Businesses Must Pay Annual Tax by September 30 to Avoid Late Fees

Business owners in Polk County have until Tuesday, October 1, 2024, to renew their annual Business Tax Receipt (BTR) before becoming delinquent and owing late fees. Anyone with a business located in or operating in Polk County must renew by paying a county local business tax each year, to continue to have the privilege of doing business in the county.

Tax Collector Joe G. Tedder hopes business owners can save money by avoiding any late fees. In October, there will be a fee of 10% of the unpaid tax owed plus collection costs. Then, the penalty rises to 15% plus collection costs in November and continues to increase each month through March.

"We trust businesses operating in Polk have either already renewed their BTR or are doing so very soon in order to avoid paying any late fees," Tedder said, "because we hate to see the people in Polk County paying more than they have to."

Payments can be made online at http://www.PolkTaxes.com, in person at a Tax Collector Service Center, or by mail (and considered 'on time' if postmarked before October 1). New businesses must visit the website to download an application and either mail it or deliver it to a service center in person. Businesses must display their current BTR. The valid receipt to display at a business for 2024-2025 will be green in color.

Most of the revenue collected through this tax goes to the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) and is generally used to support the community's economic development efforts.