1 :

How do I pay my taxes by credit card?

You can pay the taxes for one or multiple parcels by credit card. The Treasurer will only charge one credit card account. If you intend to pay for multiple parcels and want the payment charged against more than one credit card account, you must perform the credit card process multiple times—once for each credit card—and include in each process only the parcels you want to pay with that particular card.
If you are paying for multiple parcels, you can save your list of parcels and re-use the list for future payments. Refer to question #2 for more details regarding this option.

To begin the payment process using a credit card, you must first locate the district and parcel number on the Real Estate Tax Bill you wish to pay. On any First or Second Half Real Estate Tax Bill, you can find the district and parcel number in the "Dist/Parcel Number" field located on the upper right-hand side of the bill detail area. On any Delinquent Real Estate Tax Notice, the district and parcel numbers are separate fields located in the upper left-hand corner of the form. You must hyphenate these fields so they follow the format xxx-xxxxxx-xx.

Enter the Dist/Parcel Number on the menu page. You may view the bill for the parcel by clicking the "View Bill" button to the right of the Dist/Parcel Number you just entered. During the first half tax collection period, you must select whether you wish to pay the first half taxes only, the full year taxes, or some other amount not greater than the full year taxes. During the second half and delinquent tax collection periods, you may choose to pay the full amount due or some other, partial amount. Once you have decided how much you wish to pay, you may click the "Add to Payment List" button. If you select "Other Amount", a page will appear upon which you can enter the amount of tax you intend to pay for the parcel. Click the "Add to Payment List" button on that page. The parcel is now added to a list of parcels selected for payment. Repeat this process for each parcel you wish to pay.

The list of parcels selected for payment appears below the section of the page in which you entered the Dist/Parcel Number. The entry for the parcel you just entered into the list of parcels will show the tax amount, convenience fee amount, owner name(s) and property description for the parcel you just entered. It will also indicate whether you chose to pay the first half tax, full year tax, or some other amount of tax. The total tax due, total convenience fee, and grand total for all of the parcels added appears below the list. Note that although each parcel shows a convenience fee amount specific to that parcel, the total tax due for all of the parcels selected ultimately determines the total convenience fee. Due both to rounding and to the $1.00 minimum, the sum of the convenience fees for the parcels selected may not equal the total convenience fee.

Once you have included a parcel in the list, you may remove the parcel by clicking its "Remove" button. You may also view the bill for any parcel in the list by clicking its "View Bill" button. You may change or alternate the amount you are paying among the first half, full year, and other amount options. For those parcels for which you chose to pay some other amount, you can click "Change Payment" to change the amount you are paying for the parcel.

Once you have added to the list each of the parcels you wish to pay, click the "Pay by Credit Card" button located below the total amount due. This will take you to the payment form.

On the payment form, provide all requested information, including the credit card information. Submit your information to Franklin County.

PLEASE NOTE: We must receive your online payment before 11:30 p.m. on the indicated due date. The Treasurer will assess a late payment penalty on accounts not paid-in-full by the due date.

When you have successfully submitted your information, you will see a confirmation page displayed. Please print this page for your records. Official Payments Corporation, the credit card vendor, will send an e-mail to the address you previously provided. If you need to contact the Franklin County Treasurer concerning this transaction, please refer to the confirmation number.

2 :

How do I save my list of parcels and re-use it in the future?

To create a saved list of parcels, follow the instructions located within the answer to question #1. If you have more than one parcel included in your payment list when you click "Pay by Credit Card", then when your computer monitor displays the payment form, there will be a "Save Parcel List Option" at the bottom of the payment form. This option asks you to provide a name for your list. When your payment is confirmed, the list will save using the name you chose for your list, as well as the e-mail address you provided on the payment form. The confirmation page will include the list name and its associated e-mail address. Pay close attention to whether you used uppercase letters, lowercase letters, or a combination of the two, as you will be unable to retrieve your list in the future unless you specify the list name exactly as you have saved it.

To use a previously saved list of parcels, go to the screen where you can enter and add a district/parcel number to the payment list. At the top of the page, click on the link to generate a previously saved parcel list. Once you click on this link, your computer monitor will display a screen which asks for the e-mail address you used when you initially saved your parcel list. During the first half collection period, this screen will also ask whether or not you want the listed parcels loaded into the payment list with the due amount for either the first half or full year tax. You can change this for individual parcels once they are loaded into the payment list.

Once you have entered the e-mail address and you have clicked the continue button, the next screen will display each of the list names saved with that specific e-mail address. To the right of each listed name are clickable options to either view the contents of the list or to add to the payment cart the parcels noted on the list, in order to permit you to proceed with the payment process. Selecting "Add to Payment Cart" will add the parcels noted on your list to the payment cart and will then return you to the screen where you enter parcels for payment. If this action fails to add any or all parcels, the next screen will display a message indicating why the parcel or parcels were not added.

If you click the "View" link next to a saved list of parcels, the screen that follows will display the parcel numbers included in that saved list. You can then proceed with the payment of the taxes due for those parcels by clicking the "Add to Payment Cart" button.

