FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

No. Passport application fees must be paid via a check payable to the "U.S. Department of State". The execution fees can be paid with cash or a check payable to Town of Columbia.

The auto pay procedure is no longer available.

No.There is a review process that we must be complete BEFORE you can begin working on your project; you need to receive an APPROVAL notice before you can begin.

Yes, as long as it is changed before the date it was scheduled to be paid.

The auto pay procedure is no longer available.

Yes. You can set up a future payment at any time prior to the bill due date.

Yes, you can send one check for the bills that you receive.  Mail your check to: 

Remittance address during the months of July and January only:

Town of Columbia

Dept # 347

PO Box 150512

Hartford, CT 06115-0512

Standard mailing address for the Tax Collector, Town of Columbia, CT:

Town of Columbia

Tax Collector

323 Route 87

Columbia, CT 06237-1156

Yes, your bill can be paid in any of the following ways:

• Email notification based payment – click the “View Bill or Pay Now” button in your email

• Web based online payment – login to online bill pay via your town website

• Paper check – sent by whatever means you choose, including US Postal Service (note:  many paper checks today are converted into electronic transactions once they are received by the town).

Yes, simply login to your account and select “View paid or closed bills”. If you are a registered customer, you will receive an email notification.

Yes, you can. There is a convenience fee when using credit cards which varies based upon the  payment amount. The exact convenience fee amount will be displayed during the payment process prior to submitting the payment.

Yes, although technically your debit card will be processed like a credit card and you will not be asked to enter a pin number. The convenience fee is the same as credit cards and varies based upon the payment amount. The exact convenience fee amount will be displayed during the payment process prior to submitting the payment.

Yes, many customers use Macs.

Yes, if your town accepts partial payments, you may use one payment method for part of the transaction and another payment method for other parts of the transaction.

There are two ways that payment responsibilities can be shared. If the other payer is part of your household, you may choose to share your login information with that individual. In a situation where personal financial data is not shared, you may forward your email notification to the individual, who will then click on the “View or Pay Now” button and elect to make an express pay payment. They will need to enter their name, email address, address and payment information. They will receive the payment confirmation. You can verify their payment by viewing the bills in your account.

Yes, an email address is required for payment confirmation.  A payment receipt is sent via email.

No, your current bank account (checking or savings) will work fine. So many payments are made electronically now that banks are already prepared for online payments. However, if you have arranged through your bank to automatically pay your bill, you need to contact your bank and discontinue the automated payment, otherwise you may pay your bill twice.

You may need to register to receive electronic bills by email, but registration is not required for One Time Payments. One Time Payments require that you enter your payment information each time you make a payment. By registering, you avoid that step and gain access to your payment history.

No, the town does not take photos for passport applications. Most local AAA, Walgreens and CVS's take passport photos.

Your permit will remain active as long as the work has been started within 6 month of the issuance date and you are continuously working on the project and calling for regular inspections.

Simply log into your account and change any of your personal information under the My Profile tab.

Once you have registered, you will need only your email address and password to log in. To login the first time you use the system, you will need your account/bill number from your bill. The “locate your bill” screen gives instructions regarding the required information.

Registering is easy and can be done when you make a payment. There are two ways you can make a payment.
1. When you receive an email notification that your bill is ready to be paid, simply click on the “View Bill or Pay Now” button. You will then be directed to the Town of Columbia’s “Pay and/or View Bills Online” site, powered by Invoice Cloud. Once there, you will be given the opportunity to register or make a One Time Payment. If you choose to register, you will be asked to provide a password and accept the terms and conditions to use the system. The payment information you enter in your profile will then be securely encrypted and saved for your next visit.
2. You can go directly to the Town of Columbia's website at www.columbiact.org and click on the “Pay or View your Bill” button/icon. You will then be directed to the Town’s “Pay and/or View Bills Online” site, powered by Invoice Cloud. Once there, you will need to locate your account and be given the opportunity to register or make an express payment. If you choose to register, you will be asked to provide a password and accept the terms and conditions to use the system. The payment information you enter in your profile will then be securely encrypted and saved for your next visit.

