Tax Information & Billing

Payments

Payments may be made as follows:

• On-line: On-Line Payments
• Dropbox: located at the entrance to the Town Hall Annex parking lot.
• By mail: PO Box 46, Brimfield, MA 01010
• At Treasurer-Collector's Office: Monday 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m. Wednesday, 10:00a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and by appointment

Do not forget to sign and date your check. Unsigned checks will be returned. DO NOT DATE THE CHECK AHEAD. Checks cannot be held for a later deposit. A post-dated check that is processed and not honored by the bank will result in penalties and fees and charges imposed by both your bank and the Town.

If you would like a receipt of your payment, you must include your entire bill and a self-addressed stamped envelope with your payment.

For your convenience the Town offers On-Line Bill Payments. This link is to the online payment site hosted by the bank that the town uses. Payments made through this web site are posted as of the day that the payment is made.

If you use electronic bill payment through your bank, please include the bill year, type of bill and bill number so ensure the proper posting of your payment.  Please note that your bank will actually create and mail a check to the town, which may not reach the Treasurer-Collector’s office by the due date. In our experience, delays of several days are common.

Payments must be RECEIVED in the Collector’s office by 4:00pm on the due date. Postmarks are not accepted as receipt dates. Payments must actually be received in the tax office to avoid additional charges.

Requests for abatements should be made to the Board of Assessors at (413) 245-4100 x 1102.

Real Estate & Personal Property Taxes

Preliminary Bills are mailed on or before July 1 and are due in 2 installments on Aug. 1 and Nov. 1.

Actual Bills are mailed on or before January 1 and are due in 2 installments on Feb. 1 and May 1.

Please include the correct quarterly payment coupon with your payment.

Real estate and personal property taxes are assessed on a fiscal year basis. The fiscal year begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th. At the Annual Town Meeting of May 14, 1990, Brimfield voters approved the quarterly billing system. Payments not made by the due dates shown above will be subject to interest at a rate of 14% per annum from the due date to the date of payment. Payments are considered made when received by the Treasurer-Collector.

Preliminary bills are issued for the 1st and 2nd quarters (Aug. and Nov.). These bills are based upon 50% of the prior year's total. Any improvements that may have increased the bill or abatements or exemptions that would have reduced the bill are taken into consideration. The Board of Assessors may adjust this amount to reflect any known pending tax increase, such as a prop. 2 override or new debt exclusion.

Actual bills are issued for the 3rd and 4th quarters (Feb. and May). The value of the property, as well as the tax rate, must show on the actual bill. This bill must also show the last date to apply for an abatement, which by law is February 1. Any unpaid amount(s) from the preliminary bill(s) will carry over to the actual bill(s).

If a bill has not been paid by May 1st (4th quarter), a demand notice will be issued. At present, the law provides for a $20.00 charge on any amount past due. A taxpayer has 14 days from the demand issue date to make payment. Payments not received by the demand due date then become subject to additional collection proceedings, which may include notice and service of a warrant, and will result in a tax take if the bill remains unpaid.

Quarterly Payment Schedule

When the due date falls on a weekend or holiday, the bill will be due on the next business day. Payments not made by their respective due dates will accrue interest at a rate of 14% per annum. A demand charge will be added to any bills that remain outstanding after the May 1st due date.

New Owners

State Law requires that property tax bills show the name of the legal owner of record as of January 1 prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.

This office recognizes, however, that properties change hands throughout the year. We attempt to re-mail returned bills c/o the new owners, at the address shown in the deed, as soon as the ownership can be established. All new owners are encouraged to contact the office as soon as possible after a purchase to obtain a copy of any bill that has been issued and make sure that the Assessors and Treasurer-Collector have your local mailing address. Failure to receive a tax bill does not diminish your responsibility to pay the bill.

If you have an escrow account with your mortgage company, it is your responsibility to forward a copy of your bill to the mortgage company for payment. We do not mail bills to mortgage companies.

Supplemental Real Estate Tax Bills

An additional real estate tax, known as the Supplemental Real Estate Tax, may be issued to a taxpayer who has been issued an occupancy permit for a newly built home. The bill is based on the increase in value on the parcel and the number of days remaining in the fiscal year. Please contact the Assessors for more information.

If your real estate taxes are escrowed (paid on your behalf by your bank/mortgage company), you should make the mortgagee aware that these are additional taxes to your original real estate bill.

Supplemental Real Estate Taxes are subject to the same collection procedures as that of a real estate bill, including the placement of a tax lien on the property

Motor Vehicle Excise Tax

All vehicles in the State of Massachusetts are subject to an annual motor vehicle excise tax. All information provided on an excise tax bill comes directly from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Bills are assessed on a calendar basis. For additional information visit:

MA Motor Vehicle Excise Information

There are between six and eight Motor Vehicle Excise tax bill mailings during the year. The largest mailing usually occurs in February and usually includes all vehicles that were registered as housed in Brimfield for over one year. These bills, although collected by the Town, are generated from the records of the Registry of Motor Vehicles as of January 1st of the bill year. ~All address changes for excise tax bills must be done at the registry of motor vehicle. ~To update your address at the Registry click here

Motor vehicle excise tax bills are due and payable within thirty days from the date of issue. The excise rate, as set by statute, is $25.00 per thousand dollars of valuation. The original value used is the manufacturer’s list price for the vehicle, as reported to the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The value declines as the vehicle ages as shown in the table below.

Percentages are as follows:

Excise tax bills are owed to the town where the vehicle/trailer was garaged as of January 1.

You may be eligible for an abatement of all or part of your excise tax if you sold or traded your car, if your car was totaled or stolen, or if you moved out of Massachusetts and registered your car in another state. Please contact the Assessors for more information.

Demand bills will be issued for any excise bill not paid by the due date. Interest at a rate of 12% per annum will be charged from the due date to the date of payment. A $20.00 demand fee will be added to each bill. If the demand bill is not paid within 14 days from the date of its issuance, the Treasurer-Collector's office sends the bill to the Deputy Collector, who will issue a warrant to the owner. The Deputy Collector for the Town of Brimfield is:

Jeffery & Jeffery                                          Telephone (413) 967-9941
137 Main Street                                             www.jefferyandjeffery.com|
|PO Box 720
Ware, MA 01082.

The Treasure-Collector's office must follow the "Driver's Privacy Protection Act". Information will be provided only after proper identification is verified. For more info visit: http://www.mass.gov/rmv/privacy/index.htm 

Certificate of Municipal Liens

Please include the following information when requesting a CML: On-Line Payments

• Record name of the property owner
• Property address
• Parcel ID

If you do not know the parcel ID, please call the Assessor's Office at (413) 245-4100 x 1102.

Send requests to: Treasurer-Collector, PO Box 46, Brimfield, MA 01010

Certificates are $25.00 per parcel. Make checks payable to Town of Brimfield. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your request.

The Treasurer-Collector's Office has 20 business days by law in which to process a CML request. Please be sure to submit your request in ample time.

Related Links

• Driver Privacy Protection Act
• MA Motor Vehicle Excise Information
• Hampden County Registry of Deeds  
• Jeffery & Jeffery