Frequently Asked Questions

Real Estate/Personal Property tax is billed quarterly in two mailings.  The first and second quarters are mailed out by June 30^th.  The third and fourth quarters are mailed out by December 31^st.

Due dates - Quarterly Tax Billing System:

• First Quarter (July, August, September):  August 1^st                    
• Second Quarter (October, November, December):  November 1^st
• Third Quarter (January, February, March):  February 1^st
• Fourth Quarter (April, May, June):  May 1^st

Note:  If the payment due date falls on a weekend, the due date will move to the first Monday after the due date.

Preliminary tax bills are estimated bills.  The estimate is based on the actual net tax bill of the previous fiscal year.  The preliminary tax is due in two installments, August (1^st quarter) and November (2^nd quarter).

Real estate/Personal Property tax is the actual tax for the Fiscal Year.  In December, the Assessing Department assesses the tax for the year and the amounts paid on the Preliminary bills are subtracted from the tax.  The Real Estate/Personal Property tax is due in two installments, February (3^rd quarter and May (4^th quarter).

The Fiscal Year (FY__) begins July 1^st and ends June 30^th.

By M.G.L. Chapter 60: Section 3 all tax bills are mailed to the owner of the property, not the mortgage company to whom your taxes are escrowed with.  We have no way of knowing who your mortgage company is if your mortgage was sold to another company, or if you have refinanced with a different mortgage company.  We do not bill mortgage companies.

It is advised to check with your mortgage company on whether or not they need a copy of the bill.  Some mortgage companies require you to mail them a copy while others get the information electronically from us on their own.

M.G.L. Chapter 59 Section 11 states the name of the owner of record as of January 1^st will appear on the tax bill for the next fiscal year (4 bills per fiscal year).  Although your name is in the care of line, you are the owner and are responsible for the property.

You may contact the Collector's Office for a copy at 508-647-6425.  Under state law, Chapter 60, Section 3, Failure to receive your property tax bill does not excuse you from payment of taxes, or from the interest and fees that accrue on the outstanding balance(s).  A tax bill is generated and mailed for every property in the Town.  It is the responsibility of the property owner to pay taxes regardless of receipt of a bill.

All changes of address must be submitted to the Assessor’s Office; email: assessors@natickma.org -or- call: 508-647-6420.

The Collector/Treasurer’s Office does not maintain address databases.  Please do not send address changes with your payment.

If you sold your property on a date that is close to a tax due date, more than likely bills were printed (with the prior owner’s name) prior to the transaction, and/or the Assessor’s Office hadn't received the recorded deed from the Registry of Deeds.  It sometimes takes up to a month to receive notification from the Registry to the Assessor’s Office on a property transfer. If you are unable to forward the bill to the new owners, please return the bill to the Collector/Treasurer's Office, 13 East Central Street, Natick 01760 (with a quick note informing us of property transfer) so we may forward the bill to the appropriate party. Please do so immediately, it is very important that the party responsible receive the bill in a timely manner.

There could be many reasons why you may not be seeing your exemption; they could be any of the following:

• Exemptions are only applied to the Actual Tax bill (3rd and 4th quarter).
• The bill may have been printed prior to the exemption being granted.
• Exemption paperwork needs to be submitted and filed every year with the Assessor’s Office.

If you have any questions regarding your exemption, please contact the Assessor’s Office at 508-647-6420.

No. Interest is accrued the day after the due date.

No. Bills are considered paid when received in the Collector/Treasurer's Office.  Postmark dates on envelopes are not accepted as the date of payment.  All payments are to be received by the Collector/Treasurer's office by the due date.  Payments are processed on the day they are received.  Late payments will incur interest/penalties.

Yes, partial payments are encouraged and show good faith if you are unable to making a full payment.  They also help keep interest down if the bill becomes delinquent.

Although your taxes were withdrawn from your escrow a month prior to the due date, we generally don't receive payment until the day of or the day prior to the due date.  If you would like to check the status of your taxes, please call us the following week from the due date to allow us to post all payments.

We cannot answer that question for you, you must contact your mortgage company and inquire with them.

Credit balances are generally not refunded during the middle of the fiscal year because all bills have not yet been issued or paid. A double payment or overpayment will be credited towards next quarter’s tax due.  If there is an overpayment on the May installment (4th quarter), or a credit balance exists after the May 1^st tax installment is paid, credit will be issued if all accounts are satisfied.  In most cases, a refund will automatically be refunded to the owner of record at the end of the fiscal year.  Credits do not automatically move forward from one fiscal year to another.

