March 10, 2015
Contact: Colene McEntee, Public Affairs Coordinator, 636-949-1864, cmcentee@sccmo.org
St. Charles County, Missouri – As required by state law, the St. Charles County Assessor plans to mail approximately 40,218 personal property assessment declaration forms by March 23 to taxpayers who failed to respond to the initial January mailing. Forms were due by March 1. Late filing penalties will be applied on May 1.
Residents who do not file a form each year find themselves at the Assessor’s Office during the end-of-the-year rush, mainly for three reasons:
• New residents are not familiar with the personal property declaration requirement.
• Current residents do not complete and return the declaration form to the Assessor.
• Residents experience difficulties renewing vehicle licenses.
By declaring their personal property, residents can avoid problems at the end of the year when they realize they have not received a personal property bill. Forms filed by May 1 also provide the opportunity to appeal the value if necessary.
“Completion of the form assures a fair and equitable distribution of the tax burden,” said Scott Shipman, St. Charles County Assessor. “The tax rate for everyone in the county is impacted when citizens do not declare their personal property.”
Individual personal property owners can opt to file online. Printed on the personal property assessment declaration form is an E-filing website and unique secure code for individual personal property owners to access their accounts. The E-filing website link is also featured on the Assessor’s website, http://assessor.sccmo.org. When filing online, taxpayers receive automatic confirmation that their form was received. Residents can also verify receipt on the Assessor’s website under Personal Property – Assessment Form Confirmation by entering in their address information into the office’s database.
Residents who have questions or did not receive a form to declare their personal property may contact the Personal Property Department at 636-949-7420 or 1-800-822-4012, ext. 7420. The Assessor’s website also includes both individual and business personal property forms.
“The Assessor’s Office is ready to help if residents have any questions about filing online or personal property in general,” said Shipman.
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