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Office of the City Treasurer

Office of the City Treasurer

Office of the City Treasurer

Office Hours

Monday through Friday, 8:15 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

Office Closed on the following City Holidays:

June 19, July 4, September 4, November 23 & 24, December 22, 25, & 29, 2023 and January 1, 2024

Wisconsin Help for Homeowners

The State of Wisconsin, Department of Administration, Division of Energy, Housing, and Community Resources (DEHCR) is administering the Wisconsin Help for Homeowners Program, with funding from the Homeowners Assistance Fund established under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Wisconsin Help for Homeowners (WHH) is a statewide program that can help with overdue bills like mortgage payments, property taxes, utilities, and more. The program is open to individuals and families who live in Wisconsin with overdue housing-related bills, both with and without a mortgage, who meet income and other eligibility requirements, and have experienced a qualified economic hardship since January 21, 2020.

The program deadline has been extended and applications will be accepted until the program’s funds are expended. You can learn more about the program at URL: https://doa.wi.gov/Pages/LocalGovtsGrants/Homeowner-Assistance.aspx

Tax Bill Payment Options

• Pay by Mail via U.S Postal Service - Pay by check using the return remittance envelope included with your tax bill. NO CASH PAYMENTS. Please not that the Postal Service has changed its delivery standars, so mail early to avoid late delivery and going tax delinquent.

• Use a Drop Box - Pay by check using the return remittance envelope included with your tax bill. NO CASH PAYMENTS.

Drop Boxes Available 24 hours a day, all year round:

• Inside City Hall Market Street Entrance

• Outside the Municipal Building on Market Street

Drop Box Available when the Building is Open, all year round:

• Broadway Entrance to Municipal Building

• Pay by Phone or Online – Call the Customer Services Division at 414-286-2240 or visit here to pay by credit or debit card with a 2.75% convenience fee or ACH debit checking or savings with no convenience fee.

To have your property tax account paid in full electronically prior to year-end, so it qualifies as an income tax deduction, you must authorize the payment transaction before 8:00 P.M. on Friday, December 30, 2022.

This office will mail you a tax payment receipt within ten business days of payment processing in December and January. If a refund is due, a refund check will be mailed to you within thirty business days of payment processing in December and January.

Installment Payment Plan

The City of Milwaukee offers a ten-month, interest free property tax installment payment plan option to those who are unable to pay their bill in full. To qualify, your real estate tax bill must be more than $100 and you must make your first installment payment by January 31.

To enroll in the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Program please call the Customer Services Division at 414-286-2240 or visit www.milwaukee.gov/treasurer/eft.

Name and Address Changes

The ADDRESS CHANGE REQUEST that is on the back of every City of Milwaukee Property Tax Bill Payment Coupon is used only for mailing out tax payment receipts, tax refund checks, installment tax bills, and delinquent tax bills through November 30.

Any permanent change in ownership or name must be recorded with the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds. Any permanent change in owners’ mailing addresses must also be reported to and recorded with the City Assessor at City Hall, Room 507. Note, too, that the address change form is also available on the Office of the City Treasurer’s web site at: https://city.milwaukee.gov/Address#

If you are a new owner and the previous owner’s name is still on the tax bill, make sure you check off the change of address box on the front of the payment coupon, and complete the change of name and address section on the back side of the payment coupon, or the refund check will be sent to the previous owner.

Special Charges and Assessments

Outstanding special charges or assessments that have not been paid by mid-November may be added to your property tax bill and then must be collected as a tax as provided by Wisconsin State Statutes. Such special charges and assessments cannot be appealed, nor negotiated or compromised.

If you have any questions regarding a special charge or assessment added to your property tax bill, you should contact the department that is responsible for adding the special to the tax bill. Here is the contact list.

Using Your Bank’s Auto-Pay System

If you decide to use your bank’s auto-pay system, please note that the monthly installments are not the same amount every month. The January installment due is usually less than the amounts due from February through July and the amounts due from August through October are less than those due from February through July.

The first time an installment payment is either missed or paid short, you can be reinstated to the plan by paying 1% interest on the missed installment or the amount that was paid short, along with the next month’s installment due. However, if you miss an installment for the second time or pay short a second time, regardless of the amount, your account will go tax delinquent and interest and penalty will be assessed back to the first of February, in accordance with Wisconsin State Statutes and Milwaukee Ordinances.

