North Carolina General Statutes require all individuals owning personal property on January 1 of each year to annually list that property which is subject to taxation. The listing period is from January 1 through January 31. Listings submitted by mail shall be deemed filed as of the date shown on the postmark affixed by the U.S. Postal Service. If no date is shown on the postmark, or if the postmark is not affixed by the U.S. Postal Service, the listing shall be deemed filed when received by the Clay County Tax Office. Late listings are subject to a 10% late listing penalty per North Carolina General Statute 105-312(h).

If you received a listing form in the previous year, one will automatically be mailed to you at the address on file. You should receive this preprinted form around the first week of January. If you have property that requires listing, and don’t receive a form, it is still your responsibility to obtain and complete a Personal Property Listing form. All forms must be signed and dated in order to be accepted by the Tax Office. Incomplete forms will be returned to the taxpayer with instructions to complete.

Personal Property tax statements are mailed along with real estate bills on or before the 1st of September. If you own personal property and real estate property, please check your real estate property tax bill to make sure your personal property tax is included on the statement. If you do not receive your statement by September 1, please contact our office to request a duplicate. Property taxes not paid in full by January 5 following the September 1st billing are assessed an interest charge of 2% for the month of January and an additional 0.75% each month thereafter.

Personal property value, situs, or taxability of the property can only be appealed within 30 days after the date of the initial notice of value. Please contact our office as soon as possible if you would like to appeal your personal property within 30 days of the initial notice of value. North Carolina General Statutes allow for certain types of property to receive exclusions or exemptions from property taxes. Please contact our office for more information.