FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2020
MEDIA CONTACTS: Gordon Tepper, Rebecca Cheng, Matthew Leonenko and Michael Anderson | (516) 869-7794
Town Aims to Assist Residents by Waiving Fees Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic
North Hempstead, NY - Supervisor Judi Bosworth, Receiver of Taxes Charles Berman, and the Town Board continued their efforts to accommodate North Hempstead residents during the current public health crisis by waiving all processing fees for online Automated Clearing House (ACH) E-Check tax payments through May 11.
"The Town recognizes that social distancing policies during the coronavirus pandemic requires people to stay home and not visit Town offices to pay their taxes. Eliminating the online E-Check fee for our residents is intended to assist residents in staying safe in their homes," said Supervisor Judi Bosworth. "We recognize the importance of doing everything we can to protect the health and safety of our residents and employees, and we also want to do all we can to simplify their lives during this tumultuous time.”
"Taxpayers should pay their taxes online on the Town's website by ACH E-Check and take advantage of the fee waiver between April 1 and May 11. Paying your taxes from the safety of your home will help prevent the spread of coronavirus," said Tax Receiver Charles Berman.
The Town is encouraging residents to take advantage of the remote services and to not come to the office.
The Tax Office fee waiver applies specifically to ACH E-Check payments that pulls funds directly from a person's checking account. The online credit card payment processing fee will remain at 2.35% of the tax amount. New York State law mandates that the Town receives no portion of the service fee – that fee is retained by the payment processing vendors. Accepted credit cards are American Express, Mastercard, Discover, or Visa.
Residents may pay online by visiting: northhempsteadny.gov/tax-payments. Anyone making payments by mail should include the remittance stub(s) with their check or money order in the return envelope. They are also asked to write their Bill Number(s) on the check(s), include the payment stub, and make checks payable to: Charles Berman, Receiver of Taxes and mail to the Receiver of Taxes at 200 Plandome Road, Manhasset, NY 11030.
Separately, Town leadership is awaiting a response from Governor Andrew Cuomo regarding their request to extend the deadline for second half payment of 2019-2020 school taxes.
The Town also announced that it will pay for all Project Independence Taxi transportation rides & tip fees through June 1. “The health and well-being of our seniors is of paramount importance. We are urging residents who use our Project Independence ride service to refrain from handling cash or credit cards right now – the Town will gladly pay for these rides," said Supervisor Bosworth.
If residents need to contact the Tax Office or Project Independence, they are encouraged to call 311 or (516) 869-6311. Additionally, residents can email the Tax Office at tax@northhempsteadny.gov. For more information, please visit northempsteadny.com/coronavirus.
