When are my taxes due?
Village property taxes are payable July 1 through August 31 without penalty. Postmarks are not accepted. Beginning September 1 a 1% per month penalty is added to all outstanding balances.
Southfield Township summer taxes are payable July 1 through September 14 without penalty.
Southfield Township winter taxes are payable December 1 through February 14 without penalty.
If a due date falls on a non-business day, taxes are due the next business day. Please verify due date on your tax statement.
On March 1 all unpaid taxes become payable to Oakland County with additional penalties.
Can I pay my Village taxes with a credit card or eCheck?
Yes, taxes may be paid by credit card or eCheck, online or by phone, from July 1 through February 28. A convenience fee is assessed based on the amount of the transaction. You will be informed of the amount of the fee prior to finalizing your payment.
Please have your tax statement available when paying online or by phone to avoid additional fees.
Online: https://www.oakgov.com/paytaxes
Phone: 248-858-0025 or 888-600-3773
When paying by phone, access the Village tax by pressing 4 when the Township tax information begins.
Why do I receive tax bills from Southfield Township?
Villages in Michigan are limited as to the services that they can provide their residents. One of those limitations is that the Village can only bill for its own taxes. Village residents are also residents of Southfield Township. The Township bills for all other taxing authorities including schools, Oakland County, transportation and other approved millages.
The Village tax bill goes out once a year on July 1.
The Township sends two tax bills a year; one on July 1 and one on December 1.
Can I pay my Southfield Township taxes with a credit card or eCheck?
Yes, Southfield Township uses the same online and phone payment system as the Village.
To pay Township taxes choose "Village of Bingham Farms (TB)" in the City/Village/Township drop down menu. Then, under Tax Type choose either Summer or Winter to pay a Township bill.
Where does my tax money go?
The Village tax bill funds Village operations including:
Police and fire protection
Clerk and treasurer operations
Library services
General administrative costs
Engineering and planning services
Road repairs and maintenance
Road snow removal
The Township tax bill funds all other taxing authorities including:
State of Michigan (education)
Oakland Community College
Oakland Intermediate Schools
Local school districts
Oakland County (operating)
Southfield Township (operating)
Oakland County Parks and Recreation
Huron Clinton Metro Authority
Zoo Authority
Art Institute
Oakland County Public Transit Authority
Where can I get a paid tax receipt?
The Village Treasurer can provide a tax receipt for Village taxes via email or U.S. postal service. Call us at 248-644-0044
Southfield Township tax receipts can be obtained from the Township office. Please call 248-540-3420
Personal property tax information.
Assessments for personal property taxes are as of December 31 of the prior year. If you were in business on this date you are responsible for the current year's personal property tax bill.
Businesses with less than $80,000 ($180,000 beginning in 2023) in true cash value of all personal property can file a Small Business Property Tax Exemption Claim under MCL 211.9o. See the Michigan Department of Treasury website for more information.
Where do I file my property transfer paperwork (PTA & PRE)?
File Property Transfer Affidavit (PTA) and Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) forms at:
Southfield Township
18550 W. 13 Mile Road
Southfield Township, MI 48025
(248) 540-3420
Offices Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
What is a Principal Residence Exemption?
Michigan residents who own and occupy a home as their principal residence are allowed a Principal Residence Exemption (PRE). Properties designated as Principal Residences are also called Homesetad properties. Owners of more than one home can only designate one principal residence.
A PRE exempts a principal residence from the tax levied by a local school district for school operating purposes up to 18 mills. A PRE does not impact the Village tax amount due.
Upon sale/purchase of a home, paperwork must be filed to establish its Principal Residence status (see related FAQ).
How can I estimate my tax bill? What is a millage rate?
The millage rate is used to calculate taxes due. One mill is equal to $1.00 per $1,000 of Taxable Value.
Estimate your taxes due by multiplying your Taxable Value by the millage rate and dividing the product by 1,000.
