Sticker shock.
That’s something Guilford County property owners have experienced in recent years when their annual property tax bill has arrived in the mail.
Guilford County property tax bills were already plenty high a few years ago; however, in recent years, the 7-to-2 democratic-majority Guilford County Board of Commissioners led by Chairman of the Board Skip Alston has been spending and spending taxpayer money at an unprecedented rate – and that’s led to a dramatic increase in the property taxes being paid by Guilford County homeowners.
The property tax is by far the number one revenue generator for Guilford County government, and citizens in the county keep voting down a sales tax increase. Therefore, look for higher property tax bills in future years as the price of housing, land and buildings continue to go up.
The Guilford County Tax Department conducted a revaluation of all the property in Guilford County in 2022 at a time when housing values were skyrocketing; and that caused the property tax bills of some homeowners and business owners to go up by 25 percent or more.
In the past, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners has lowered the tax rate to a “revenue-neutral” level in years when reevaluations took place – which means that, despite an increase in housing prices, tax bills remained steady and the amount of property tax revenue coming into Guilford County government stayed the same that year (not including new construction and new development that took place that year.)
However, the current Board of Commissioners failed to adjust the tax rate to the revenue-neutral level after the 2022 revaluation because not doing so meant a huge annual revenue increase for them. Instead, they left the tax rate exactly where it was, and they proudly exclaimed “Look, no tax rate increase!” – all while county taxpayers got a “hidden” 14-cent property tax increase per $100 of assessed value. That “hidden” increase generated an extra $92 million a year annually that the commissioners and Guilford County Manager Mike Halford have been happily spending.
All available evidence suggests that is the largest sales tax increase in the history of Guilford County government.
What’s worse about the property tax bills that jumped hugely two years ago and have remained high, is that, even though the county assessed big value increases for county home and business prices, actual home sale prices and property sales prices that followed the reval showed that those newly assessed values were more than 20 percent below the market price of actual real estate sales of property in the county in the months that followed.
State law requires that, when that happens, the offending county conduct another unplanned and early revaluation to correct the situation and better match the assessed values to the actual market values.
That, unfortunately, means Guilford County, as required by law, must hold an earlier than planned countywide property reevaluation, which will take place in 2026; and it also means that, if the same Board of Commissioners is in power at that time, your tax bill is likely to jump higher once again.
The current Guilford County Board of Commissioners has shown no propensity whatsoever to do anything other than consider all new tax revenue as a gift to the board that they can spend freely on virtually every want or suggestion that county staff mentions to them.
In other words, if you don’t like the property tax situation in Guilford County now, you are really, really not going to like it in a few years when housing values are assessed as even higher.
And you absolutely have to pay your property taxes: The Guilford County Tax Department knows very well where you live, and, if you don’t pay your property taxes, the department will eventually come take your house away and sell it to the highest bidder at a government auction.
When it comes to state and federal; income taxes, there are all sorts of creative and legal ways to reduce the taxes you owe. When it comes to property taxes, there aren’t as many options for reducing your bill, however, there are some strategies that will help you pay less.
Here are some ways you can save money when you pay the Tax Department bill the department just mailed out to you in mid-July.
- Pay your bill before Monday, Sept 3, 2024. If you pay by September 3, you get a 1 percent discount for early payment. Officially, county taxes are due on September 3, 2024, however, the last day to pay without any penalties is January 6, 2025.
The 1 percent discount is for county property taxes only – not for the tax bills from cities and towns in the county.
Property owners should also refer to their property tax statement to find any municipal property tax discounts that may be available.
- If you don’t pay by August 31, do pay the bill by the end of the year. If you don’t pay your property tax bill by August 31, pay by January 6, 2025. If you don’t, interest and late fees will begin to accrue on the account.
Also, enforced collections might start. Pay before the end of the year so you don’t cut it close and you can account for unforeseen problems.
- Pay with a check. You can drop your payment into a box in front of the Tax Department offices in Greensboro and High Point or mail it in to the processing center in Charlotte. If you use the web service, mobile service or phone app to pay, it will result in a 1.85 percent charge on the transaction amount as well as a $2 transaction fee. (On a $4000 tax bill that comes to just over $75)
Paying with a Visa, Mastercard or American Express Card will result in additional fees.
