Property owners in Hidalgo County have only one more week to pay their taxes.

January 31 is the deadline to make payments without any penalties, and officials are expecting the Hidalgo County Tax Office to be busy.

Property owners can make their payments in person or online. If they miss the Jan. 31 deadline, they will face a seven percent penalty and interest fee on their bill on Feb. 1.

"If you don't have the full amount, let's say it's $1,000, and you say look, I don't have that $1,000 to pay by January 31, but I have $700, I would encourage you to pay $700. So on February 1 you're only going to have $300, you know, in the penalty zone," Hidalgo County Tax Assessor Pablo Villarreal said.

Villarreal says the penalty will increase every month. If the tax balance isn't paid by June 30, the rate will increase to 33 percent and an additional collection fee will be added to the total.

Homeowners who are 65 and older or disabled could qualify for a payment plan without penalties or interest.

Villarreal says the amount would be divided into four payments starting January 31 and ending on July 31.

He says their offices are open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The offices in McAllen and Edinburg will stay open late on January 31 to allow more people to stop by

To contact the Hidalgo County Tax Office or make a payment online, click here.

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