David Guzman Jr., Collector of Taxes

Debbie Haslam, Deputy Collector

536 Dwight St. Room 6

Holyoke, MA 01040

(413) 322-5530

Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30

The Collector of Taxes is responsible for the collecting of the city's real estate, personal property, and motor vehicle excise taxes. All necessary steps required by Massachusetts General Law will be taken to collect on all past due accounts.

The mission of our office is to extend professional and courteous customer service to the members of our community. We will answer all inquiries to the best of our ability and provide up to date information. All transactions are posted, recorded and deposited daily.

Along with the collection of taxes, our office handles the issuance of municiple lien certificates and parking ticket payments and hearing requests.

Acceptable forms of payments are cash, personal checks, money orders, and debit/credit cards. A fee will be applied to debit/credit card transactions. See Fee Schedule. Personal checks are not accepted for the payment of delinquent motor vehicle excise taxes.

Current real estate and personal property taxes can be paid online through our secure payment site.

Parking tickets can be paid and appealed online at www.payholyoke.com.

Real Estate and Personal Property

All information for Real Estate and Personal Property originates from the Board of Assessors and it is the Assessor's office that commits to the Collector of Taxes to collect those monies for the City of Holyoke. It is the responsibility of the property owner to make sure their taxes are paid timely. Refunds are processed at the end of the Fiscal Year.

Preliminary bills include the first and second quarters of the tax year and are based on approximately 50% of the previous tax year's total tax. Actual tax bills include the third and fourth quarters of the tax year and are based on assessed value once the tax rate is set.

Any outstanding balance left on tax after 30 days from the 4th Q due date will be subject to interest and a $5.00 demand fee.

Properties in Tax Title

When a real estate tax is uncollected by the Tax Collector, an Instrument of Taking is recorded at the Registry of Deeds. That instrument effectively places a lien on the property on which the tax is unpaid and the amount of the tax is certified to the Treasurer by the Tax Collector and becomes a Tax Title account.  It then becomes the responsibility of the Treasurer to collect payment of the delinquent tax or foreclose on the property.  If the tax is not paid within six months a Petition to Foreclose is filed in Land Court.

A list of property owners (owner of record as of January 1 and subsequent owner), parcel identification, and amount of the unpaid taxes is submitted to the newspaper. Advertisement fees are applied to the delinquent tax amount, which also needs to be paid by the owner.

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Motor Vehicle Excise Tax

What is Excise and Who Gets it Excise tax on motor vehicles is an annual tax for the privilege of registration. Every motor vehicle and trailer registered in Massachusetts is subject to excise tax unless expressly exempted. Registering a motor vehicle automatically triggers an excise tax. The city or town where the vehicle is principally garaged levies the excise annually. The Registry of Motor Vehicles prepares data for excise bills according to the information on the motor vehicle registration and sends it to the City or Town. Cities and Towns then prepare bills based on the excise data provided by the Registry of Motor vehicles. Anyone with Massachusetts plates registered in their name gets a bill every year for as long as the plates are active in the RMV's system.

How Much is it The excise tax rate is $25.00 per thousand. This is the standard for the entire Commonwealth. The valuation is based on the rates set by the state and are assessed according to manufacturer’s list price. This taxable value is adjusted each year according to the following schedule:

• Year prior to model year:  50% of manufaturer's list price
• Model year:  90%
• Second year:  60%
• Third year:  40%
• Fourth year:  25%
• Fifth year and each year thereafter:  10%

When Are They Due Payments are due 30 days from the issue date. A person who does not receive a bill is still liable for the excise tax. Therefore, it is important to keep the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the Post Office informed of current name and address so that the excise tax bill can be delivered promptly.

What Are the Late Fees If an excise is not paid within 30 days from the date of issue a demand bill is sent. The charge for a demand bill is $5.00. Interest accrues on the overdue bill from the day after the due date until payment is received. The interest rate on excise is 12%. If the demand bill is not paid within 14 days, the collector may issue a warrant to the deputy tax collector. The deputy tax collector sends the warrant notice to the taxpayer with an additional fee of $22.00. If payment is still not received, the deputy will deliver a service warrant with an additional fee of $17.00. All bills will clearly state the interest and penalty charges.

What Happens if They Are Not Paid If the service warrant demanding final payment is not paid, the deputy collector may then notify the Registry of Motor Vehicles of such non-payment. The Registry will then mark the individual’s registration preventing the renewal of the motor vehicle registration and the owner’s driver’s license. The taxpayer will then be assessed a $20.00 mark fee in addition to all other penalties and interest. It is the policy of the City of Holyoke to NOT release any marked bill until ALL OUTSTANDING delinquent excise tax bills for a taxpayer are PAID IN FULL. Once full payment is made, the City will call to electronically clear the mark. This will enable the motorist to return to the Registry and renew his/her license or registration.

What if I Don't Have the Car Anymore If you receive an excise tax for a vehicle you no longer own, you may qualify for an abatement, or adjustment, on the bill, but you must provide proof that you no longer own the car AND proof of the registration cancellation or transfer. Any required documentation must be presented to the Assessor's office to receive an abatement. Click here to see what documents you need for an abatement depending on what you did with your car.

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Parking Tickets

Parking tickets can be paid in our office, through the mail, or online at www.payholyoke.com. A $5.00 is automatically applied to an outstanding ticket after 21 days. If it remains unpaid, a $15.00 notice fee will be applied and it will eventually lead to a $20.00 marking fee from the Registry of Motor Vehicles, which will prevent license and registration renewals.

Parking tickets may be appealed by filling out an Appeal Request form. Hearings are held once a month. If you fail to appear for your scheduled hearing, you forfeit your right to appeal and must pay the original fine. You can choose to have your appeal read by the hearings officer if you cannot come in for the scheduled hearing, and you will be notified of the hearings officer's decision by phone or mail. You may also appeal the ticket through the online website, which the hearings officer will read.

**The Hearings officer's decision on appeals is final**

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Municipal Lien Certificates

A municipal lien certificate is a legal document that lists all taxes, assessments and water charges owed on a parcel. These documents are usually requested by law offices in preparation of a refinance or sale of a property. Each request should include a property description, parcel number and a self addressed, stamped envelope.

All lien certificates, residential and commercial, are $25.00. Please allow 7-10 business days for processing.

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