Note, too, that your bank issues and mails out a check and does not transmit your property tax payment electronically to this office. You need to make sure that your bank’s property tax payment checks are not sent to the City’s bank tax payment lock box, which cannot process tax payments without a return remittance coupon. To assure timely payment, your bank’s property tax payment checks must be dated and mailed with a postmark no later than the last day of the month and sent directly to this office at:

City Treasurer

City Hall, Room 103

200 East Wells Street

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202

Taxpayers are strongly encouraged to enroll in the City Treasurer’s Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for the Property Tax Installment Payment Plan to assure monthly installments due are made in the correct amount and on time.

Online Tax Bill / Paying Tax Bill Online / Tax Account Information / Special Improvement Bonds through Munis Self-Service Tax Information

YOU WILL NEED TO USE GOOGLE CHROME OR MICROSOFT EDGE IN ORDER TO PROPERLY ACCESS THE MUNIS SELF-SERVICE TAX INFORMATION WEB SITE

To access property tax record information online, go to the Tax Records tab on the City Treasurer's home page or Quick Links list in the right hand margin and select Property Taxes & Payments.
On the Milwaukee Self Service Welcome! page, select Online Tax Inquiry on the right margin. On the Welcome to Online Tax Inquiry page, select either Personal Property (applies to equipment used by a business) or Real Estate (homeowners need to select Real Estate) or Special Improvements (for Special Improvement Bonds).
On the Real Estate page, enter your tax key / account number in the Parcel ID field. Note that the format of the tax key / account number has changed, as the check digit has been dropped and no hyphens are needed (i.e.: 3921261000). As an alternative, you can enter in the House Number and the Street Name including the street direction and type (200 E WELLS ST). Hit enter or click on the Search button.
On the Personal Property page, enter your tax key / account number in the Property Code field. Note that the format of the tax key / account number has changed, as no hyphens are needed (i.e.: 99999999). As an alternative, you can enter in the House Number and the Street Name including the street direction and type (200 E WELLS ST). Hit enter or click on the Search button.
On the Search Results screen, select View Bill for the tax levy year you want to review. After selecting a particular tax levy year, you can return to Search Results page to view another tax levy year by selecting Search Results in the right hand margin.
You can access a PDF Copy of the Tax Bill by selecting View Bill Image. You can download the PDF or print it out. Do note that the combined tax bill is legal size, 8 ½” x 14”. All other tax bills are letter size, 8 ½” x 11".
To make a Property Tax Payment Online, select the Resources Menu icon , which is the third icon from the right in the blue bar at the top of the page, and select PAY ONLINE. It is recommended that you copy and paste the tax key / account number on to the Make a Payment page at US Bank to assure accurate payment application. E-Check transactions (an ACH debit to your checking or savings account) incur no convenience fee. VISA™ and MasterCard™ Credit and Debit Card transaction incur a convenience fee of 2.75%. Tax payments made on-line are applied to the current tax levy.
To access a Property Tax Report, also known as a Tax Search, on the Real Estate page, enter your tax key / account number in the Parcel ID field. Note that the format of the tax key / account number has changed, as the check digit has been dropped and no hyphens are needed (i.e.: 3921261000). As an alternative, you can enter in the House Number and the Street Name including the street direction and type (200 E WELLS ST). Hit enter or click on the Search button.
On the Search Results screen, select View Bill for any of the tax levy years shown. On the Real Estate screen that appears next, select Property Tax Report located on the right margin. On the City of Milwaukee Property Tax Search screen, select the Print Page button to print out a PDF of the tax search.
On the Special Improvements page, enter your tax key / account number in the Parcel ID field. Note that the format of the tax key / account number has changed, as the check digit has been dropped and no hyphens are needed (i.e.: 3921261000). As an alternative, you can enter in the House Number and the Street Name including the street direction and type (200 E WELLS ST). Hit enter or click on the Search button.
On the Search Results screen, select the Account Number listed to view the Account Summary. On the Account Summary page, you may select Assessment Details to view the original amount, the interest rate, the unbilled balance, and the payoff amount. You may also select Manage Bills to get the total due by an “as of” date of your choosing. On the Manage Bills page, you may select Bill Details for billing detail. On the Bill Detail page, you may select Payments and adjustments to view payment activity.