- Appeal your property valuation to the Guilford County Board of Equalization and Revue. The county’s tax office does the best it can when it comes to assigning values to property but the department does an assessment, not an actual appraisal. They perhaps drive by the property and take a quick look at it from the outside and they review the number of bedrooms, amount of square footage etc., and they look at comparable actual home sales in your area to make a judgment. These valuations sometimes miss the mark entirely, and, if you believe your house or your business building – or even the price of your car for that matter – is overvalued by the Tax Department – get all your evidence together and file an appeal to the county board of citizens that’s set up to review and rule these types of matters.
- Take advantage of programs for people who are senior citizens. If you’re 65 and older, you might be eligible for a discount. Homeowners 65 years of age or older – or those who are 100 percent totally and permanently disabled – can get a $25,000 reduction or up to 50 percent reduction in the value of their primary residence, whichever is greater. For that program, the owners must meet certain income and ownership requirements.
Also, married couples can qualify even if only one partner is 65 or over or disabled. This tax relief program doesn’t require that the discount ever be paid back.
- Pay only a percentage of your income. Seniors and those who are disabled and who’ve owned and occupied their primary residence for more than five years may choose a program that ensures their property tax bill won’t be more than 4 percent to 5 percent of their income. Homeowners might have to pay some of this tax relief back for example, if they move or sell their home. Also, this method creates a lien on your primary residence.
- Get a veteran’s discount. Veterans with a 100 percent total and permanent service-connected disability, as well as their unmarried surviving spouse, can get a $45,000 reduction on the property value of their primary residence – no matter what their yearly income amounts to. This tax relief doesn’t need to be paid back, and the veteran and/or surviving spouse who’s applying must have his or her name on the deed. If two veterans live in the home, only one $45,000 reduction is allowed.
- Apply for an exclusion. When it comes to business property, you’re allowed to exclude some unusual categories of property from taxation, including imported property being held at a seaport terminal, special nuclear materials, advances on farm products by US Government agencies, and other very specialized items.
- Check out your city’s property tax programs. Those who live in cities and towns don’t just pay county taxes – they pay city or town taxes as well. Check to see if your municipality has a relief program. The City of Greensboro, for instance, recently set aside $250,000 in the budget for property owners in the city – a program that may help if the property owner saw a tax increase of at least $50 on their bill between 2021 and 2023, and the value of the property was assessed at $250,000 or less. The program also requires that they don’t receive any other exclusions, are not delinquent on taxes owed to the city and have an annual income of less than $47,000 for less than one person and 47,000 for two or more property owners.
- Throw yourself at the Mercy of the Tax Department. If you simply can’t pay your bill in full, call the department and see if they can work with you by setting you up on a payment plan or finding legal discounts that can help you out. In a worst-case scenario, if you’re working with the department, you may be able to keep interest and late fees to a minimum. If you just ignore your bills and hide from the tax collectors, you may end up losing your home to the government.
When it came to paying Guilford County property taxes last year, 5180 households took advantage of the tax break program for the elderly, while 1649 households with veterans took advantage of that program for those who’ve served the country.
With other programs thrown in, the total amount of households in the county taking advantage of programs totaled 6,829.
Guilford County Tax Director Ben Chavis and his staff are currently studying tax relief programs that are in effect in other North Carolina Counties so that Guilford County can explore expanding its property tax relief programs during what, for many, is a very challenging economy.
Durham and Mecklenburg counties, for instance, have some property tax relief programs that Guilford County doesn’t have.
Instead of putting a 0.25% sales tax increase on the ballot for teacher/staff pay raises, maybe our enlightened county commissioners should use part of the 92 million dollar annual windfall from property tax to increase the salaries of the under paid school staff members. Then property owners may find that an increased property tax is not a bad thing.
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So, our property taxes are at an all time unaffordable high – and you are just fine with that, so long as it goes into your pocket, or the “underpaid” educators.
What part of the Government Schools system do you work in?
One more avoidance of fees – Unless it has changed for THIS year, paying online, via your BANK’S bill pay service, also does not incur any additional charges + you avoid the possibility of your check getting lost in the mail and you save a stamp and the trouble of having to take the mail inside at the Post Office. I hope none of you still place mail in those outside drop boxes.
Thanks Scott! Excellent information. Now, let’s elect a new board in the next election!
Hear, hear!
Decent advise. Better advise, stop your continued voting for these same A holes that piss away your tax dollars on personal pet projects and other waste and rat hole projects.