It is very simple. Here are the 3 steps taken by customers:
1. Customer receives email notification or accesses account via the Town of Columbia website. The website address of www.columbiact.org features an icon/button that you can click on. The icon/button reads “View or Pay Your Bill."
2. Customer locates and views bills and either enters payment information for a One Time Payment or registers to schedule a payment.
3. Customer receives an email confirmation with their payment amount and payment process date.

Credit card transactions typically take 48 hours to settle.  An authorization is issued immediately; however, it takes 48 hours for the money to be moved.

EFT transactions typically take 48 – 72 hours to settle. 

Please check the travel.state.gov website for the most current processing time estimates.  For an additional fee, expediting your application can reduce the processing time.

18 months is the standard retention period.

The fees vary depending on the age of the applicant and options chosen. See below for a listing of fees for Passport Books AND Passport Cards:

The most current information can be found on the Dept. of State website https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html

Optional Service Fees (Paid to U.S. Department of State)

Paying online is only half of the benefit, by going paperless and not receiving paper bills, you can increase the effect you can have on the environment. There are several ways reducing paper consumption helps the environment, including saving trees and using less gas. According to the PayItGreen AllianceTM, if one in five households were to switch to electronic payments, statements and bills, we could collectively save 1.8 million trees each year and avoid using 103 million gallons of gasoline to mail bills, statements, and payments. If you’d like to be part of that one in five, just sign up to “go paperless” in your account under my profile, paperless options.

The information you enter on the payment screen must be exactly the same as it appears on your credit card. This information collected will be used to authorize your payment.

After you submit your payment, you will see a payment confirmation screen. It will contain your payment confirmation message. It will show an approved number for credit cards or a processed number for electronic check. You will also receive a confirmation email after your transaction is submitted. The email will include your account number (unique id), invoice number/ bill number, amount paid, and confirmation message. If your electronic check does not pass through the bank, you will receive an email informing you of the rejected payment. You may need to call your town tax office in order to pay again.

Please scroll down on the page to view the matching items at the bottom.  Otherwise, try re-reading the instructions for the search criteria. You may be entering more than one search criteria for Real Estate or Personal Property bills, which may only require one out of two fields.  It must be entered exactly as indicated on printed bill.

You should click on “Forgotten Password?” at the bottom of the login screen. You will need your account/bill number and email address to retrieve your password. If you’re unable to locate this information, you may call the tax office at (860) 228-0230 and they can provide you with the information.

Option 1: Customer must click on “Complete paperless process” link within email to complete enrollment.  If they do not, the paperless option will not be active and will drop off system within a few days. 

Option 2: Customer can log into account and cancel paperless registration.

The Auto Pay procedure is no longer available.  

No, to complete the online payment process, you will need an email address so that the system can deliver your payment confirmation. If you do not have an email address, you can obtain a free email account from any of the following services: yahoo.com, hotmail.com, or gmail.com.

Yes, one time registration is required for each bill type to access the resident portal. You need to register for each of the bill types and accounts you wish to pay online. If you own two parcels you will need to register both parcels. If you own multiple vehicles, you will need to register each vehicle. Once the initial registration process has been completed for each of your accounts, viewing and paying future bills will be in place. However, if you register your accounts with the same email and password, you will get a list of accounts to choose from in your customer portal.

No, account numbers vary for the different tax types. For instance:

• Real Estate  2011-01-xxxxxxx

• Motor Vehicle  2011-03-xxxxxxx

• Personal Property  2011-02-xxxxxxx

No, we are only permitted to accept credit card payments online via Invoice Cloud.

