How to pay your real estate taxes

You have four options to pay your City of Boston property taxes:

The City operates on a fiscal year that starts on July 1 and ends on June 30. We use a quarterly tax billing system, meaning we mail tax bills four times per year:

• First quarter: July 1
• Second quarter: October 1
• Third quarter: January 1
• Fourth quarter: April 1

We send tax bills 30 days before their due date. Your quarterly tax bills are due on these dates:

• First-quarter bills: August 1
• Second-quarter bills: November 1
• Third-quarter bills: February 1
• Fourth-quarter bills: May 1

If the first of the month falls on a weekend, your bill is due on the following Monday.

Assessed taxes on real estate stay with the property — not the name on the tax bill. So, if you own the property, you need to make sure that the property taxes are paid. Otherwise, the unpaid taxes could result in a lien against the property.

The name on the tax bill is the property owner on January 1 before the start of the given fiscal year. If you sell a property and we still mail you a tax bill, please forward it to the new owner of the property.