You can pay online via an ACH bank transfer using the same PayIt services that the DMV uses. There is a processing fee of $1.25, and convenience fee of $2.00. The difference between a processing fee and a convenience fee, I do not know. So you are looking at $3.25 extra vs. a 73 cent stamp and the time to write a check. And maybe you don’t want them having access to your bank account via ACH, but I went ahead and paid it that way anyway.
Guilford County should absorb the fee. The ACH transaction helps the county in the process and may help the county receive the tax money earlier and faster. Government likes to gouge.
The pay-early discount is worthless. I will hold my money until the last minute to keep building interest.
My biggest heartburn with these taxes is how much of a burden it is for us seniors. We don’t have kids in school anymore but 50% of the tax goes to schools. The “relief” offered is small and for the lowest incomes. What about us seniors living on fixed incomes? Thanks a lot N.C. and Guilford County…
I’m broke! Taxes, taxes, taxes. Greensboro raised their ta es at record pace and are offering rebates …..but only if you have income less than around $40,000. Get real. Nobody with that salary can afford a house anymore, much less anything else. Taxes taxes, more homeless on the streets than ever, mystery no -profits being funded at record rates…..time to take a look at the Board members and see if Skip or family is on there. Taxes, a murder every single weekend in County and City, record rates. We just take bets on where it will be. Taxes, the multimillion dollar Regency dilapidated hotel stands empty, falling apart, millions invested, millions lost and the Neighborhood Development Director, a former City Councik member is still in place with no disciplinary action. Hey, let’s spend millions more for the same thing on Randleman Rd. Millions down the toilet. She should be gone. Send her back to the dangerous, disgusting unsafe IRC she created. Taxes, Skip has a mighty nice house
Somebody has to pay for these Florida junkets and the school union dues.
Welcome to Taxalina. Or Taxaskip.
You get what you vote for. If you didn’t vote, then whose fault is it?
I read about a couple who live just north of SF. They have a 1600sf ranch home. Their electric bill last month was over $1,900, more than their mortgage payment. All this is the result of Democrat control in Sacramento, and cities all over the state.
People all over the U.S are being financially ruined by the cost of living. If I live long enough, I will be taxed, fee’d, and inflated out of my home. Younger people are on that path now. Other than supply and demand, fear and greed; the Democrat Party owns most all of this. Conservatives own some of it, too; but if they don’t appear to go along with some of this, they will not be (re)elected. People vote their pocketbooks, so they want more free stuff because they can’t (or won’t) make it on their own.
You think that can’t happen here, or everywhere? Everyone can see first hand what the Democrat Party is doing. I am a registered Democrat. I didn’t leave the Party, it left me long ago. I would say that I am a Libertarian. I last voted for Democrat Jimmy Carter, which was a mistake. Mr. Carter is a fine man, but he was not the man for the job.
We need a tough, SOB as President.
The value of my commercial property on Summit Ave has been severely hurt since the influx of homeless have made GSO
a destination . My expenses for clean up and maintaining my property is up substantially also hurting the value.
My question is will the city be lowering the property values on Summit Ave to reflect this devaluation?
The door swings only one way…..
One other thing that bothers me. Why must checks be mailed to Charlotte for processing? There is a certain amount of overhead that is required to cash the checks and process the payments. Surely there is a local bank that could provide the same service at a competitive cost and at least keep this work local. The county is going to spend the money anyway, and I’d rather they spend it in Guilford County instead of Mecklenburg.
More proof you dont own anything! Quit paying and see if they dont steal your home, land ,car! A permit slip is not an actual title! Why do a free people need permit slips to do what is right and good?! The state is these people’s g*d! Leviathan is consuming everything!
Previously before owning property in the city of Greeensboro, NC I was a resident of Pleasant Garden, NC. My property taxes paid were only County taxes then my taxes tripled when I became a property owner in the city of Greensboro, okay fine that’s what I had to except. Im a one owner property dweller nowadays. But the county of guilford and the city of Greensboro answer the question the same way when you want a decent explanation for why the extra tax payment. The schools, roads, grocery stores, hospitals, other emergency services etc. , These services were not inferior at all compared to the same services received in the city and in my opinion sometimes the services received in the county were superior. service’s received in the county should be paid for by the property owners living there or at least balance out the cost Moving forward into 2025 I’m sure county commissioners can find a fair solution to this issue if they wanted to.