Proper and acceptable forms of identification must: readily identify the applicant, have a signature, contain a photo or physical description, not be altered or changed. Examples: U.S. passport, drivers license, military ID, FAA pilot's license, Certificate of Naturalization.  Visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html for more information.

Scheduled payments are scheduled individually by you for each bill on your specified date.

It is convenient, saves time, reduces errors, allows you to receive bills anywhere at any time and helps the environment by saving trees. You can continue to receive a paper bill, but if you elect to go paperless, you can always print out a copy of the bill if needed.

Paying online with a credit card or electronic check saves time, gives you the flexibility to pay how and when desired, and saves money (no more stamps, paper checks or envelopes), and Invoice Cloud will store your information for future use – but only if you choose to store it.

There are no signup costs or subscription fees. The non refundable convenience fee when using an ACH transfer (electronic check) from your checking or savings account is $.95 per transaction. The non refundable convenience fee when using credit cards, debit cards and PayPal is a percentage-based or flat rate fee of 2.99% with a minimum of $3.95. The convenience fee is automatically calculated based upon the dollar amount of the bill being paid and is shown on the payment page before you submit your payment for processing. There are fees imposed by Invoice Cloud and by the Town of Columbia for returned payments, and your bank may charge you a fee based on the bank's fee schedule.

Windows: Safari 4, 5 - Chrome 10, 11 - Opera 10, 11 - Firefox 3.6, 4 - Internet Explorer 7, 8, 9

iPhone and iPad: Mobile Safari 4x

Apple/Mac: Firefox 3.6, 4.0 - Chrome 11 - Opera 10.x, 11 - Safari 4, 5

Ubuntu (Linux): Opera 9.6 - Firefox 3.6

As of June 13th, 2018, web browsers which do not support Transport Layer Security (TLS) versions 1.1 and 1.2 will no longer be able to connect to the Invoice Cloud platform. Unsupported browsers include Internet Explorer running on Windows XP, Server 2003, and Vista operating systems. For the older Windows versions, Google Chrome or Firefox may be used to alleviate possible connection issues.  

Call the Building Official's Department and schedule a final inspection.

You will need a passport photo, check payment (no credits cards), valid photo identification, evidence of citizenship and a completed application.  Additional documents may be required, such as marriage license, divorce decree, legal name change, etc.  Original documents with raised seal required (certified copies with raised seal can be obtained from the respective town's Clerk).  Please visit travel.state.gov for requirements.

You can pay by credit or debit card or you may issue an electronic check from your bank account (checking or savings). Please check the Town of Columbia's website to find out which credit and debit cards are eligible.

If you are paying directly in the Tax Office, the tax office accepts cash, personal checks, money orders or certified checks.  

If you are missing a tax bill please call the tax office at 860-228-0230. Failure to receive a tax bill does not void the tax and/or interest charges.

If you are registered, the only information you need to have available to complete a payment transaction is your email address and password. If you make a One Time Payment, then you will also need your bank account or credit card information and your account/bill number.

A partial payment occurs when only part of an bill is paid and may apply if your town has elected to allow partial payments. Please contact your town's tax office for more information.

A non refundable fee added to the bill to cover various administrative costs associated with billing and accepting payment.

The Auto-Pay procedure is no longer available.

Invoice Cloud is a web-based, electronic invoice presentment and payment company that we have partnered with to provide faster, more convenient billing services to our customers. By automating billing and collections, customers can click and pay online while helping the environment and reducing clutter in their home or workspace.

The current mill rate is 29.27 for FY 25-26 on the Grand List of 2024. One mill produces one dollar for each $1,000 of property assessment.

A passport book may be used for international travel by air, land and sea. A passport card is only valid when entering the U.SW. by land and sea from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. NOT valid for international air travel.

The Town of Columbia wanted to make paying bills easier for their customers, but didn’t have the electronic presentment and payment systems required to display, safely process and store financial information. Columbia chose Invoice Cloud because it is easy to use, and the security is the strongest available. All the data collected is double encrypted and stored on secure servers. The data is not sold or released for any purpose other than to complete transactions.

