Due to the recent changes in federal tax law some residents have asked, “Can I prepay my Woodbridge property taxes before January 1, 2018?”
The answer is: Only if you received a tax bill in July 2017 for taxes that were due in two installments, one in July 2017 and the other in January 2018. Such tax bills go out only to residents who no longer have a home mortgage. These are tax payments based on the fiscal year 2017-2018 mill rate. Only these tax installments that are due in January 2018 may be pre-paid in December 2017.
Next year’s taxes will be based on a mill rate for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, which will be set in May 2018 at the conclusion of the Town’s annual budget process. Connecticut State law does not grant municipalities the power to collect taxes before a mill rate is set. Therefore you cannot prepay your 2018-2019 taxes now.
Once the mill rate is set in May 2018, residents will receive tax bills which are due in July. Until then there is no way for the Town to know how much tax a resident owes. Towns cannot estimate a tax bill. If a resident were to estimate their own tax bill and send a check to the Town to pre-pay, the Town would be required to refund the payment and issue the taxpayer a 1099 tax form.