City Hall - Brewer, Maine

Property Tax: Billing & Payment

City Hall has a payment drop box available 24/7 located
outside the lower level door (the one that faces North Main Street).

Tax Counter Hours:      Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm
Tax Phone:                   207.989.7060
Tax Fax:                       207.989.8435
Email:                           Tax-Office@brewermaine.gov

Annual Information
Fiscal Year:                                July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024 (FY24)
Assessment Date:                      April 1, 2023
Commitment Date:                     July 28, 2023
Assessment appeal deadline:    January 29, 2024 (185 days from commitment date)
Tax Rate:                                    $20.10 per $1,000 of assessed value
Tax Due Dates:                          Sept. 12, 2023 (1st half); March 12, 2024 (2nd half)
Interest Rate:                              8.0% starting 9/13/23 and 3/13/24, respectively
Total taxable valuation:              $993,507,888

Tax Assessment Information
Top 25 Taxpayers lists Brewer’s largest taxpayers for FY2012 – present.
Brewer’s Tax Commitment Book shows tax and valuation data on all real estate and
personal property accounts.
Summary Tax & Valuation Data 2001- 2024

Tax Bills
Tax bills are mailed in early August each year, shortly after the Assessor completes commitment. Taxes are due the second Tuesday in September, though taxpayers have the option to pay in two installments (Sept and March). Reminder notices are mailed in February. The name on the tax bill will always be the name of the person who owned the property as of April 1 of the year in which the tax was committed.

New Owners / Escrow Account Holders
If you have an escrow account or if you have sold your property and are no longer the owner, please send your bill to your mortgage holder or the new owner. New owners, please notify the Assessor’s Office at 207.989.7560 of the correct name, address, and mortgage holder(s).

Payments Options

  1. Pay online anytime, from the comfort of your own home, with an E-Check, Debit, or Credit Card.  Click here to get started.  MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express are accepted, though a convenience fee will apply.
  2. Pay in person at the Tax Office at Brewer City Hall (lower level), Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00p.m. We take cash and checks. We also now accept credit and debit cards, though a convenience fee will apply.
  3. Mail a check or money order made payable to “City of Brewer” to:
              Tax Office
              Brewer City Hall
              80 North Main Street
              Brewer, ME 04412
    Please do not mail cash. Including the remit slip and/or the bill number will help ensure that we post your payment to the appropriate account.

Payment Policy
Payments will be applied to the oldest outstanding balance.  View the City’s payment policy for more detail.

Tax Liens
Every May, the City sends 30-Day Notices to Lien to owners and their mortgage holder(s) who have not paid their taxes in full for the current year. The Notice states that the City will place a lien on the property if the taxes, interest and fees due are not paid in full by the end of the 30 days. A lien is a document that is recorded in June, with the Penobscot County Registry of Deeds stating that taxes are owed on the property. It is valid for 18 months from the date of filing. If the City does not receive payment in full within 18 months of the filing of the lien, the lien automatically forecloses and the City will own the property.

Income Tax Preparation Tips
For most taxpayers, the property taxes paid in a given calendar year will be from two different Brewer tax bills. This is because the City’s fiscal year runs from July-June, and taxpayers often opt to pay their taxes in two installments: the first in September and the second in March. Thus, for the typical, on-time taxpayer, the amount of property tax paid in a given calendar year that you might report on that year’s income tax form would include the following:

  1. The amount you paid in March of that calendar year
    (the 2nd installment of the tax bill you received the previous August)
  2. The amount you paid in September of that calendar year
    (the 1st installment of the tax bill you received in August of that calendar year).

The Brewer Tax Office can assist you with your payment history if necessary, but for fast reference, we encourage you to keep a copy of your tax bills and payments
receipts with your income tax records.

Disclaimer: This does not constitute advice on tax reporting. Consult a tax expert for questions about eligibility and amounts you might be able to claim.