The real estate bill you pay on July 1st covers the time period of July 1st through December 31st. When you pay the January installment taxes are paid through June 30th.

Motor vehicle bills issued in July are for the time period of the previous October 1st through September 30th of this year.

Supplemental motor vehicle taxes are due January 1st and represents ownership from the time you registered with the DMV through September 30th.

1.    Motor Vehicle:

All motor vehicles registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Motor Vehicles purchased between October 1, 2024 and July 31, 2025, will receive a bill in January pro-rated to the time it was purchased.

If you no longer possess the motor vehicle being taxed please contact the Assessor’s office at 860-228-9555.  Do not ignore the bill. Even if your vehicle has been sold, salvaged, wrecked, or stolen and the plates have been turned into the DMV, if the paperwork does not go through to the Assessor's office it is still your responsibility to notify them. You may receive a credit, and you have limited time to act.  Please do this during the month of July. The last day to pay without penalty will remain August 1, 2025 on adjusted bills.

If you have moved to a different town in Connecticut, please make sure your motor vehicle registrations are changed at DMV to your current address in order to make sure that the correct town receives the information. 

Effective May 6, 2014 a $1.00 fee will be charged for each delinquent Motor Vehicle reported to DMV.

2.    Real Estate:

All real property listed on the current grand list.

If the bill you receive is for real estate which you no longer own, please return the tax bill to the Tax Collector as soon as possible.

If your mortgage lender requests and pays your real estate tax bill it will be sent to them. If you receive your real estate bill please forward the bill to them for payment.

If you qualify for a veteran’s exemption, please be sure the proper information is on file in the Town Clerk’s office.

3.    Personal Property:

Includes primary business equipment, commercial furniture and fixtures, and unregistered motor vehicles. Please contact the Assessor’s office at 860-228- 9555 with questions regarding your personal property bill.

Taxes are due July 1st and January 1st of each year. If your real estate or personal property bill is under $250.00 for the year, the entire amount is due July 1st. Motor Vehicle bills are due in one installment on July 1st.  Supplemental Motor Vehicle taxes are due January 1st.

You can make payment or review your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is always a good idea to pay or schedule a payment at least few days before the due date to allow for processing time.

Under “How would you like to pay” click on the drop-down box and choose EFT Check.

All property tax bills are due and payable on July 1, 2025.  Payments must be paid or postmarked on or before August 1, 2025 to avoid interest charges. Interest begins accruing from the due date of July 1, 2025. An interest rate of 1½% per month or a total of 18% per year is applied to unpaid balances. Example: if payment is made or postmarked August 2 and is made in the month of August use 3%. Minimum interest charges are $2.00 for each individual motor vehicle tax bill unpaid. Example: your bill includes 3 motor vehicles. Each vehicle tax will accrue an interest penalty separately, not on the total of the 3 bills. The January payment must be paid or postmarked on or before February 2, 2026 as the 1st falls on a weekend.

You can pay delinquent and current real estate, personal property tax, and motor vehicle bills.

People with evidence of U.S. citizenship may apply. Examples are: U.S. birth certificate (long form with seal and parents information), previous U.S. passport, Certificate of Naturalization, citizenship certificate, certificate of U.S. birth abroad.

By registering, you have access to all of your bills regardless of type and all of the features of the payment portal. These features include the ability to view all current bills, see previous bills and payment dates, update your profile information, access the online customer service system, go paperless (if bill type allows), schedule  payments for a specific dates, and sign up for Auto-Pay. You also avoid having to enter your payment information each time you pay a bill.

Yes, each bill is presented in PDF and HTML format. Electronic storage is recommended because it saves paper and has a beneficial impact on our environment.

Yes, you will have 24/7 access to your account for bill review and payment, payment history and customer service requests.

Yes, you will receive a confirmation email.