So you sold your house and property taxes are still in your name? Did you get the actual bill and wonder if you should pay it? Well, no need to worry! This is perfectly normal, and everything is just fine.

Here’s the thing. The property tax bills weren’t available when you sold your house. If they were, they would have been collected for and paid at closing. But when you sold your house, they weren’t out. And since most tax offices don’t release the yearly bills until autumn, this happens for most closings.

That’s why there are prorations. If you look at your settlement statement, you should see a credit from the you to buyer; and this represents your portion of the taxes. Everybody’s responsible for their part of the taxes, after all!

When the bill finally does come out, the buyer is responsible for paying the entire amount that’s owed. If you actually received the bill, all you need to do is forward it on to the buyer.

So why would the bill still be in your name, even though you sold the house? That’s just how the tax offices work, honestly. Property tax bills are always sent with the name of whomever owned the property on January first of that year. If you sell your house before the bills come out, the bill will still be issued in your name, and the tax office won’t update their records until the next year. No worries!