 2 deadline.

Payment can be made in-person at the Pittsburg County Treasurer's Office on the first floor of the Pittsburg County Courthouse. Tax payments can be paid with cash, check, credit or debit card or by eCheck.

Those paying by cards or by eCheck will be assessed a $1.75 fee. The county does not get the fee, Lenox-Hackler said. It goes to the Forte Payment System.

Payments can also be made online, said County Treasurer's First Deputy Cindy Cook.

Go to www.oktaxrolls.com and locate Pittsburg County, Lenox-Hackler said.

Those mailing in their payment should send it to: Pittsburg County Treasurer's Office; 115 E. Carl Albert Parkway; McAlester, OK; 74501.

Those wanting to make their ad valorem property tax payments in person at the Pittsburg County Treasurer's Office during the final week of 2023 may want to take note of the upcoming holiday schedule.

Plans call for the Pittsburg County Courthouse to remain open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. weekdays through Friday, Dec. 22.

The courthouse will then be closed on Monday, Dec. 25, which is Christmas Day, and Tuesday, Dec. 26, for the Christmas holidays.

"We will be back on Wednesday, December 27, Lenox-Hackler said.

Anyone with questions can contact the Pittsburg County Treasurer's Office at 918-423-6895.

Ad valorem property taxes are divided among several entities, with most of it going to schools.

That amount varies from school-to-school because every public school's data is different.

For example, some school districts may have passed individual bond issues, while others have not, which impacts the amount each school receives.

Other ad valorem property tax recipients include 10.30 mills for the County General Fund; 4.07 mills for the Southeast Oklahoma Library System; 2.58 mills for the Pittsburg County Health Department; 10.33 mills for the vocational technical education system known as Career Tech and another 2.07% for the Career Tech building fund.