Arkansans have until Monday to pay their county personal property and real estate taxes for 2017 without being assessed a penalty, according to state law.
Payments must be received or postmarked by midnight Oct. 15 each year to avoid a 10 percent delinquency penalty on personal property -- including automobiles, boats, RVs and mobile homes. Delinquent real estate taxes and business assets carry both a penalty and interest charges.
Most counties also provide electronic payment opportunities in addition to mail and personal visit to their offices. Payments can be made through the Arkansas.gov website and clicking on the Property Taxes tab.
The tax revenue is forwarded monthly to each applicable taxing entity such as public schools, cities, libraries, county hospitals and other specific entities at the county level.
The tax revenue received in Pulaski County is divided among eight municipalities and rural Pulaski County for roads, libraries, public schools and Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, plus other varied recipients by city. Public schools receive the biggest share by far in each case.
Most counties send out tax bills during the spring, which are due at the time of receipt, but there are no penalties until the October deadline each year when taxes are declared delinquent.
In Pulaski County, payment patterns have flipped in the past 18 years, when she first took office, Pulaski County Treasurer and Tax Collector Debra Buckner said Friday.
Pulaski County has collected more than $348,459,693 or about 70 percent of bills due on 377,323 parcels, Buckner said. About 5 percent will end up being delinquent, she said.
"We are looking at deadline needing to collect 30 percent," Buckner said. "Electronic payments are up. When I came into office, we were receiving 30 percent [of payments] in advance and 70 percent in October, which means that schools and cities and everybody else get their money sooner throughout the year."
Delinquent taxpayers are required by state law to be publicly listed. By early November, those delinquent names will be published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and local newspapers.
The Pulaski County Treasurer's office will have extended hours until 6 p.m. through Monday at its Southwest office, State Police Complex, 8001 Geyer Springs Road, Little Rock; West office, Ashley Square Shopping Center, 9108 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock; and North Little Rock Office, Indian Hill Shopping Center, 6929 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock.
A payment drop box is at 201 S. Broadway on the Second Street side of the Pulaski County Administration Building and also inside all locations. There are also kiosks available at all Pulaski County locations.
All Pulaski County Treasurer locations will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and online services will be unavailable on those days. Offices and services will reopen by 10 a.m. Thursday. More information is available at pulaskicountytreasurer.net.
Taxes are for 2017 because Arkansas taxes are for one year in arrears.
In addition to in-person, mail and online payments, here is information on some of the other counties in Arkansas:
BENTON COUNTY
• Office hours of the Benton County Collector will not be extended on Monday.
CRAIGHEAD COUNTY
• 511 Union St., Suite 107, Jonesboro, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Drop box outside at that location.)
• 107 Cobean Boulevard, Lake City, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
• Jefferson County Courthouse, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., plus an outside drop box.
SALINE COUNTY
• 215 N. Main St., Benton
• 101 NW Third St., Bryant, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The Benton tax collection office will be open until 6 p.m. Monday. It also has an outside drop box.
WASHINGTON COUNTY
• Springdale revenue office, 3159 Springdale Ave., 7 a.m.-5 p.m. (and a 24-hour drop box available in parking lot for checks only).
• Razorback revenue office, 965 Razorback Road, Fayetteville, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Fayetteville new court house, 280 N. College Ave., Fayetteville, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (and a 24-hour drop box available on the top parking deck for checks only).
• Lincoln revenue office, 215 S. Main St., Lincoln.
Metro on 10/14/2018