Town Collector
Contact
40 Main Street
Goshen MA 01032
MAILING ADDRESS:
42 Main Street
Goshen, MA 01032
Collector's Office will be closed the following Wednesdays:
Nov 27th, 2024 (night before Thanksgiving)
Dec 25th, 2024 (Xmas)
Jan 1, 2025 (New Year's)
Feb 19, 2025 (Vacation)
Apr 23, 2025(Vacation)
Jun 25, 2025 (Vacation)
Jul 2, 2025 (Vacation)
Jul 30, 2025 (Vacation)
Aug 13, 2025 (MCTA school)
The Collector's office is still experiencing incorrect data within our system. If you received a notice of warrant for an excise tax, and believe you have already paid it, please contact our office (contact info to the left). We will make the appropriate corrections. We will be performing a data audit and hope to correct the remaining issues moving forward.
Online Payments
Online bill payments for Q1 of FY25 Real Estate and FY25 Personal Property will be available on or about July 1. Online payments for FY24 Excise Taxes should be available on June 24, 2024. For Real Estate and Personal Property prior to FY25 and Excise taxes prior to FY24, online payments aren’t available. Please contact our office for payment amounts.
Online balances are not directly linked to our database. Updating your online account is a manual process and is only done quarterly. If you make an online payment and the funds have been deducted from your account, your account is considered paid.
To make an online bill payment click on Goshen Online Tax Payments.
Change of Address
Please email BOTH the assesssors@goshen-ma.us and the collector@goshen-ma.us with your new mailing address.
Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes
FISCAL YEAR BILLING
Payments are due August 1, November 1, and February 1. The final payment is due May 1. A late notice will be mailed sometime in mid to late May, including outstanding tax, interest, and fees if any of the four payments are late or missed. The late surcharge and interest are required by Massachusetts General Law and are not negotiable or adjustable.
PRELIMINARY BILLS - MAILED
The first and second quarterly bills are called "preliminary bills" and are based on the assessment information from the preceding year. Preliminary bills will be mailed at the end of June for the 1st payment due August 1 and at the end of September for the 2nd payment due November 1.
ACTUAL TAX BILLS - MAILED
The third and fourth quarterly bills are called "actual bills", as these bills are first issued to property owners based on our final tax rate and updated assessments for the fiscal year. The Department of Revenue approves our tax rate before the end of the year after a review at a public hearing with the Select Board. Actual bills will be mailed on at the end of December for the 3rd payment due February 1 and at the end of March for the final payment due May 1.
IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED A BILL
If you are a property owner in Goshen and have not received a tax bill, please call 413-268-8236 X106 to inquire. Under state law, Chapter 60, Section 3, failure to receive a bill does not affect the validity either of a tax or the proceedings for its collection. Taxes are due in a schedule defined by law, as are interest and fees, regardless of whether the bill is received by the owner.
ABATEMENTS
Abatement applications are due in the Assessor's Office by February 1. The third and fourth quarter bills are calculated using the new 2024 valuations.
PAYMENTS
Payments can be in person during business hours. You can also make payments by mail, drop them off in our secure drop box outside of Town Hall or View/Pay Bills Online.
Motor Vehicle Excise
BILLING
Residents who own and register a motor vehicle must annually pay a motor vehicle excise. The excise is levied by the city or town where the vehicle is principally garaged, and the revenues become part of the local community treasury. If you have not received a bill for a vehicle garaged in the Town of Goshen, please reach out to the Assessor's Office at 413-268-8236 X302.
PAYMENT
Payment for a motor vehicle excise bill is due 30 days from the date the excise bill is issued (mailed). According to Chapter 60A, section 2 of the Massachusetts General Laws, “Failure to receive notice shall not affect the validity of the excise”. A person who does not receive a bill is still liable for the excise plus any interest charges accrued. Therefore, it is important to keep the Registry, Assessors, and the post office informed of current name and address changes so that excise bills can be delivered promptly. It is the responsibility of the owner to contact the Assessors (413-268-8236 X302) if they have not received a bill.
Payments can be in person during business hours. You can also make payments by mail, drop them off in our secure drop box outside of Town Hall or View/Pay Bills Online.
REGISTRATION CHANGES
Registration changes at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) will result in off-cycle billing, which continues throughout the calendar year.
Visit Mass.gov for more helpful information on motor vehicle excise.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS FOR MOTOR VEHICLE EXCISE TAX
A change of address will affect what municipality your Motor Vehicle Excise Tax will come from and what the tax rate will be.
NEVER IGNORE AN EXCISE BILL
Bills must be paid or abated in full to avoid additional fees. If you no longer own a vehicle or think you may be entitled to an adjustment, you should contact the Assessor's Office (413-268-8236 X302) for further detail. Filing for an abatement does not alter the due date or the resulting schedule of fees and interest.
PENALTIES FOR NONPAYMENT
If an excise bill is not paid within 30 days from the issue date, the Collector will send a late bill (demand), with a fee of $10. In addition, interest will accrue on the overdue bill at an annual rate of 12% from the day after the due date.
If the late bill is not paid within 14 days, the Collector may issue a warrant to the Deputy Tax Collector or an appointed agent. The Deputy Tax Collector issues a warrant notice at a cost of $22. If there is still no payment, a final warrant will be delivered or exhibited to the taxpayer at their residence or workplace at a fee of $17. All interest and penalties will be clearly stated on the bill. These penalties were set by state law in July 2003. Finally, the bill will be reported to the MA Registry of Motor Vehicles, where an RMV fee will be assessed, and license and registration of the owner will be marked as non-renew status.
DEPUTY COLLECTOR
Our deputy collector is AP Jones and Associates. Deputy payments can be made online. The collector's office can't accept payments or remove registry holds. The must be done through AP Jones and Associates. Please contact AP Jones and Associates with any questions.
ABATEMENTS
If an owner of a motor vehicle thinks they are entitled to an adjustment of their excise bill, it is strongly recommended that they pay the bill in full, then contact the Assessor's Office for an application for abatement. Although payment of a bill is not a precondition for an abatement, an owner risks incurring late fees or penalties if an abatement is not granted.
Applications for abatements must be received by the Assessor's in a timely manner. Please contact the assessor’s office (413-268-8236 X302) for specific deadlines.
Motor Vehicle Excise Abatement Application