MISSOULA — Missoula County has extended the due date for property tax payments to Friday, December 8, 2023, following a delay in creating bills earlier this month.
The Clerk and Treasurer’s Office typically mails bills to all property owners in the county by the end of October, with a due date of November. 30.
However, due to a delay in receiving tax roll information from the state this year, bills will not be in the mail until the first week of November., according to a news release.
Missoula County will also make the bills available online at missoulataxes.us as soon as possible.
Property owners who don’t pay their taxes through their mortgage, tax payments for the first half of the year must be postmarked by Dec. 8.
Tax payments for the second half of the year are due May 31, 2024.
County officials recommend property owners make tax payments online via credit card, debit card or electronic check (eCheck). ECheck payments are free. Service fees apply when paying online by credit or debit card.
Options for submitting payment include:
- Online: missoulataxes.us
- By mail: Clerk and Treasurer’s Office, 200 W. Broadway St., Missoula, MT, 59802
- By drop box: Orange box inside the Clerk & Treasurer’s Office or blue courthouse drop box located in the west parking lot off Woody Street
To access tax bills online:
- Visit missoulataxes.us
- Click “pay my taxes”
- Search by last name, property address, geo code or taxpayer ID (after the query has run, click “Detail” to view a pie chart that breaks down taxes among the different jurisdictions)
- You can also visit missoulaproperty.us for a visual search (then click the “Taxes” tab in the property information box once a parcel has been selected)
Since Missoula County collects taxes for all taxing jurisdictions within the county, property owners will see a portion of their taxes supporting several jurisdictions and districts.
For example, Missoula County and the City of Missoula each set their own budgets and tax rates.
Additionally, property taxes fund special districts providing services like fire protection, bus service, irrigation, water and sewer.
A portion of property taxes also support local schools and schools statewide, including the Montana University System.
Property owners with specific questions about their tax bills should contact the appropriate jurisdiction.
Below are the six largest taxing jurisdictions likely to appear on a tax bill in Missoula County:
- Missoula County Public Schools: 406-728-2400, ext. 1024
- City of Missoula: 406-552-6122
- Missoula County: 406-258-4847 (Clerk and Treasurer – payments) or 406-258-4918 (Financial Services – county mill rate)
- Missoula Urban Transportation District (Mountain Line): 406-543-8386
- Missoula Rural Fire District: 406-549-6172
- Montana University System: 406-449-9124
Contact information for more taxing jurisdictions in Missoula County is online at missoula.co/taxjurisdictions.
Additional information on tax bills and payments is available at missoula.co/propertytaxinfo.
Missoula County property taxes were delayed by the state in delivering the tax rolls.
Missoula County Treasurer Tyler Gernant told the Missoula Current that the state's delay as unusual.
“They're generally pretty on the ball about getting it to us,” he said. “It's unclear to me why it's so far delayed. There seems to be some indication that it's because of reducing the mills from 95 to 77. But certainly, they knew about that a long time ago.”
Missoula County's decision to levy just 77 state education mills versus the full 95 sought by the state is central to a lawsuit filed by the state against the county, the Missoula Current reports.