Once you have added to the payment cart the parcels on your list, you can then add or delete parcels, view the bills for the parcels on your list, or change the payment type in the manner detailed for question #1. When you click the "Pay by Credit Card" button, your computer screen will display the payment form. At the bottom of the payment form, you will see a "Save Parcel List Option" which shows the list name that you have saved, as well as its associated e-mail address or addresses.

From here, you have three options:

1. Update the parcel list you used so that it includes any parcels you have added or deleted
2. Leave your parcel list unchanged
3. Save with a new name the list of parcels for which you are paying.

If you choose to either update the list of parcels or to save the list with a new name, your choice will take effect once you complete the payment and your monitor then displays the confirmation screen. The confirmation page will include the saved or updated list name and the e-mail address associated with that saved or updated list name.

3 :

Is there a service fee for paying by credit card?

Yes. Official Payments Corporation, the credit card vendor for this service, charges users a 2.75% convenience fee with a minimum charge of $1.00. All credit card vendors charge such a fee.

4 :

Will someone contact me if there are any questions or complications regarding this online payment?

Yes. It is important that you give us your daytime telephone number and e-mail address so we may contact you if necessary. If there is a problem with your credit card account, you will receive a message indicating that you need to contact your credit card issuer.

5 :

Can I make a partial payment?

Yes. You may make a partial payment for a parcel by selecting to pay an "Other Amount" in the manner detailed in the answer to question #1. However, any current tax unpaid by the due date for a given tax collection period will incur a late payment penalty.

6 :

When will my credit card account reflect the charge for my payment?

Payments made before 11:30 p.m. will appear on your account between two (2) and five (5) BUSINESS days of the date you initiated the payment (i.e. if you initiate payment on a weekend, the following Tuesday would be first day your payment could appear on your account, while that Friday would be the last day the payment could appear on your account). Your real estate tax payment will be credited the same day as the debit from your credit card account. The Treasurer will consider payments completed on or before the closing date of a collection (due date) as payments made timely, so the Treasurer will not assess a penalty to these payments.

7 :

Will I receive a paid receipt for my taxes?

Once you have completed the payment process, your screen will display a confirmation page. The Treasurer’s office suggests that you print this page for your records. In addition to this confirmation page, Official Payments Corporation, the credit card vendor, will send an e-mail to the address you provided with your payment. Please contact the Franklin County Treasurer's Office at (614) 462-7516 if your credit card account does not reflect your tax payment within the timeframe detailed within the answer to question #6. Your credit card charge is your receipt of payment.

8 :

Can I pay my taxes after the due date?

Yes, you may pay your taxes online with a credit card after the due date. The Treasurer assesses a late payment penalty on all late payments. This penalty is 5% of the total unpaid current balance for the first 10 days and 10% of the total unpaid current balance thereafter. During the first half tax collection period, the unpaid current balance only involves the first half tax amount. During the second half tax collection period, the unpaid current balance involves all unpaid tax for the current year. This means that the Treasurer calculates the second half penalty against all remaining unpaid tax for both the first half and the second half, including any first half late penalty. Your online payment will not reflect the penalty for approximately 30 days from the original due date. Once the Auditor's Office has added the penalty, the online bill will reflect the full amount due. Until our website accurately displays all late penalties charged to your parcel(s), the Treasurer’s office will mail a balance due bill for late payment penalties. Throughout this period, you may make your late penalty payment in person or you can mail it to the Treasurer. You may also wait until the Treasurer’s website accurately reflects the penalty and then pay the penalty online. Make checks payable to Ed Leonard, Franklin County Treasurer.

Mail payments to:
Franklin County Treasurer
373 S High St., 17th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-6306

9 :

Why do I need to either turn on JavaScript or use a newer internet browser version?

This form and many other features of this website take advantage of the extra features and power of the newer internet browsers to enhance and provide information to you. The JavaScript in these forms checks your information to make sure that you did not mistype. This will allow the most efficient processing of your information. It also allows the form to "remember" who you are so that you do not need to enter certain information again in the future. You may obtain the newest browser from these links for Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.

10 :

I am concerned about using my credit card on the Internet. What type of security do you provide?

While you should always beware of fraud, using credit cards on the Internet is no more insecure than handing your credit card to a waiter at a restaurant. Franklin County uses the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) services that our web server provides to encrypt all of our transactions. SSL is a protocol which enables encrypted, authenticated communications across the Internet. SSL is used mostly (but not exclusively) in communications between web browsers and web servers. SSL provides privacy, authentication, and message integrity to prevent eavesdropping, forgery, and tampering.

11 :

I don't have my real estate tax bill. How can I find the District/Parcel Number?

You can locate your District/Parcel Number by clicking on the Property Search link on our homepage or by calling the Franklin County Treasurer's Office at (614) 462-3438.

12 :

I have a question about my tax payment that is not answered here. What should I do?

If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to Ed_Leonard@franklincountyohio.gov or call the Franklin County Treasurer's Office at (614) 462-3438.

To pay your taxes by credit card, click continue.