Office hours will be extended at the Hidalgo County Tax Assessor's offices to allow people to come in and pay their property taxes before the deadline.

Some people waited nearly two hours to get inside. Anyone planning to pay their taxes in-person before Wednesday should be prepared to wait.

The deadline to pay taxes is January 31 without a penalty. While some showed up Monday to avoid those fees, others say they would rather pay extra than wait hours before they're seen.

Hidalgo County Tax Assessor Collector Pablo Villarreal said in anticipation of long lines on deadline day, office hours will be extended.

The McAllen, Palmview, Weslaco and Edinburg offices will stay open until 7 p.m.

"If there are still people in line at 7 p.m., we are going to take care of the last person in line," Villarreal said. "Most of our residents wait until the last minute to keep their money in the bank. Like I said, we are very busy but here to help you."

Villarreal says to avoid the lines, you can also pay your taxes through mail. Just make sure it has a January 31 postmark. Another option is paying online.

Those who don't pay by the Wednesday deadly will face a penalty that will increase their bill by two percent every month after February.

If you wait until July 1, the penalty will increase to 18 percent plus attorney fees, for a total of a 33 percent increase.

Villarreal recommends not waiting until that point.

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