January Taxes Will Be Accepted As Late As April In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — The governor recently signed an executive order allowing towns to once again defer property tax payments — an opportunity Fairfield intends to take advantage of on behalf of its residents.

In the spring, Fairfield approved a deferment program for taxes due April 1 and July 1 that was authorized by Gov. Ned Lamont in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The new executive order allows towns to offer deferment for taxes due Jan. 1.

“The pandemic has created many challenges for residents, and I am grateful the governor again provided this option for towns so we in turn can provide relief to residents,” First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said in a town news release.

The extension will be for 90 days. Anyone who fails to pay by April 1 will have to pay three months' interest along with the existing bill. Escrow accounts will be ineligible for deferment.

“Because the executive order was granted so late, there was not enough time to include notice about the grace period in the bills to residents, however, we are working to send out a post card, and are doing all we can to get notice out on social media, via news outlets and the town website,” Tax Collector Dave Kluczwski said in the news release.

No approvals are needed from any other town bodies to implement the tax deferment program as long as the town is doing the same tax break program that was authorized earlier in the year, according to the executive order.

About $10 million was deferred during the last program, Kluczwski estimated, but the deferred payments were ultimately received within three months, based on Kluczwski 's analysis of overall tax collections.

Seventy-one percent of towns opted for the deferment over a low-interest program earlier in the year. The last deferment and the new deferment do not address the sewer and real estate taxes that were due Oct. 1. They are not eligible for deferment, interest is still charged and interest paid cannot be refunded or transferred.

To read Lamont's new executive order, visit tinyurl.com/ybw8v5an.

For more information, contact Kluczwski at dkluczwski@fairfieldct.org or 203-256-3100.