72 Pa. Stat. § 5511.11

Current through P.A. Acts 2023-32
Section 5511.11 - Installment payment of taxes
(a) Any taxing district shall have power to provide by ordinance or resolution for the collection and payment of its taxes in not more than four installments. Where payment of taxes is made on the installment basis, no abatement or discount shall be allowed on said taxes.
(b)
(1) Any such ordinance or resolution shall set forth the number of installments in which taxes shall be paid and the dates when the respective installments become due and delinquent. Notwithstanding the complete and final settlement made in accordance with section 26, a taxing district may set installment payment dates subsequent to December 31. The unpaid installments shall not be considered delinquent if paid on or before the respective installment dates established by ordinance or resolution of the taxing district. To each installment on the date when it becomes delinquent, a penalty of up to ten per centum shall be added, which shall be collected by the tax collector. No further penalties, except as hereinafter provided, shall be added to any installment of taxes, unless one or more installments remain unpaid, and the lands upon which such installments are due are returned under existing laws to the county commissioners for nonpayment of taxes, or in case a lien for such unpaid installment or installments is filed under existing laws in the office of the prothonotary, in which case, the additional penalty or interest provided for by such existing return and lien laws shall apply.
(2) If a taxing district has set installment payment dates subsequent to December 31, the following shall apply:
(i) Installment payments subsequent to December 31 of the year in which the taxes are levied shall be collected by the elected tax collector.
(ii) The elected tax collector shall, upon the certification over to him of installments remaining unpaid, proceed to collect the same from the persons respectively charged therewith, for which purpose he shall have all the authority and power now vested by law in any tax collector for the collection of such taxes. The taxing district issuing the original warrants shall issue an additional warrant to the collector of installment payments.
(iii) Installments to be made on or before December 31 of the year in which taxes are levied shall be collected by the elected tax collector. The elected tax collector shall be allowed a credit for the total amount of all uncollected, nonlienable installments not required to be paid by December 31 and this amount shall be identified and carried forward on the reporting form prepared by the Department of Community and Economic Development in accordance with this act as nonlienable installments to be collected by the installment collector.
(iv) The elected tax collector shall be paid such commissions or compensation at the same rate on installment payments as is paid for the collection of taxes generally. Such commissions or compensation shall be paid by proper orders drawn on the taxing district. Every elected tax collector shall be responsible and accountable to the taxing district for all such taxes collected by the tax collector, and the final accounts and records, returns and payments, and duplicates shall be audited annually in the year in which the installments are collected in like manner and in accordance with the laws pertaining to tax collections.
(c)
(1) The payment of the first installment by a taxpayer before the same becomes delinquent shall conclusively evidence an intention to pay his taxes on the installment plan, as provided by said ordinance or resolution.
(2) If installment payments are permitted subsequent to December 31 of the year in which taxes are levied, a taxpayer shall evidence his intention to make installment payments of taxes after December 31 either by the timely payment to the tax collector of a first installment before December 31 or, if the first payment is not due before December 31, by notifying the elected tax collector in writing of his intention to make installment payments.
(d) Where a taxpayer shall fail to evidence an intention to pay on the installment plan, as hereinbefore provided, his taxes shall become due and payable and be collected as elsewhere provided in this act, subject to the discounts and penalties provided thereby.
(e) The provisions of this section shall apply to cities of the second class A.

72 P.S. § 5511.11

1945, May 25, P.L. 1050, § 11. As amended 1982, Dec. 13, P.L. 1201, No. 275, § 5, imd. effective; 2000, Dec. 20, P.L. 735, No. 104, § 3, imd. effective.