Residents in Fairfax, Montgomery counties can prepay 2018 property taxes

WASHINGTON — Before the year ends, residents in Fairfax and Montgomery counties can prepay their property taxes ahead of the new federal tax law, which sets a $10,000 cap on combined deductions for property taxes and state and local taxes beginning Jan. 1, 2018.

The Montgomery County Council held a special session Tuesday to quickly pass a bill allowing residents to prepay their 2018 property taxes.

Also on Tuesday, hundreds of Fairfax County homeowners lined up inside the county government building looking to pay in person and get a receipt. They could’ve avoided the hassle, but a county government official said the confusion may have been that the county has said it cannot guarantee payments received by mail after Dec. 26 will be processed by the end of the year.

Here’s what residents in Fairfax and Montgomery counties need to know:

Before the Tuesday vote, a handful of residents spoke out at a public hearing on the bill. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
Before the Tuesday vote, a handful of Montgomery County residents spoke out at a public hearing on the bill. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
Fairfax County taxpayers stand in line to prepay property taxes, ahead of the new 2018 tax laws. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
Fairfax County taxpayers stand in line to prepay property taxes, ahead of the new 2018 tax laws. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
Interest is high in prepaying county property tax,
 ahead of a new tax law. Taxpayers in Fairfax Co. can drop off a check in the county government building.
 (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
To avoid the line, write your map number on a check, with the word “prepay”, place it in an envelope, and drop it in the boxes in the Fairfax County government center. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
(WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
Taxpayers who want to drop off a prepayment check for property taxes at the Fairfax County government building in Fairfax, Virginia, can avoid the line. A receipt will be sent. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
Hundreds stood in line at the Fairfax Co. government center, but tax officials say prepaying property taxes online will help residents avoid having to stand in line. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
Hundreds stood in line at the Fairfax County government center, but tax officials say prepaying property taxes online will help residents avoid having to stand in line. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
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Before the Tuesday vote, a handful of residents spoke out at a public hearing on the bill. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
Fairfax County taxpayers stand in line to prepay property taxes, ahead of the new 2018 tax laws. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
Interest is high in prepaying county property tax,
 ahead of a new tax law. Taxpayers in Fairfax Co. can drop off a check in the county government building.
 (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
(WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
Hundreds stood in line at the Fairfax Co. government center, but tax officials say prepaying property taxes online will help residents avoid having to stand in line. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

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