How is my personal property assessed?
The Commissioner of the Revenue of Prince George County is required to determine the assessed value of automobiles and all trucks by the means of a recognized pricing guide. The pricing guide used by Prince George is the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Official Used Car Guide and the Official Older Used Car Guide. The value taken from these books is the average loan value as determined by this guide. If the vehicle is not listed in this guide, then a percentage of the original cost is used.
When must I file a tax return on the personal property I own?
A personal property tax return for motor vehicles and trailers located in Prince George on January 1 of the tax year or for those purchased or entering the County after January 1 of the tax year shall be filed with the Commissioner of the Revenue on or before February 5th of each year.
If there is no change in property, no form has to be filed, and you will be taxed on your property previously filed.
Taxpayers purchasing vehicles or locating to Prince George after January 1st of each year shall file a return within 30 days.
Where may I obtain the necessary forms for reporting personal property for assessment? And where do I file my return?
You should call or visit the Prince George Commissioner of the Revenue's Office to obtain personal property forms and to receive filing information. They may also be obtained online on the Commissioner of the Revenue's Individual Personal Property Tax page.
The forms should be sent to:
Commissioner of the Revenue
P.O. Box 155
Prince George, VA 23875
or brought in person to the Commissioner of the Revenue's Office in the:
Administration Building, 1st floor
6602 Courts Drive
Prince George, VA 23875
When is my personal property tax payment due?
The annual personal property bills in Prince George County are due June 5th. Supplemental personal property bills are mailed 30 days prior to the due date.
How is the tax rate established?
The Prince George County Board of Supervisors establishes a personal property tax rate by April of each year after public hearings.
What personal property is prorated?
The proration of personal property tax applies to motor vehicles, trailers and semitrailers only. This includes automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, motorized recreational vehicles (RV), trailers (including boat trailers) and semitrailers.
Mobile homes, boats and boat motors, business equipment and machinery and tools will not be prorated.
What does proration of personal property tax mean? What is my taxable date?
The personal property tax will be prorated based upon the number of months that the vehicle or trailer is owned by the taxpayer and legally located in Prince George County. Periods of ownership beginning the 1st through the 15th of a month are counted as a whole month when calculating the prorated tax. Periods of ownership beginning the 16th through the end of a month are not counted when calculating the prorated tax because the taxable date is the first day of the following month.
For example: If you move into Prince George or purchase a vehicle or trailer on January 15th of the tax year, your taxable date is January 1st, and you must pay the personal property tax for the month of January and all following months that you own the vehicle or trailer. If you move to Prince George or purchase a new vehicle on January 16th of the tax year, your taxable date is February 1st, and you must pay the personal property tax for February and all following months that you own the vehicle or trailer.
If you move out of Prince George or dispose of a vehicle or trailer on or before January 15th of the tax year, you will not pay any personal property tax on that vehicle or trailer for that year. If you move out of Prince George or dispose of a vehicle on January 16th, you must pay personal property tax on that vehicle or trailer for the one month of January.
Who has to pay the prorated personal property tax?
Anyone owning a motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer normally located in Prince George County must pay the prorated personal property tax.
If I move out of Prince George or sell my vehicle or trailer during the tax year, am I eligible for a refund of the personal property tax I paid?
Yes, in most situations. If you move out of Prince George or sell a motor vehicle or trailer, your personal property tax for that vehicle or trailer will be prorated and you will receive a credit or refund of taxes paid for that portion of the remaining year provided all other taxes and debts due the County are paid. You will be required to show the Prince George Commissioner of the Revenue proof that the vehicle is no longer legally located in Prince George.
Credits or refunds are NOT permitted to taxpayers who move from Prince George to a non-prorating locality in Virginia.
A temporary absence from the County will not make the vehicle owner eligible for a refund.
If I am a new resident of Virginia, living in Prince George, do I pay personal property tax to Prince George this year?
Yes. If you move to Prince George during the year from out of state, you must pay personal property tax for the months you are in Prince George.
If I am a new resident from a locality in Virginia that does not prorate, do I pay personal property tax in Prince George this year?
No. You will not pay personal property tax in Prince George for those vehicles or trailers which you owned and on which you paid tax in the non-prorating locality. A copy of the paid tax receipt may be required as proof.
If I move into Prince George from a non-prorating locality and then sell my vehicle and purchase a replacement vehicle, am I taxed on the replacement vehicle?
Yes, but the tax on the replacement vehicle is prorated by the number of months you own the vehicle.
If my vehicle or trailer is damaged during the tax year, will the tax be prorated?
No. The property's assessed value as of January 1 will be used as a basis for personal property tax, and the full amount of tax is due for the entire year unless the damaged vehicle is disposed of or removed from the County.