Important Information Regarding Your Tax Bill

NOTICE TO TAXPAYERS

Town of West Newbury

Important Information Regarding Your Tax Bill

Under “An Act to Address Challenges Faced by Municipalities and State Authorities Resulting From COVID-19,” Chapter 53 of the Acts of 2020, the Town of West Newbury Board of Selectmen has adopted local options to extend due dates for real and personal property tax payments and applications for exemptions and a waiver of interest on certain municipal tax and other bills paid by June 30, 2020. Please see below:

1. The due date of your real and personal property tax bill has been extended to June 1, 2020. June 1, 2020 is the new due date even if the due date for payment on your previously mailed tax bill is May 1, 2020.

If you're able, it will help the Town pay its bills if you can still pay your tax bill by May 1, but the due date has changed, so this is entirely your option.

2. The due date for applications for property tax exemptions has also been extended to June 1, 2020. June 1, 2020 is the new due date even if the due date for applications on your enclosed or previously mailed tax bill is April 1, 2020.

This extension applies to applications for the exemptions listed in the third paragraph of G.L. c. 59, § 59, including exemptions under clause 17D (seniors, surviving spouses, minor children of deceased parent); 18 (financial hardship – activated military, age and infirmity); 22, 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, 22F and 22H (veterans, surviving spouses and surviving parents); 37A (blind persons); and 41, 41B and 41C (seniors). This extension also automatically applies to applications for residential exemptions under G.L. c. 59, § 5C, for small commercial exemptions under G.L. c. 59, § 5I and for deferrals under G.L. c. 59, § 5, clauses 41A (seniors) and 18A (poverty or financial hardship due to change to active military).

3. The Board of Selectmen has also voted to waive interest and other penalty for late payment of any excise, tax, betterment assessment or apportionment thereof, water rate or other charge added to a tax for any payments with a due date on or after March 10, 2020 where payment is made late but before June 30, 2020. This applies to late payments of bills that have a due date of March 10, 2020 or after, when such bills are paid late but paid on or before June 30. This waiver of interest does not apply to bills with due dates before March 10, 2020 or if the bill is not paid by June 30.

NOTE – If the municipal offices are closed on the June 1, 2020 extended due date for tax payments or filing of exemption applications as a result of the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus, or the declaration of a state of emergency issued by the governor on March 10, 2020, the due dates for tax payments and applications for exemptions are not extended – they will be due on June 1, 2020 even if the municipal offices are closed. (See section 10(b) of the Act.)

Payments may be mailed to the 1910 Office Building, 381 Main St., West Newbury, MA; or mailed to the lockbox address on your tax bill; deposited in person in the tax payment box located on the front foyer of 381 Main Street; or by using the “pay bills” link on the Town website www.wnewbury.org (a fee applies).

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT THE FINANCE OFFICE, 978-363-1100 x114, LEAVE A MESSAGE AND TOWN STAFF WILL GET BACK TO YOU; OR EMAIL TREASURER/COLLECTOR SYEAMES@WNEWBURY.ORG.