Property tax resources for your corporate tax team

Navigating business property taxes can leave even the most experienced tax teams with a headache. From hunting down information to keeping track of state-specific and jurisdictional rules, it can be a lot to manage if you don’t have a clear list of property tax resources to turn to for guidance.

We’ve got you covered with this post. Be sure to bookmark this detailed list of property tax resources across four key areas:

• General information about business property tax
• Property tax certifications and training
• State-specific property tax questions
• Legal resources for business property tax

If you’re looking for resources to help you better understand and stay up to date on property taxes, here are a few options.

• What your tax team needs to know about the difference between real and personal property

Learn more about real property and business personal property taxes and ways to manage them to improve compliance.

• Tax Foundation

This independent tax policy nonprofit aims to inform smarter tax policy at the state, federal, and global levels. Its site is a good resource for understanding both property tax and other tax systems.

• Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

This nonprofit’s mission is to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. It regularly collects data on property taxes, and releases policy papers and research you can use to stay informed.

If you’re looking to give your team a leg up through training or by obtaining certifications, these organizations offer solid options:

• Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT)

The IPT educates, certifies, and establishes strict codes of conduct for state and local income, property, sales and use, and value-added tax professionals.

• American Society of Appraisers (ASA)

The ASA is an international nonprofit representing multiple disciplines, from appraisal review and management to personal and real property. It’s the top credentialing body for testing, education, and certification of appraisers.

• International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO)

The IAAO is a nonprofit research association of government assessment officials and others interested in the administration of property taxes. It offers education, technical standards, consulting services, and other resources to the property valuation and tax policy community.

Whether you’re considering building a new location in a different state or you’re already operating your business in multiple jurisdictions, it’s important to stay up to date on the tax policies and obligations across the United States.

There are thousands of property tax jurisdictions in the nation, each with their own sets of guidelines for accounts in their localities. Several organizations and agencies can provide information about your property taxes. These include your:

• Assessor
• Appraisal entity
• State department responsible for property taxes
• Board of equalization
• Department of revenue
• Tax collector

You can also refer to our state-by-state property tax comparison for valuable information about which taxes are due when.

If you have a legal matter that deals with property taxes, it’s important to consult with experts in the field. Issues can be complicated and lack of understanding can increase the likelihood of penalties, fines, or even more serious legal consequences.

If you don’t have your own lawyers or tax advisors, consider starting with the American Property Tax Counsel. This national affiliation of property tax attorneys offers litigation advice and legal services for high-value property tax cases, and publishes legal updates related to the property tax space.

If you’re spending a lot of time scouring assessor and collector websites for deadlines and amounts due, it may be time to implement property tax software. Avalara Property Tax has a built-in property tax database for assessment and tax bill addresses and due dates, removing the need to search those assessor and collector websites.

The software is designed to streamline tax compliance and tracks whether personal property tax is applicable to the state you’re filing in. Your Avalara Property Tax calendar will automatically populate with the relevant jurisdictions’ due dates for returns, appeal filings, and tax bills, so you know exactly which tasks to prioritize.

If you think you might be ready to automate your property tax compliance process, contact us today to speak with a representative.