Example: (Taxable Value x Millage Rate) / 1,000
Taxable Value = $230,000
Millage Rate = 12.016
Taxes Due = (230,000 x 12.016) / 1,000 = $2,763.68
If you recently purchased your home, estimate your Taxable Value as 1/2 of the purchase price.
What do the terms Assessed Value, State Equalized Value and Taxable Value mean?
Assessed Value (AV): Set by the assessor, the Assessed Value multiplied by two will give an approximate market value of the property. The assessor is constitutionally required to set the assessed value at 50% of the usual selling price or True Cash Value of the property.
State Equalized Value (SEV): The County Board of Commissioners and the Michigan State Tax Commission must review local assessments (AV) and adjust (equalize) them if the values are above or below the constitutional 50%. The SEV is the Assessed Value after equalization.
Taxable Value (TV): Proposal A, passed by Michigan voters in 1994, created Taxable Value. Taxable Value is the value assigned to a property for the purpose of calculating taxes due. TV increases year to year by the rate of inflation or 5%, whichever is lower. Transfers of ownership and improvements to the property may increase the TV by more than the rate of inflation.
What is Capped vs. Uncapped Taxable Value.
Proposal A, passed by Michigan voters in 1994, created Taxable Value. Taxable Value is the value assigned to a property for the purpose of calculating taxes due.
Capped Taxable Value: According to Proposal A, Taxable Value can only increase each year by the rate of inflation or 5% whichever is lower. This is considered a "capped" Taxable Value.
Uncapped Taxable Value: For properties that change ownership or were modified in the preceding year, Taxable Value is reset to an equalized value that is approximately 1/2 the current market value of a property. These are considered "uncapped" Taxable Values. The tax increase due to uncapping may be significant if a property's Taxable Value has been capped for many years.
Proposal A was intended to shield taxpayers who do not sell or modify their property from significant tax increases due to value increases during strong housing markets .
What would cause my taxes to increase?
Property taxes in Michigan are based on two main factors; Taxable Value and Millage Rate. A few of the reasons taxes would increase are:
1. Taxable Value increases each year by the rate of inflation or 5% whichever is lower. This is considered a "capped" Taxable Value. This helps taxing authorities to keep up with inflation.
2. An ownership change triggers the "uncapping" of a property's Taxable Value. The Taxable Value is reset to an equalized value which is approximately 1/2 the current market value of the property. The increase due to "uncapping" can be significant if a property's Taxable Value has been capped for many years.
3. Some improvements to a property may trigger an "uncapping" and reset of Taxable Value.
4. Voters can approve new or increased millage rates. Millage additions (new taxing authorities) or increase requests come from various sources including local municipalities, schools, transportation authorities, park authorities or cultural institutions.
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Can I contest my property values?
Bingham Farms property owners have one opportunity per year to appeal an assessments. This is the March Board of Review held at Southfield Township. Property owners must file a Board of Review petition and make an appointment to appeal. Nonresident owners may protest by letter if accompanied by a completed Board of Review petition. Contact Southfield Township at 248-540-3420 for details.
An appeal at the March Board of Review is necessary to protect your right to further appeals for that year. If you miss the March Board of Review, you cannot contest your assessment that year. The Michigan Tax Tribunal does not hear cases that were not heard first by the local Board of Review.
Do lower home sale values in my neighborhood mean my taxes will go down?
Unfortunately there isn't an easy answer t to this question. Each property is in a unique situation based on State Equalized Value (SEV) and Taxable Value (TV).
State Equalized Value reflects home values and recent sales. Taxable Value is used to calculate your taxes and, most likely, has been capped since you purchased your home (see related FAQ). Because of this, many properties have an SEV that is significantly higher than the TV. Taxes only decrease once the gap between SEV and TV is closed. At this point, a decline in SEV would lead to an equivalent decline in TV. Until then, your SEV would decrease based on sales prices while TV would increase based on inflation.
