The office of the Collector is responsible for the timely preparation and mailing of all tax bills, and the collection and reconciliation of all municipal taxes. Approximately 15,000 bills are issued and collected annually.
The town collector primarily collects property taxes that fund the activities of local government including the school system.The town collector does not determine how much to collect.The voters at the Town Meeting set the budget for the town. Then the Board of Assessors determines the value of a parcel and applies the tax rates and any special assessments to the tax bill. The Tax Collector then has the responsibility to collect the taxes based the tax bill. If you have questions about the value of your property you should contact the Assessor's office at 508-867-1421 Opt 6.
The Treasurer/Collector works closely with the Assessors and Accountant in performing the duties of the office under Massachusetts General Law.
Failure to receive a tax bill does not diminish your responsibility to pay the bill.
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. 2½ 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 will 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 $30.00 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 taking if the bill remains unpaid.
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 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.
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
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 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:
Year prior to model year:
50%
Model year:
90%
Second year:
60%
Third year:
40%
Fourth year:
25%
Fifth year and thereafter:
10%
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. Failure to receive a tax bill does not diminish your responsibility to pay the bill. Interest at a rate of 12% per annum will be charged from the due date to the date of payment. A $30.00 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 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 West Brookfield is:
Jeffery & Jeffery 137 Main St., PO Box 720, Ware, MA 01082
Please include the following information when requesting a CML:
Record name of property owner
Property address
Parcel ID
If you do not know the parcel ID, please call the Assessor's Office at (508)867-1421 ext. 303.
Send requests to: Collector, PO Box 551, West Brookfield, MA 01585
Certificates are $25.00 per parcel. Make checks payable to Town of West Brookfield. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your request.
The Collector's Office has 10 business days by law in which to process a CML request. Please be sure to submit your request in ample time.
Prior Year Tax information for Income Tax Purposes
If you are looking to obtain prior calendar year tax payment amounts for tax purposes, please send a request and a $5.00 payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Payments may be made as follows:
On-line Payments:
WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING ONLINE PAYMENTS. PLEASE USE OUR WEBSITE LINK TO PAY YOUR BILLS ONLINE WITH YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT OR CREDIT/DEBIT (FEE WILL BE ASSESSED BY THE CREDIT CARD PROCESSOR)
Payments may be made in person during business hours using, check, cash, or credit/debit card. The same fee to use your credit/debit card online is assessed for in person payments.
Drop Box:
Located at the side entrance. Please only use the gray box for payments and CHECK ONLY.
By mail:
P.O. Box 551, West Brookfield, MA 01585
Please include on the check:
The type of bill being paid. (real estate, excise, personal property, etc)
The bill number and year or account number. (remember bill numbers change from year to year)
The name and address should be on either the check or the check stub.
Do not forget to sign and date your check.
Unsigned checks will be returned.
Do not Postdate Checks.
Checks will not be held for a later deposit.
A postdated 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.
Payment will be accepted with or without remittance stub.
Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Bills are mailed on or before:
January 1st and before March 31st.
June 27th and September 30th.
Due within 30 days of mailing.
Please include the correct quarterly payment coupon with your payment.
If the Tax Collector cannot make a determination regarding a payment. We will mail your check back to you and ask that you return it with the appropriate account information.
Items returned may be subject to additional charges and interest.
Using your Bank On-Line Payment Systems
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please note that your bank will actually create and mail a check to the town, which may not reach the Collector’s office by the due date. In our experience, delays of several days are common.
When making a payment using your personal bank's on-line bill payer system, some residents prefer to pay their municipal bills by using on-line systems offered by their bank.
We do not recommend this type of payment because no bill is remitted with the payment.
We will accept these payments, provided that we can immediately determine for whom and for what type of bill the payment is being remitted.
Abatements
Requests for abatements should be made to the Board of Assessorsat (508) 867-1421 ext. 303
If you are calling to question the value of your property, an abatement, or an exemption issue, please contact the Assessor’s office at (508) 867-1421 ext. 303.
FY25 Employee/Retiree Benefits
Click Here for a link to our health, dental and vision benefit e-kit and enrollment form.
