Whenever the City of Milwaukee Mayor declares a severe weather emergency, be advised that the Office of the City Treasurer will be closed.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
In compliance with the emergency order issued by the Governor in response to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the City Treasurer’s Office is closed until further notice to prevent the spread of the virus.
Taxpayers can pay their property taxes on-line or by mail during this period. The drop box inside the Market Street entrance to City Hall also remains an option for making a tax payment. It may take several days before tax payments are posted to your account.
Do note that US Bank has informed my office that it is suspending the Pay-at-the-Bank option for property tax payments until further notice.
Please note that since Wisconsin State Statutes govern the billing and collection of property taxes, as well as delinquent tax interest and penalties, and the statutes currently recognize no exceptions for their assessment, municipal treasurers have no authority on their own to delay property tax billing, nor waive tax account interest and penalties. With this being the case, no payment extensions or waiving of interest and penalties are permitted at this time. However, do note that I have sent a letter strongly urging the Wisconsin Legislature and Governor to pass legislation that would establish a set period moratorium on assessing interest and penalties on property tax accounts. Hard pressed small businesses deeply impacted by the pandemic, as well as individual property taxpayers, would benefit from the relief of not having to pay interest and penalties on property tax accounts when many are facing the loss of income due to businesses being temporarily closed and employees being furloughed.
As always, you may e-mail the office at ctreas@milwaukee.gov with questions. If a high volume of messages are received it may take a few days before you receive a reply.
If you call the office at 414-286-2240 and decide to leave a voice mail message, a representative will get back to you as soon as possible. Again, if a high volume of messages are received, it may take a few days before you receive a call back. Do note that the return call may be from a blocked number, so please keep this in mind. When you leave a message, clearly state your name, address, telephone number, and a brief message.
If your tax account is included in a tax foreclosure action or bankruptcy action, you can contact the Tax Enforcement Division by telephone at 414-286-2260 and leave a voice mail message, or you may e-mail the office at ctreas@milwaukee.gov.
The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic must be taken seriously as the health and well-being of both the public and my office staff matters greatly. While this temporary change does pose an inconvenience to some, taking steps to prevent the spread of the virus is prudent and in the best interests of both the public and my office staff. The public’s understanding and cooperation during this period is deeply appreciated.
Respectfully,
SPENCER COGGS
City Treasurer
Property Tax Payments
Just a reminder that the City of Milwaukee does offer a ten-month, interest free property tax installment plan.
To qualify, your real estate tax bill must be more than $100 and you must make the first installment payment on or before January 31st. Subsequent installments are due on or before the last day of the month from February through October.
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 one percent 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 assessed back to the first of February, in accordance with Wisconsin State Statutes and Milwaukee Ordinances.
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. Under the plan, the monthly installment due is automatically debited from your savings or checking account on the due date with no convenience fee assessed. You can find additional information on the plan, as well as an enrollment form, on the City Treasurer’s web site at https://city.milwaukee.gov/treasurer/eft.
Online Tax Bill / Paying Tax Bill Online / Tax Account Information / Special Improvement Bonds through Munis Self-Service Tax Information
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 Munis Self-Service Tax Information.
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.
For 2019, 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 2019 tax bill is legal size, 8 ½” x 14”.
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.