The Amador County Tax Collector's Office would like to remind taxpayers that property tax payments must be received or postmarked by the delinquency date to avoid penalties.  If a payment is received after the delinquency date, with no postmark, the payment is considered late, and penalties will be imposed in accordance with State Law.  Taxpayers who send their payments by mail are cautioned that the United States Postal Service (USPS) only postmarks certain mail depending on the type of postage used, and may not postmark mail on the same day it is deposited by a taxpayer.

POSTMARKS are imprints on letters, flats, and parcels that show the name of the USPS Office that accepted custody of the mail, along with the state, zip code and date of mailing.  The postmark is generally applied, either by machine or by hand, with cancelation bars to indicate that the postage cannot be reused.

*POSTAGE THAT IS POSTMARKED:

Standard Postage Stamps:  Stamps purchased and affixed to mail as evidence of the payment of postage.

*POSTAGE THAT IS NOT POSTMARKED:  (If you use these types of postage the USPS will not postmark your mail.  Your mailed payment must be received by the delinquency date to avoid penalties.)

Metered Mail:  Mail on which postage is printed directly on an envelope or label by a postage machine licensed by the USPS.  Many private companies use these types of postage machines.

Pre-Canceled Stamp:  Stamps sold through a private vendor, such as stamps.com.

Automated Postal Center Stamps:  Stamps, with or without a date, purchased from machines located within a USPS lobby.

Permit Imprint:  Pre-sorted mail used by bill pay services, such as online home banking.  

It is not recommended for taxpayers to use their bank’s online bill pay service to pay their property taxes. However, if a bank’s online bill pay service is used, taxpayers are encouraged to set the authorized payment date at least 10 days prior to the delinquency date as most envelopes with payments sent by banks or their agents are not postmarked by the United States Postal Service. Consequently, there is no proof of the mailing date.

If for any reason the bank places a date on the check that is past the delinquency date, the payment will be considered late and a penalty will be incurred.