Important Information Regarding Your Tax Bill

Under “An Act to Address Challenges Faced by Municipalities and State Authorities Resulting From COVID-19,” Chapter 53 of the Acts of 2020, the Town of Great Barrington has adopted local options to extend due dates for real and personal property tax payments and applications for exemptions and a waiver of interest on certain municipal tax and other bills paid by June 30, 2020. See below.

1. The due date of your real and personal property tax bill has been extended to June 1, 2020. June 1, 2020 is the new due date even if the due date for payment on your enclosed or previously mailed tax bill is May 1, 2020.
2. The due date for applications for property tax exemptions has also been extended to June 1, 2020.  June 1, 2020 is the new due date even if the due date for applications on your enclosed or previously mailed tax bill is April 1, 2020.

This extension applies to applications for the exemptions listed in the third paragraph of G.L. c. 59, § 59, including exemptions under clauses 17, 17C, 17C1/2 and 17D (seniors, surviving spouses, minor children of deceased parent); 18 (financial hardship – activated military, age and infirmity); 22, 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, 22F and 22H (veterans, surviving spouses and surviving parents); 37 and 37A (blind persons); 41, 41B, 41C and 41C1/2 (seniors); 42 and 43 (surviving spouse and minor children of firefighter/police officer killed in line of duty); 52 (certain eligible seniors); 53 (certain eligible properties with septic systems); 56 (National Guard and reservists on active duty in foreign countries); and 57 (local option tax rebates). This extension also automatically applies to applications for residential exemptions under G.L. c. 59, § 5C, for small commercial exemptions under G.L. c. 59, § 5I and for deferrals under G.L. c. 59, § 5, clauses 41A (seniors) and 18A (poverty or financial hardship due to change to active military).

3. The Town of Great Barrington has also voted to waive interest and other penalty for late payment of any excise, tax, betterment assessment or apportionment thereof, water rate or annual sewer use or other charge added to a tax for any payments with a due date on or after March 10, 2020 where payment is made late but before June 30, 2020. This applies to late payments of bills that have a due date of March 10, 2020 or after, when such bills are paid late but paid on or before June 30. This waiver of interest does not apply to bills with due dates before March 10, 2020 or if the bill is not paid by June 30.

NOTE - If the municipal offices are closed on the June 1, 2020 extended due date for tax payments or filing of exemption applications as a result of the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus or the declaration of a state of emergency issued by the governor on March 10, 2020, the due dates for tax payments and applications for exemptions are not extended – they will be due on June 1, 2020 even if the municipal offices are closed. (See section 10(b) of the Act.)

Please note that the Town of Great Barrington offices are closed to the public until further notice.  If you have questions, you may call (413) 528-1619 x4.  

Town of Great Barrington Real Estate and Personal Property taxes can be paid in the following ways:

Online at https://www.townofgb.org/home/pages/online-payments   Secure payment through our partner bank, UniBank.  You will receive an email receipt.   Payment using your checking account is at no cost.  There are fees you will pay if you use a credit or debit card.  The amount is based on the amount you are paying.

You may place a CHECK/Money Order payment in our drop box, located to the left of the doors at Town Hall.  The box is checked several times during normal working hours.  If you would like a stamped receipt, please enclose your entire bill and a self-addressed stamped envelope, and we will mail the receipt back to you

By Mail- Mail your payments and payment coupons to: Tax Collector, 334 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230. If you would like a stamped receipt, please enclose your entire bill and a self-addressed stamped envelope, and we will mail the receipt back to you.

Exemption applications and information may be obtained from the Assessors by contacting them at (413) 528-1619 extension 5.

The applications can be mailed in to the Address above or placed in the drop box located outside Town Hall.