Valencia County Tax Questions

Tax Questions

County governments across New Mexico must follow state statute, in regards to land assessments and property taxes. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on this page are basically the same in Valencia County as they are in Santa Fe County, Bernalillo County or any other county in the state. Although there may be some similarities in some of the answers found here, please contact your local County Assessor's office or Treasurer's office for exact details concerning property tax questions.

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q-When are Tax Bills usually mailed?
A- Property Tax Bills are mailed by November 1st every year.

Q- When are the taxes due?
A- The first installment is due November 10th and becomes delinquent if not paid by December 10th. The second installment is due April 10th of the following year and becomes delinquent after May 10th.

Q- Are there any late fees imposed if the taxes are not paid on time?
A- Delinquent charges for property taxes are 1% of the base tax due per month for the interest and 1% of the base tax due per month for penalty. The maximum penalty is 5%.

Q- What are the methods in which payment can be made?
A- You may pay your taxes at the Valencia County Treasurer’s Office or by mail using the enclosed envelope and payment coupon from the tax bill you received and send to Valencia County Treasurer P.O. Box 939, Los Lunas NM 87031-0939, with a check or money order. Payment can also be made online (see below). Between November 1st and December 10th you may pay at a Bank of the West branch located in Los Lunas. Bank of the West will accept only checks for property tax payments, and must be accompanied with the payment coupon.

Q- Can I use a credit card to pay my property taxes?
A- Yes, we accept credit card payments. You may pay in our office, or upload a credit card authorization form from our website and mail or fax to us, or pay online.

Q- How do I go about paying online?
A- The payment processing center we use is Official Payments. Here is the link to their site: www.officialpayments.com . It is an automated service. It is NOT a search engine to look-up taxes. The correct amount and a reference number will be needed to process your payment. You can pay by either check or credit card. (A convenience fee is charged by a third party when using a credit card online.)

Q- What reference number(s) do I use when making a payment?
A- Please reference the Bill number and/or the 7 digit Owner ID number on your payment. The Owner ID number does not change unless the owner changes. The bill number changes every year. For this reason, we ask that you reference both numbers if possible so that your payment may be processed toward the correct property. (Ex- 2009-0123456; ID #0123456) When making payments online, you will need the Owner ID number to pull up your property tax bill. If you do not have it, please contact our office and we will provide you with it.

Q-Can I pay online or by phone if I have delinquent taxes due?
A-No, we cannot accept prior year taxes at this time. CURRENT YEAR TAXES ONLY!

Q- Can I make partial payments online or by phone?
A- No, payments can only be made by half or full amounts online or by phone. Partial payments are accepted in the Treasurer’s Office or by mail.

Q- How can I find out what my taxes are if I do not receive a bill?
A- If you have not received a property tax bill by the 2nd week in November, please call our office at (505) 866-2090, and we will provide you with the information you need to make payment. A replacement tax bill may be mailed, faxed or emailed to you.

Q- If I did not receive my tax bill and it’s now past due, do I have to pay delinquency charges?
A- A taxpayer is still liable for taxes and any other charges even though a tax bill was not received. Failure to receive a tax bill will not relieve the taxpayer from the responsibility to make payments by the delinquent dates according to NMSA 1978, 7-38-36.

Q- When will my property be in jeopardy for a tax sale?
A- The Valencia County Treasurer’s Office does not set up tax sales for property taxes that are delinquent. Once a property is delinquent 3 years, it is placed on a delinquent list that is sent to the State of New Mexico, Property Tax Division, where they research the property for tax sale. Please see their website for further information: http://www.tax.state.nm.us/ptd/delhmpg.htm

Q- Will I receive a property tax bill if my mortgage company pays my taxes?
A- Yes, everyone who owns property in Valencia County is mailed a property tax bill. If your mortgage company is responsible to pay your taxes, you will still receive a tax bill. It is for your records only. Please do not pay this bill unless you no longer have an escrow account with your mortgage company.

Q- What do I need to do if the mortgage company name on my tax bill is not my mortgage company?
A- Many mortgage companies use a Real Estate Tax Service to pay multiple taxes. This makes processing payment easier for both the Mortgage Company and Valencia County Treasurer. If the name on your bill is not familiar to you it may be a Tax Service. Please contact your mortgage company to verify if this is the service they use. If it is incorrect it can be changed by calling our Mortgage Specialist at (505) 866-2093.

Q- What do I do if I paid off my mortgage and a mortgage company name appears on my tax bill?
A- Please contact our office so that we may remove the code associated with your mortgage company.

Q- How many bills are returned to the Treasurer’s Office?
A- We have approximately 30,000 bills returned to our office for various reasons, i.e. wrong address, moved-no forwarding address, forwarding notice expired, deceased, etc. If you haven’t received your bill and need to correct your address, please contact the Assessor's Office.

Information contained here should NOT be mistaken for legal advice, nor should anyone make legally binding decisions based on this information. Please read the "Legal Stuff" page for further details concerning the use of this information.