Mission Statement
The Tax Collector’s Office is responsible for the collection of all real estate, personal property and motor vehicle excise taxes, town sewer, South Shore and Middlebridge water user fees, adult day care and septic hauler invoices.
Tax and Utility Due Dates and Penalties
Property tax bills are mailed once a year in early July with four, tear-off payment return stubs attached and may be paid quarterly as follows: 1st quarter is due on August 1st, 2nd quarter is due on November 1st, 3rd quarter is due on February 1st and the 4th quarter is due May 1st. If the tax levied is $100 or less, it shall be payable in a single installment due September 1st. For taxes levied over $100, if payment in full is desired, payment may be made in a single installment due September 1st.
Water & Waste Water (sewer) bills are mailed on or before September 15th and paid in 2 installments as follows: the 1st installment is due on October 15th and the 2nd installment is due on January 15th.
Penalties - Each installment of taxes or utilities, if paid on or before the last day of each installment period successively and in order, shall be free from any charge for interest. If payment is not made by the last day of each installment period, the whole bill or remaining unpaid balance as the case may be, shall immediately become due and shall carry until paid a penalty at the rate of 12% from August 1st for taxes and from October 15th for water and wastewater payments.
Fire District taxes are also due on real estate and personal property but not motor vehicles. These taxes are collected by the individual Fire Districts and not by the Town of South Kingstown. The 3 Fire Districts in the town are: Union Fire District (#401-783-0617), Kingston Fire District (#401-789-9131) and Indian Lake Fire District (#401-783-1811).
Automatic Quarterly Tax Payments
The Town of South Kingstown is now accepting quarterly tax payments via electronic (ACH) transfers from either your statement savings or checking account that would be deposited directly to the Town’s account. There is no cost to you. We will accept electronic payments for real estate, tangible and motor vehicle taxes. You may authorize quarterly payments of your taxes by completing the “Authorization for Direct Payments” form and returning it to the Tax Collector. ALL PAYMENTS WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY DEDUCTED FROM YOUR BANK ACCOUNT ON THE QUARTERLY DUE DATE or if the due date falls on a weekend or holiday, it will be deducted on the next banking day.
To obtain a direct (ACH) payment form, please CLICK HERE FOR AN APPLICATION or contact the Tax Collector’s Office at (401) 789-9331 or at mpacker@southkingstownri.com to obtain a paper form. In order to set up a direct (ACH) payment for the next quarter, the application must be completed and returned to the Tax Collector, 180 High Street, Wakefield, RI 02879, not less than two weeks prior to the payment due date. After submission of the ACH application, you will receive an acknowledgment that the ACH payment has been set-up on the system. If you do not receive an acknowlegement, please contact the Tax Collector’s office to verify that the application was received.
If a valid resident email address is provided, the Town will send an electronic reminder notice to all residents confirming the amount and date of each scheduled quarterly ACH payment.
Tax Payments with Debit or Credit Cards
The Town of South Kingstown accepts tax payments via debit or credit card. Taxpayers have the option to pay their tax bills by major credit card (MasterCard, Visa, Discover or American Express) or by debit card with the Visa or MasterCard logo.
For Online Payments: (Click here to make an Online Payment) or
For Telephone Payments: dial toll-free number 1-800-2PayTax (1-800-272-9829) and provide the Town of South Kingstown’s Jurisdiction Code of #4914.
A convenience fee is charged for processing each debit or credit card transaction as payment for accepting and processing a payment. The fee also covers the cost of a toll-free telephone and Web-based, Online system. This convenience fee is charged directly to the taxpayer as a separate charge on their cardholder statement. The fee amounts to 2.75% of the payment amount or a minimum of $3.00 per transaction. No part of the convenience fee is paid to the Town of South Kingstown.
Prior to making payments either Online or by telephone, taxpayers should have their most recent tax bill or notice in hand so that they can provide accurate account information with their payment. All payments must be received on or before the due date or interest at 12% per annum will be charged. For past-due accounts, please contact the Tax Collector’s Office at (401) 789-9331 or via email to mpacker@southkingstownri.com for updated interest amounts to include with your payment.
Motor Vehicle Tax Collections
The Town receives all registration renewal forms from the State of RI Registry of Motor Vehicles for those residents who have vehicles registered in South Kingstown. If motor vehicle taxes are up to date, the Town places an approval stamp on the form and mails it to the individual. If there are delinquent taxes due, car registrations are held and notices are sent by the Tax Collector in order to prevent those who fail to pay their motor vehicle taxes from registering their motor vehicles until taxes are paid.
If you are registering a motor vehicle in the State of RI, you must obtain an approval stamp from the Tax Collector on your State car reigstration prior to renewal. Because this approval stamp is required, South Kingstown residents cannot register their vehicles on-line at the State’s website.
Click here for the location and hours of operation of the R.I. Registry of Motor Vehicles. As a reminder, AAA members can renew their automobile registrations at an AAA Office.
Real Estate Tax Collections
The Town holds an annual tax sale for non-payment of property taxes under the provisions of Rhode Island General Laws §44-9 . According to law, the sale is published in the legal section of the Narragansett Times. The sale is usually held in April. The next tax sale is scheduled for April 2010 to be held in the Town Council Chambers at 180 High St., Wakefield, RI. A List of the properties will be available at the Tax Collector’s Office in March 2010 and listed in The Narragansett Times for three consecutive weeks prior to the sale.
Tangible Personal Property Tax Collections
This includes taxes for tangible personal property such as manufactured/mobile homes on leased land and/or commercial property as defined in Rhode Island General Laws, §44-4-10 as all motors, machines, equipment, fixtures and tools of all sorts however propelled, in any factory, machine shop, print works, manufacturing, or other establishment of any kind, and all livestock and farming tools on farms; all fixtures, tools, machinery, livestock, farming tools, goods, wares, merchandise, and all other tangible personal property except manufacturer's inventory as defined in Rhode Island General Laws, §44-3-3.
The Town of South Kingstown places UCC liens on delinquent property owners for the tangible personal property tax and interest due through the RI Secretary of State’s Office. In addition, the Town holds a distress sale of tangible properties under the provisions of Rhode Island General Laws, §44-8. The next Distress Sale is scheduled for late winter/ early spring 2010. A List of the tangible properties will be available at the Tax Collector’s office prior to the sale.
Municipal Lien Certificate procedures
Please click here for a form that may be printed and used by Attorney and/or Title Searcher to acquire information in accordance with Rhode Island General Laws, §44-7-11 in order to prepare for a sale/refinance closing of real estate. A fee of $25.00 is required to accompany the form that should be completed and mailed to Tax Collector, 180 High Street, Wakefield, RI 02879.