Tax Collector

The most convenient way is by mail, or online. To pay online, visit the Revenue Collector’s 

home page www.townofwinchester.org/tax- collector. A courtesy reply envelope is included with your tax bill if you wish to mail your tax payment. Write your list numbers on your check. Your list numbers are shown on your payment coupons. If you wish to have a receipt returned to you, please send the “tax payer” portion of your tax bill (both payment coupons) and a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your payment. You will receive a receipt back within a few days. We will not send back your receipt if you do not include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. 

You may also come into the office and pay in person. Please be aware that towards the end of a collection period we may be experiencing long lines. There is also a drop box outside the Revenue Office where you can leave your payment. Please do not leave cash payments. You may still drop off payments in the drop box after regular office hours – you can enter Town Hall through the Police Department entrance. The drop box is checked every morning. The Revenue Office is unable to process any credit/debit card payments. Acceptable forms of payment are cash, personal check, money orders, bank check, and certified check. 

Taxes are due on July 1, payable by August 1, and January 1, payable by February 1. You have a one-month "grace" period in which to pay without penalty, either in person or by mail. The first installment of dual installment real estate and personal property tax bills and sewer use charges in the amount of $100 or more, and motor vehicle taxes in full, are due by August 1. 

Yes, however please be aware that if an e-check is received after the grace period has expired, interest will be assessed as of the date the payment is received in accordance with Connecticut State Statute 12-146.

Please allow ample time for mail delivery to avoid interest charges since electronic checks are mailed with no US Postmark date to refer to and so be posted as of the date received. 

Our bank processes payments through a lockbox service. The correct address for payment is: 

Town of Winchester - Dept 334 P.O. Box 150492 Hartford, CT 06115-0492 

Lockbox processing is for current bill payments with current payment coupons only. Past due bills and online banking checks set up through your banking institution must be mailed directly to the tax office at: 

Town of Winchester – Collector of Revenue 338 Main Street Winsted, CT 06098.

TO INSURE PROPER POSTING OF PAYMENT, PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOU USE THE CURRENT YEAR LIST NUMBER ON YOUR CHECKS WHEN SETTING UP YOUR PAYMENT FROM YOUR ONLINE BANKING SYSTEM.

Please throw away any old envelopes you have with the Boston, MA address to avoid delays/mail returns in future payment processing. Thank you. 

Yes, you may all your bills with one check, please reference the list # (noted on your bill) and the check payment. 

Failure to receive a tax bill does not exempt you from payment of all taxes and all interest charges. If you do not receive a bill for which you are responsible, call the Revenue Office at (860)379-4474 and request a copy, or go to www.townofwinchester.org and click on the ‘Tax Bill Inquiry/Pay’ feature to view your bill on line, or print a duplicate copy. 

Exemption categories include Veteran; Spouse of a deceased Veteran; Blind; Totally Disabled; Motor vehicle of a Serviceman or Servicewoman (active duty); Farmers / Merchants; and Forest, Farm and Open Space. For details, or if you think you qualify, contact the Tax Assessors Office at (860) 379-5461 Veterans’ & other exemptions, if any, appear in the total exemptions (“exempt”) column on your tax statement. 

Contact the Tax Assessor's Office at (860) 379-5461. Do not ignore your bill! Even if your vehicle has been sold, and plates returned to DMV; stolen and not recovered; declared a total loss; or if you have moved from Winchester/Winsted or moved from Connecticut. If any of these situations applies to you, you may be entitled to a credit. Contact the Tax Assessor regarding the acceptable forms of proof. Two forms of written proof are required, and you must apply within a limited time. 

If you owe delinquent property taxes on any vehicle in your name, you may not renew any registrations at the Department of Motor Vehicles without paying your property taxes first. All past due taxes in your name must be paid in full. There is also a fee of $5 per name, per year for a motor vehicle clearance). The DMV did away with the ‘stamp’ and paper clearance slips as of November 2015. All DMV clearances are now processed online electronically overnight. So, if you pay your back taxes in the office today with cash, money order, or certified bank check, your clearance will be processed overnight, and you will be clear to register on the business day after that - two days after you paid. Personal checks are held 10 business days before receiving clearance. Online payments take up to 2 days to be received by the Revenue Office, and an additional 5 days to clear at the DMV. 

Your tax town is your town of residency as of October 1 of the Grand List year. If you moved from Winchester/Winsted after October 1 but still resided in Connecticut, you will still pay vehicle taxes to Winchester/Winsted. Municipalities do not apportion motor vehicle tax bills for portions of a tax year. If you registered the vehicle in another state, contact the Tax Assessor's Office. If you move, you are required to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of your new address within 48 hours. Be sure that you request a change of address on your driver's license and on your vehicle registration(s). Forms for this are available on line at the DMV web site, or at any municipal Police Department. 

If you newly registered a motor vehicle after October 1 (first time registration), you will receive a pro-rated tax bill in December payable by February 1. This "supplemental" bill will reflect the time from the month the vehicle was first registered, through September only. 

No. The Collector of Revenue does not have the authority to waive interest and makes no exceptions. As owners of property, taxpayers are responsible to see that taxes are paid when due. 

According to our records, there are past due taxes in your name, or on the parcel of property in question. We try to list all delinquent taxes owed on your Account Statement/Demand letter. Delinquent taxes and interest must be paid in full before payment on current bills can be accepted. Any payment you send in toward your current taxes will be applied to the back taxes. 

Yes. If you or your spouse are age 65 or older, permanently reside in Winchester/Winsted (legal residence), either own your own home or rent, and meet certain income restrictions, you may be eligible for one or more forms of city and / or state financed property tax credits and / or tax deferral. For information about these programs, please contact the Tax Assessor's Office at 860-379-5461. You may also inquire in person at the Assessor’s Office at Town Hall. 

Yes. Everyone paying at the Revenue Office window will be issued a receipt. Payments left in our drop box will not receive a receipt unless requested, with a stamped addressed envelope. You must retain your own payment information for purposes of claiming tax credits and filling out federal and state income tax forms. You can also look up your payment history on line by clicking the ‘‘Tax Bill Inquiry/Pay’ feature at www.townofwinchester.org. 

Motor vehicle and personal property tax bills sent in July and January cover from October 1 through September 30. Personal property tax bills may be due in two installments. There is no statutory rule concerning the time period covered by real estate tax bills. If you buy or sell real estate, adjustments for real estate taxes will be made by the attorneys who are handling the closing of the property. Care should be taken to ensure taxes are paid, particularly when a closing occurs within 60 days of a tax billing. 

If you receive (for example) a veteran’s exemption, an amount will appear in the exemption column on your tax statement. The exemption column will also include any other exemptions you may receive, such as a blindness exemption, etc. 

Any person who pays more than the tax amount due is entitled to a refund in accordance with Connecticut State Statute 12- 129. Refund requests must be received in writing and must include a copy of the paid tax receipt and cancelled check. Please allow 4-6 weeks for your refund to be processed. No refunds are issued under $5.00. 

Yes. If you replaced one vehicle with another, and used the same license plates, you must pay on the “old” vehicle now. You will receive a pro- rated Supplemental motor vehicle tax bill in December, payable by Feb. 1, for the new vehicle. This bill will reflect a credit for the amount you paid in July, on the old vehicle. You will receive this credit without having to apply for it. You still must pay the entire amount due on the old vehicle in July. However - if you obtained new license plates for the new vehicle, you must apply for a credit. Contact the Tax Assessor’s Office at (860) 379-5461. 

Please do not open it. Mark “Return to sender, no person/people reside at this address” and place it back into your mail box. It is against federal law to open mail not addressed to you.