Kokua Line: Why can’t I pay my property taxes by phone?
Question: I am trying to pay my Honolulu property tax bill by phone using my credit card. I get a phone greeting saying that they cannot take my payment at this time. What’s up? The system is also rejecting my efforts to pay by credit card online.
Answer: Telephone, online and satellite city hall payment options are no longer available because the Aug. 23 due date has passed, said Brandi Higa, a spokeswoman for the city. You’ll have to pay by mail or at Honolulu Hale, she said.
The Department of Budget and Fiscal Services’ website, which indicated that online and telephone payments would still be accepted, was out of date, she said Monday.
She said the following options remain available for the first installment of real property taxes for the 2021-2022 tax year:
>> Mail: Send payment to City and County of Honolulu, Real Property Tax Collection, Division of Treasury, P.O. Box 4200, Honolulu, HI 96812-4200. Your payment date will be based on the post office cancellation mark.
>> In person: Pay with cash or check at the Division of Treasury, located on the first floor of Honolulu Hale. Or you can pay with a credit or debit card, but a convenience fee will be added.
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>> Curbside dropbox: The black/gray box outside Honolulu Hale is available 24 hours a day.
For more information, call 768-3980.
Be forewarned that “all taxes remaining unpaid after the due date will be considered delinquent and are subject to a penalty of 10%. Interest at the rate of 1% for each month or fraction thereof will be applied to all delinquent taxes and penalties,” according to the department’s website.
Q: My friend got an email about reinstating his unemployment claim when PEUC expires, but I didn’t get anything.
A: Only claimants who qualified for the PEUC $25 option received this email, according to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. “If you did not receive the email, it is because you did not qualify for the PEUC $25 option,” it says on its website. Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation and other pandemic-era federal unemployment programs end Saturday, it says.
Q: What can I do at the satellite city hall without an appointment? I mean the express line, not standby.
A: All of Honolulu County’s satellite city halls offer express window service, with no appointment needed, for the following transactions, according to the Department of Customer Services: annual vehicle registration renewal for motor vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds, trailers, or military with form CSL (MVR) 50 or 50A; duplicate registration; license plate or emblem replacement; vehicle registration address change; Board of Water Supply payments; disability parking permits; dropping off or picking up forms; and paying property taxes during specific periods (Jan. 20-Feb. 20 and July 20-Aug. 20).
Other transactions require an appointment, which you can make at AlohaQ.org. Or, as you can indicated, you can wait in the standby line, knowing that same-day service is not guaranteed.
Q: Will they require the gold star to fly on Oct. 1?
A: No, the federal government has postponed enforcement of its REAL ID law for domestic air travel until May 3, 2023.
Auwe
Please respect disability access at Ala Moana Beach Park. Please don’t pitch your tents in front of the wheelchair access ramps. It’s already hard enough for people with mobility limitations to reach the ocean! — Mahalo, Randolph H.
Mahalo
Congratulations to the Honolulu Little League team. You all represented Honolulu and Hawaii so well even if you didn’t win the top prize. Watching you play was enjoyable. You played almost error-free the whole time in Williamsport, and your sportsmanship was outstanding, even before you were recognized with the award, with true aloha spirit. Thank you for being such a bright light in this tough time! You will all be an asset to your schools. Good luck! Thank you to all the coaches and parents as well. Take care and be safe! Looking forward to the next edition of Little Leaguers! — L.Y.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
