Residents of Indiana are required to pay certain taxes that are as follows:

Real Estate Tax. All real estate is assessed as of March 1 each year, and taxes are due the following year. Taxes are divided into two equal installments; usually the first installment is delinquent after May 10, and the second is delinquent after November 10. Delinquencies carry a five percent penalty if paid within 30 days of the due date. That penalty is increased to 10 percent if still unpaid after 30 days. After each tax deadline, another 10 percent penalty is added to any unpaid balance due. Indiana law allows real estate to be sold for nonpayment of taxes if taxes are delinquent from spring of the prior year and/or before.

Each taxing district has its own tax rate, and the total rate is dependent upon which taxing districts have jurisdiction over the property in question. For details, call the county treasurer at 423-9273. Payment is made to the Tippecanoe County Treasurer, County Office Building, 20 N. Third Street, Lafayette, Indiana 47901-1218, or can be paid online at www.officialpayments.com or www.tippecanoetax.net. A convenience fee will be charged for each transaction.

Personal Property Tax. If you own travel trailers, motor homes, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, canoes, human-powered boats, and boats without motors, you must report to your township assessor by May 15 of each year. All business and farm equipment and inventory also must be reported. A substantial penalty is added if this report is delinquent.

Equipment and inventory for a business or farm enterprise must also be reported. Both personal and business property are assessed on March 1 of the current year, and taxes are collected on the same dates as real estate taxes, in two installments May 10 and November 10 the next year.

Mobile homes are assessed as personal property based on January 15th ownership, with taxes due in the same year and payable in two equal installments with the same due dates as real estate taxes.

Personal property taxes can be paid by credit card or debit card online at www.tippecanoe.in.gov. A convenience fee is charged for each online transaction.

For additional information visit the Web site www.tippecanoe.in.gov/assessor or call the Tippecanoe County Assessor, (765) 423-9255.

Indiana Adjusted Gross Income Tax.You must pay income tax at the rate of 3.4 percent on your adjusted gross income, allowing personal and income exemptions. For details, consult the Indiana state income tax instruction booklet. You must file a final return by April 15 of the year following the taxable year. If you are required to file a federal declaration of estimated tax, you may be required by Indiana to do the same. For more information, call the Indiana Department of Revenue Office in Lafayette, (765) 448-6626.

County Adjusted Gross Income Tax, County Option Income Tax, and County Economic Development Income Tax. Individuals who are residing or working as of January 1 of the tax year in one of the counties that have adopted any of these taxes are liable for the tax applicable to that county. All employees must complete Form WH-4, Employee’s County Residence Certificate, at their time of employment and each December if they change counties of residence and/or county of principal work activity during the year. Employees will use the resident rate to calculate their county tax. Purdue’s Payroll Office and your business office maintain a list of counties that have adopted the taxes and the amount of tax applicable to each.

Sales Tax. A six percent sales tax is imposed on tangible personal property sold at retail — except groceries and prescription drugs.

Excise Tax on Cars, Trucks, Motorized Boats, and Trailers with 3,000-pound-and-under license plates, payable on purchase of license plates. The amount of tax is based on the year and the base price new of the vehicle. The minimum is $12, the maximum is $532 for a 12-month period. Average new-car tax runs between $200 and $350. For more information, call 448-3738.

Exemptions, Deductions, and Credits. Under Indiana laws, property owners and others may be eligible for certain exemptions, deductions, and homestead credits if they meet certain qualifications. For more information, contact the County Auditor's Office, Tippecanoe County Office Building; telephone 423-9207.

Nonprofit organizations can apply for property tax exemptions through the County Assessor’s Office. That is the only exemption handled in the Tippecanoe County Assessor’s Office, County Office Building, 20 N. Third Street, Lafayette, Indiana 47901. If you have specific questions about nonprofit property tax exemptions, please visit the Indiana government Web site: www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title6 and click on “Article 1.1,” then go to “Chapter 11.” The County Assessor’s Office phone number is (765) 423-9255.