WASHINGTON, N.C. – The Beaufort County Tax Office is mailing 2025 tax bills to property owners this week.
Property taxes are due Sept. 1, 2025, and are payable without interest until Jan. 5, 2026.
Tax bills can be paid online, by mail, by phone or in person. To pay online by e-check, debit card or credit card, visit BeaufortCountyNC.gov/TaxCollector.
To pay by phone, call 866-603-7441. You will need the bill number and the bill year for the payment you are making.
Vendor fees apply to all electronic payments. These fees are not received by Beaufort County. There is a 2.65% fee on credit card transactions, a $3.95 fee per debit card transaction, and a $2.25 fee per E-check transaction.
An envelope is included in each tax bill. At the bottom is a voucher that you can tear off and mail with your tax payment to the address on the coupon. Payments are mailed to the County’s lockbox in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
A secure drop box is available for contactless payments. The drop box is located in the parking lot between the Beaufort County Administrative Office and Tax Office.
Payments can be made in person at the Tax Collector’s Office, located in the Seaboard Building at 220 N. Market St. Washington, N.C.
Payment plans are available and must be set up in person at the Tax Collector’s Office.
The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners sets the County, fire district and EMS district tax rates annually when the budget is adopted.
The Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget adopted by the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners includes a revenue neutral tax rate of 44.5 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation. The tax rate in the prior year, before the 2025 property tax revaluation occurred, was 62.5 cents.
The revenue neutral tax rate is the tax rate in a revaluation year that brings in the same amount of revenue as the previous year, adjusted for average tax base growth since the last revaluation.
Beaufort County bills and collects property taxes for municipalities within the county. If you reside in a municipality, your total tax bill also depends on the tax rate set by the municipality’s governing board. Contact your municipal government if you have questions about their tax rate.
Can I appeal my real property value?
The deadline to appeal your new valuation passed on May 12, 2025, at the adjournment of our Board of Equalization and Review. The next opportunity to appeal your real property value will begin in January 2026 for the 2026 tax year.
Can I appeal my personal property value?
You have 30 days from the date on your bill to appeal your value.
What if I get a value change notice?
If you receive a value change notice for something such as a discovery or present use value audit, then you would have 30 days from that notice date to appeal your value. You can find a printable appeal form online at BeaufortCountyNC.gov/PersonalProperty. You can also pick up a form at the Tax Assessor’s Office, located at 220 N. Market St., Washington, N.C.