Governor Kevin Stitt and State Auditor Cindy Byrd have requested that all county treasurers in the State of Oklahoma extend the ad valorem tax payment deadline until April 30, 2020. Governor Stitt and Auditor Byrd also recommended that the county treasurers notify all citizens, individual and corporate, that all penalties and interest will be waived for ad valorem tax payments remitted by April 30, 2020.

Oklahoma property taxes are required to be paid on or before December 31 of each year. However, the statute provides that if one-half of the property taxes due are paid by the end of the year, property owners have until March 31 of the following year to pay the second half of the taxes due without incurring any penalties or interest.

Due to the challenges to the economy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor and State Auditor concluded:

“it is in the best interests of all Oklahomans for all County Treasurers in Oklahoma to effectively extend the ad valorem tax payment deadline provided under 68 O.S. Sec. 2913A. from March 31, 2020 to April 30, 2020 by waiving all penalties and interest which might otherwise accrue as a result of a failure to pay the ad valorem tax due under Sec. 2913A. by March 31.”

In their letter to Penny Dowell, president of the County Treasurers’ Association of Oklahoma, Governor Stitt and Auditor Byrd cited paragraph G of Section 2913 which grants authority to county treasurers to waive penalties and interest in cases where the failure to timely remit was due “through no fault of the taxpayer.”