If your real estate tax account shows a payment that you, your mortgage company, or closing attorney did not make, you should make your tax payment as required so there is a credit available for the Town to refund the mistaken payor.  If any payment(s) posted to your account was/were in fact erroneous, it is conceivable that you may be contacted in the future for reimbursement by the payor(s) who made the payment(s) in error, or by the Town of Natick.  If you have an escrow account with your mortgage company, be aware that it may be affected by any payment errors made by third-party payors. Mortgage companies and banks sometimes make payment errors.  We do not bill them; they electronically choose the accounts upon which they wish to pay.  If you believe your account was paid in error, please contact and inform the Collector/Treasurer’s Office.

Real Estate and Personal Property outstanding balances are subject to 14% interest according to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 59, sections 57 and 57C.  The Tax Title interest rate is 16% under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 60, section 62.

Real Estate Demand notices are the initial step toward Tax Title Foreclosure.  This Demand notice is a formal notice to you, that taxes have not been paid.  If you received a Demand notice, you should not ignore this bill.  Failure to pay will lead to a Notice of Tax Taking advertisement in the newspaper, a public notice posting in Town Hall and a tax taking notice on the Town’s website. In accordance with Massachusetts General Laws, the Town must advertise and post notices.  The fee for the advertisement is added to the outstanding tax bill.  If not paid, a lien is placed on the property and the fees associated with recording the lien are added to the bill.  For more information, see Mass. General Law, Chapter 60, §§ 37, 53, 54, 55 and 60.  Also see Frequently asked questions about tax lien foreclosure cases in the Land Court | Mass.gov.

If you received a bill and it includes real estate, betterments, special assessments and other charges that are unpaid and overdue, this means there are delinquent taxes on the property.  Please contact our office for an exact pay-off amount as interest continues to accrue daily.  If your mortgage company pays your Real Estate taxes, contact them and inform them of the outstanding taxes.

When real estate taxes are not paid on time and in full, a lien is placed on the property in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws.  The Town of Natick perfects this lien by commencing Tax Title procedures.  An Instrument of Taking is filed at the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds.  Now, a matter of public record, the Towns interest in those unpaid tax dollars, interest fees and costs constitute a recorded lien on the property.  This lien is a cloud on the title. This means that when the property is re-financed or sold, the Towns lien must be paid to have good title to the property.  Upon payment of the Tax Title lien in full, an Instrument of Redemption is issued by the Town.  This document must be filed at the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds to remove the cloud on the title.  The Instrument of Redemption removes the lien and clears the title to the property.  See Mass. General Law, Chapter 60, Section 53 for more information.

Yes. By M.G.L. Chapter 60, Section 58, if the whole or any portion of Real Estate tax remains unpaid after its due, the mortgage company may pay the amount due, including interest and charges, and it may be added to the mortgage debt.

The Community Preservation Act surcharge was approved by the voters of the Town of Natick beginning in Fiscal Year 2024.  This surcharge is 1.00% of the total property tax due for the parcel and is used for the acquisition and preservation of open space, recreational land, affordable housing, and historic properties.  View the Community Preservation Committee page for more information.

An abatement is a reduction in a real estate valuation based on a correction to the assessed valuation.  Contact Assessors Office for abatement information.

The above exemptions are a reduction in a real estate tax due based on certain criteria and income requirements set forth by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Contact Assessor’s Office for exemption information.

This can be done at the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds located at 208 Cambridge Street, PO BOX 68, Cambridge MA 02141, 617-679-6300.  We cannot do this at Town Hall.

You can check this at Middlesex South Registry of Deeds located at 208 Cambridge Street, PO BOX 68, Cambridge MA 02141, 617-679-6300.  We do not have this information at Town Hall.

The interest rate is set by State law and can not be changed or waived by the Town.  All interest charges are required to be collected.  The town opted not to foreclose (The Tax Title Process) on people's homes during the COVID pandemic.  During this time, all property owners received tax bills which they were required to pay.  If you need a detailed itemization of your tax bills please contact the Collector/Treasurer's Office at 508-647-6425.

No, interest rates are set by the State and the Town is required to collect all interest.  The only exception is when a taxpayer is put into Tax Title, at which time the Taxpayer has the option of entering into a Tax Title Payment Agreement that allows the Town to waive interest.  Please see the Town of Natick By-laws, Article 43A for the terms and conditions of the agreement.

No, notice through publishing the Tax Title list in two public places, on the Town's website, posting on the taxpayer's property, and mailing to the taxpayer is required by law.

Supplemental/new construction bills are sent to taxpayers once they've completed a construction project that increased the value of their property.  Every property owner who has improved their property will receive a supplemental bill in May which is due in June.  The supplement bill does not go to the mortgage company, so if the mortgage company is paying the taxes it is incumbent on the property owner to get in touch with them to adjust their mortgage escrow to make certain that it is paid.