Property Taxes
Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Appointments are NOT needed to pay property taxes.
Paying Taxes Online
You may pay taxes through our payment website by name, address, or parcel number listed on tax statements.
Pay your property taxes online with an eCheck for only .25 cents (which is less than a postage stamp) or you can pay with a debit or credit card for 2.25% of the total amount due.
Due Dates
- Property taxes may be paid in full in September each year or paid in two installments:
- The first half is due September 1 and becomes delinquent October 1.
- The second half is due March 1 of the following year and becomes delinquent April 1.
Delinquent interest accrues at the rate of 1.5% per month, rounded to the nearest dollar with a minimum penalty due of one dollar.
Payment Methods
- In office with cash, check or debit/credit card (cards accepted for an additional fee).
- Mail (must be postmarked by the end of the month to avoid 1.5% penalty).
Pay your property taxes online with an eCheck for only .25 cents (less than a postage stamp!) or you can pay with a debit or credit card for 2.25% of the total amount due.
Accepted Credit Cards
- MasterCard
- Visa
- Discover
Partial & Scheduled Payments
Shelby County allows partial payments of current property taxes. By law, you cannot make a partial payment on a tax sale or special assessment. If at any time you want to pay towards your property taxes, we will accept any amount of partial payment.
You can make partial payments directly to our office. Or, if you prefer, you are able to schedule automatic payments from your bank account either by e-check or card. The scheduled payments will be handled through the Iowa Treasurer's website by creating an account and setting up the schedule. To do this, you will need to follow these steps:
- Create an account.
- Add the property or properties you want to pay on the automatic schedule.
- Set up a payment account or enter your banking information.
- Set up a schedule. You can set up the schedule to pay monthly, weekly, bi-weekly or on a set date. Here, you can also click "auto amount" or choose to pay a set amount each month.
By selecting the auto amount, the system automatically calculates the number of payments you have selected and the amount needed by the due date (September 30 and/or March 31) and then it will automatically pull that amount.
If you choose to pay a set dollar amount each month, you need to be aware that the amount chosen may not cover the full amount of property taxes by the due date. If this happens, you could incur late fees and/or additional interest.
Copies of Tax Statements
Please know that a copy of all Shelby County real estate tax statements are available online through the Iowa Treasurer's website. There, you can download a printable PDF statement.
An annual tax statement is mailed in August to the property owner. Statements have two payment vouchers for the 1st and 2nd half taxes due.
Important Note: Property tax statements are mailed to the property owner only; NOT to escrow companies. Please note that we do not maintain escrow or property management records.
Notice of Delinquent Taxes
The law requires:
- A notice will be sent to property owners who have outstanding taxes as of November 1 and May 1.
- A notice of the annual tax sale shall be mailed no later than May 1 to the person in whose name the parcel subject to sale is taxed.
- Payments for redemption from tax sales must be paid in full. The rate of interest required by Iowa law to be paid on a redemption is 2% per month.
Delinquent taxes as of May 1 are assessed a publication fee and, if still unpaid, advertised for sale at the annual tax sale in June.
