Fairfax County Car Tax Payments Encouraged Online, In Drop Boxes

Emily Leayman
Updated ·2 min read

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — The 2020 deadline for paying the personal property tax, also known as the car tax, is Monday, Oct. 5 for Fairfax County residents. With the expectation of lines for in-person payments from Oct. 1 to 5, the county government is encouraging other ways to pay.

Residents are encouraged to avoid paying the car tax in-person at the Fairfax County Government Center. In addition to the online payment option, there are drop boxes at the Fairfax County Government Center (separate from drop box for absentee ballots; see map) as well as drop box locations at libraries. For residents who typically pay with cash, money orders are recommended.

The following library drop box locations are open through Oct. 5:

  • Reston Regional Library: 11925 Bowman Towne Dr., Reston, VA 20190

  • George Mason Regional Library, 7001 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003

  • Oakton Library, 1304 Lynnhaven Place, Oakton, VA 22124

  • Sherwood Regional Library, 2501 Sherwood Hall Lane, Alexandria, VA 22306

  • Dolley Madison Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Avenue, McLean, VA 22101

  • Burke Centre Library, 5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke, VA 22015

Payments may also be made by mail and must be postmarked on or before Oct. 5. Money orders are recommended as an alternative to cash.

For those who do pay in person at the Fairfax County Government Center, long lines are expected from Oct. 1 to 5. Masks and social distancing will be required. The government center is located at 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA.

This year, the Board of Supervisors did not extend the payment deadline for the personal property tax. However, the board reduced the late penalty for personal property and real estate tax payments from 10 percent to 5 percent for the 2020 tax year only. The additional 15 percent penalty for personal property tax payments more than 30 days overdue was eliminated for this tax year.

The car tax is assessed on all types of vehicles registered in Fairfax County. The tax is based on the assessed value of a vehicle on Jan. 1 of every year with a tax rate of $4.57 per $100 of assessed value. The tax bill also includes the local registration fee for having a vehicle parked in Fairfax County.

This article originally appeared on the McLean Patch