Elizabeth (Betty) Nichols Hawley Collector of Taxes Office Hours: 4 PM to 6 PM Thursday Evenings Phone: 413-339-5518
Fax: 413-337-8542 email: collector@townofhawley.com
PLEASE NOTE: The Hawley Tax Collector’s office is currently closed due to Covid-19. You can reach the Collector at 413-337-6665. Office hours are Monday 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm and Tuesday and Wednesday from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. People needing to see the collector in person can call to schedule an appointment. The collector will not be at the Town Office on Thursday afternoons except by appointment.
Announcements | FY2019 Tax Bills | Escrow Payments | Personal Property Tax | Excise Tax | Due Dates | Marked Excise Payments | Tax Liens | Mailing Address | Assessments | Abatements | Abatement Applications
| On Line Tax Bill Pay Now Available |
| The Town of Hawley website features a new button that takes the user to a site where he/she can pay Town tax bills on line. Here’s the button . . . |
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| . . . and it can be found in the right-hand column of the home page and here on the Tax Collector’s Page. |
| Each type of tax – Excise, Personal Property and Real Eastate — can be paid separately, and in each case you have the choice of paying from your checking account or via a major credit card. |
| PLEASE NOTE: There are transaction fees in every case, which range from a flat 25 cents per transaction for checking account payments to a graduated scale that can get pretty hefty for credit or debit card payments. |
♦ If you need to pay a motor vehicle excise bill that is marked at the Registry, please contact Jeffery and Jeffery (413) 967-9941 or visit their website jefferyandjeffery.com where you can pay on line. You can also pay the Tax Collector directly. Payments must be in the form of cash, bank check or money order. Personal checks are not accepted for bills sent to the deputy.
♦ Fiscal Year 2019 second quarter tax payments are due on November 1st.
Real Estate Tax Bills Real estate tax bills are mailed twice annually. The first and second quarter stubs are mailed in June, and the third and fourth quarter stubs are mailed in December. Payments follow the fiscal year (starting July 1st & ending June 30th) and are due as follows:
♦ 1st quarter: August 1 ♦ 2nd quarter: November 1 ♦ 3rd quarter: February 1 ♦ 4th quarter: May 1
Please remember that you must retain the second stub for three months until the next payment is due. It is perfectly acceptable to pay both quarters when the first one is due, if you find that easier to remember.
The first two quarters are estimated and in most cases are 25% of the total tax due for the previous fiscal year. The third and fourth quarter bills contain valuation information and are based on your current assessment as well as the tax rate for the current fiscal year. Payments should be mailed to:
Tax Collector Town of Hawley 8 Pudding Hollow Road Hawley, MA 01339
If a bank or mortgage company escrows your taxes, it is your responsibility to make sure that they make timely payments. By law tax bills are mailed to the property owner. Check with your bank or mortgage company to find out how they obtain tax information. Some companies require the homeowner to mail in a copy of their bill, others obtain the information directly from the Collector’s Office. If your mortgage company requires you to mail them your bill, you should keep a copy for your personal tax records.
Personal property bills are generally mailed at the same time as the real estate bills in the same envelope. They are also due at the same time and subject to the same interest rate.
Excise taxes are mailed up to ten times annually as new vehicles are registered. All of the information on the excise bills comes directly from the data base at the Registry of Motor Vehicles. If you need to update your address, please make the correction at the Registry – either at their office or on line.
Excise bills are assessed on a calendar year, rather than a fiscal year. You are entitled to an abatement if you transfer or return your license plates part way through the year. There is an abatement form included on the back of the tax bill, or you can download one at the bottom of this page. Click for more information about: Motor Vehicle Excise Tax.
Tax bills are due in the collector’s office on the due date. Postmarks are not considered. If you are paying by mail or by electronic banking, please remember that you payment needs to be made in advance of the due date in order to allow time for it to arrive.
Overdue excise bills that are marked at the Registry of Motor vehicles will prevent you from renewing your license or registration. These bills can be paid to either the tax collector or to the deputy collector, Jeffery & Jeffery.
Payments to the tax collector must be in the form of cash, bank check or money order. Personal checks are not accepted.
You can also pay marked excise bills on line at the Jeffery and Jeffery website. You will be able to pay your bill with a credit card. You need to know the year and bill number of the delinquent bill. An additional convenience fee is charged for credit card payments.
You can also pay what you owe directly to Jeffery and Jeffery. You can contact Jeffery and Jeffery at 413-967-9941. They are located in Ware, MA.
Tax liens can be placed on any property with delinquent real estate tax after the demand is sent. These liens are registered at the Registry of Deeds and are the first step to foreclosure. All properties having delinquent taxes more than one year old will be placed under lien.
If you have moved, it is your responsibility to notify the tax collector. Otherwise, your bill will continue to be mailed to your old address and you may not receive it. You are responsible for payment of your tax bill and any interest & penalties even if you have never receive it as long as it was mailed to the best address on record. Please make corrections to the address appearing on your excise tax bills by submitting a change of address form to the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Addresses on excise bills cannot be corrected by the tax collector.
Your property is valued by the Board of Assessors, not the Tax Collector. If you have questions about your valuation please contact the Assessors.
If you feel that your property is incorrectly valued, you have the right to file for an abatement. Abatements are issued by the Board of Assessors (not the Tax Collector). Property owners should normally apply for an abatement after the valuations are published in December (see Assessors’ page), within 30 days after the third quarter bill is mailed. You cannot apply for an abatement based on your estimated bill, you must wait until the values are published.
Abatement application forms for Real Estate, Personal Property or Motor Vehicle excise are available from the Board of Assessors or can be accessed here:
| Item | Link |
| Real and Personal Property Abatement Application | |
| Motor Vehicle Excise Abatement Application | |
| Motor Vehicle Excise Exemption Application for Manufacturers/Farmers |
Announcements | FY2016 Tax Bills | Escrow Payments | Personal Property Tax | Excise Tax | Due Dates | Marked Excise Payments | Tax Liens | Mailing Address | Assessments | Abatements | Abatement Applications | Top of Page