How to Pay Your Tax
Choose how you would like to deliver your payment. Payment must be the exact amount due when it is RECEIVED** — not when it is SENT — read your bill and the instructions below carefully to ensure accuarate and timely payment and minimize the possibility of rejection.
**For the purposes of tax payments, "received" is either the date the Tax Collector has your payment physically in their hands OR the date of an official postmark on an envelope delivered by the USPS containing your payment, whichever is earlier.
Paying by check or money order
- Due to the high error and missing checks sent via Online Bank Bill Pay, we ask that you discontinue using this service to pay your real estate tax and instead send payment via regular mail, place in our drop box, or deliver in-person during posted sitting hours. Unfortunately, almost all bank bill pay checks are sent in bulk in a single envelope which contains checks from several banks issued by a central processing vendor. As a result, even if you fill out your bank bill pay correctly, another individual may have addressed their check in a way which prevents our office from being able to open it which appears in the window of the envelope, and all checks inside must then be returned to the processor. Also, bulk mailed envelopes do not receive a postmark, which has led to many payments being returned due to missed deadlines. Not only does this create delays in receiving your payment which may cause you to miss the Discount, Flat, or Penalty deadlines, but it also creates a significant burden for our office which slows down payment processing for all taxpayers.
- Checks and money orders MUST be made payable to UMT Tax Collector.
- To ensure your payment is applied to your bill correctly and timely, include at least one of the payment coupons from the bill with your payment. If you do not have the bill you may send a written request by email, fax, or mail/courier for production of a Duplicate Bill, for which there is a fee of $5.00 per unique bill (combination of Tax Type + Tax Year). Please provide as much identifying information as possible on the property when requesting a duplicate bill.
- If you would like a stamped and signed receipt, provide the second payment coupon and a self-addressed envelope bearing appropriate postage or shipping label for the return of the second coupon to you after stamping. If a digital receipt is sufficient, place a note with your email address or fax number inside your payment envleope.
- Checks must be written legibly and for the exact amount due when received**; the written amount must also match the numeric value, and the only acceptable currency is US dollars.
- Checks & money orders must bear an authorized signature and cannot be stale-dated (older than 60 days) or post-dated.
- Separate checks must be written for each tax type and/or service fees (Municipal Tax, School/Library Tax, Certification Fee, Duplicate Bill Fee, etc.). A single check can be used to pay multiple bills for the same tax type or multiple service fees, so long as the payment coupons and/or a detailed breakdown of how payment is to be applied is provided. If you do not have a payment coupon from your bill, you may request a Duplicate Bill in writing and pay the $5.00 Duplicate Bill fee (per unique bill). Alternatively, you may include sufficient details to identify the bill being paid (parcel number, bill number, property location, owner name, etc.) along with the required Duplicate Bill fee on a separate check. Any payment received which combines taxes and fees or combines Municipal with School/Library tax will be returned as defective.
- From December 15 to December 31, only certified funds or cash are accepted (NO PERSONAL CHECKS); all other payments will be returned as defective.
- Checks and money orders returned by your financial institution will void payment of the bill and incur a Returned Payment Fee. Replacement payments will need to be made with certified funds or cash, and a separate payment in certified funds or cash of the Returned Payment Fee will need to paid before or at the same time replacement payment is received.
- For most real estate tax bills issued by this office, the legal authority to process payment ends on December 31st. Any payment received after that date which does not bear an official USPS postmark of December 31st or earlier will be returned as defective, as the authority to collect payment then lies with the Delinquent Tax Collectors appointed by the administrations of Upper Macungie Township and Parkland School District.
However, if a bill has not completed the mandated 2 months of Discount and 2 months of Flat payment periods on or before December 31st, that bill will be carried over into the next year and only marked as delinquent if unpaid by December 31st of that subsequent year.
Paying by cash
- Only acceptable when made directly to the Tax Collector or authorized Deputy in-person during posted sitting hours.
- This office assumes no liability for cash sent by mail/courier or placed in the drop box.
- The only currency accepted is US dollars.
- Please bring exact change; if we are unable to make change for you, we will round DOWN to the next coin we have on-hand.
- We check for counterfeit currency and mark paper money with the tax bill number — if the bank identifies a counterfeit bill from your payment which we missed, the entire payment will be voided and we will notify you of next steps to be taken.
- Please use large bills whenever possible to ensure quick counting and receipting of your payment so as not to inconvenience others waiting in our lobby to pay.
Paying by card
Card payment is not yet an option but we may be able to offer this convenience when the online payment portal goes live, hopefully by the end of August 2026. Continue to check this page for updates.
Payment Delivery Methods
Attention: Tax Payment
1275 Glenlivet Drive
Suite 100-126
Allentown, PA 18106-3107
If you would like a digital receipt of payment, please include a note with your email address in the payment envelope. If you would like a physical receipt with wet-ink signature and stamp, send both payment coupons from your bill — one for my records and one to be stamped as your receipt — and include a self-addressed envelope with the necessary postage or shipping label for return to you.
Due to the changes implemented by Postmaster General David Steiner in December of 2025, postmarks may not be applied to your envelope for a week or longer after you placed the envelope in a mailbox or letter slot. It is also common for us to receive envelopes with illegible postmarks or none at all. If you are mailing payment less than 2 weeks from the billing period deadline, we highly recommend paying in-person, by drop box, or visiting your local post office and requesting a manual postmark be stamped on your envelope (free service).
- View the sitting hours calendar to plan your visit; if the posted hours do not fit your schedule, please reach out by phone or email and request an appointment and we will do our best to accommodate you.
- On the day you plan to visit, call the automated answering system at (610) 871-0061 and select option 8 to confirm our availability, as sitting hours are subject to change due to unforeseeable circumstances.
- If you would like a receipt of payment, please bring both payment coupons from your bill — one for my records and one to be stamped as your receipt.
- The drop box is located inside the first set of doors at the entrance to 1275 Glenlivet Drive, Allentown, PA 18106.
- Please place your payment in an envelope and avoid using staples or paper clips.
- The box is emptied almost every day, but payment is not considered made until the Tax Collector has your payment in hand; if you are making payment on the day the billing period expires, call or email and we will make every effort to make certain it is collected that day.
- If you would like a receipt of payment, please send both payment coupons from your bill — one for my records and one to be stamped as your receipt — and include a self-addressed envelope with the necessary postage or shipping label for return of your receipt. If you do not wish to send an extra envelope, you may also request a receipt returned by email or fax by including a note with your contact information in your envelope.
Billing periods
Every bill issued by this office has 3 payment periods which determine the amount you must pay based on when payment is RECEIVED** — not when it was SENT.** For the purposes of tax payments, "received" is the date a payment is physically in the Tax Collector's hands OR the date of a postmark stamped on the sealed envelope delivered by USPS containing your payment, whichever is earlier.