Baxter County residents have until Thursday, Oct. 15, to pay their property taxes without penalties. The deadline applies to both real estate and personal property, such as vehicles and boats. If payments are late, a 10% penalty will be applied, and real estate taxes will also accrue interest.
According to Baxter County Collector Teresa Smith, taxpayers delinquent past Dec. 1 will have their names and properties listed in a legal notice published in a local newspaper.
Payments can be made at the Collector’s Office, located at 8 E. Seventh St. in Mountain Home, during regular business hours, or left in the office’s drop box. Mailed payments are also accepted and will be considered on time if postmarked by Oct. 15. Online payments can be made through the county’s website, baxtercountyar.gov.
Smith noted that e-statements issued this year include direct links for online payment, and text messages with links to view and pay taxes are also being sent out. These texts cover all parcels tied to a taxpayer’s ID number, and residents who receive them but prefer not to use the link can access their tax information directly on the county's website or by calling the Collector’s Office at 870-425-8300.
The office now accepts payments via Venmo and Apple Pay through its new card processing system, which carries a service fee of 2.85%, slightly reduced from last year’s 2.89%. Payments are also accepted by phone, but Smith advises that phone lines tend to experience high call volumes as the deadline approaches, so other payment methods may be faster.
This year’s tax statements feature a new format following a software upgrade in the Collector’s Office. Smith stated that some early printed statements inadvertently listed 2025 as the tax year instead of 2026, but these statements were not reprinted. Homeowners whose mortgage companies handle property tax payments will see that the bill was sent directly to the mortgage company with the corresponding amount listed.
For residents with delinquent personal property taxes, all unpaid years and their amounts are listed on the statement, and these back taxes can be paid using the same methods as current-year taxes. Smith reminded taxpayers that they are responsible for paying taxes even if a statement was not received in the mail. Those who did not receive a statement can call the Collector's Office to confirm their balance.
The Collector’s Office issues around 33,000 tax statements annually, with multiple payment options available to accommodate residents ahead of the Oct. 15 deadline.