Motor Vehicle Assessments, Adjustments and Appeals

 

MOTOR VEHICLE TAX BILLS

Motor vehicle tax bills for the Regular Grand List will be mailed in June.  Motor vehicle tax bills will be due by August 1st.  Supplemental motor vehicle tax bills will be mailed in Late December.  If you have not received your motor vehicle tax bill from Manchester by late June, and you believe you should have received one, or if you have yet to pay your motor vehicle tax bill, please check Manchester's online tax bill system at this link:

https://www.mytaxbill.org/inet/bill/home.do?town=manchester

If your vehicle was sold, stolen, registered out-of-state, totaled in an accident, or otherwise disposed of, the Town of Manchester will need information about that vehicle from you.  The CT DMV, out-of-state DMV's, insurance agencies, dealerships, and other third parties do not provide that information to municipalities.  We have to rely on the taxpayer to provide it to us.  Since taxes are billed many months after the assessment date (The assessment date is October 1st each year, and the tax bills are not sent until the following June, or maybe even the following December), your tax obligations do not end the day you dispose of sell your vehicle.   The Town of Manchester has more information on the motor vehicle tax process and on the forms of documentation we can accept to adjust a motor vehicle tax bill in our brochure at this link:

REQUIRED PROOFS FOR ADJUSTMENTS OF MOTOR VEHICLE TAX BILLS BROCHURE(PDF, 185KB)

PRUEBAS REQUERIDAS PARA AJUSTES DE CUENTAS DE IMPUESTOS DE VEHÍRCULOS DE MOTOR

There is a statutory deadline for you to present the documentation needed to adjust a tax bill, as noted in the brochure at the above link.  We strongly recommend that you turn in all the necessary paperwork as soon as you dispose of your vehicle. 

ASSESSMENTS

• Motor vehicles are assessed at 70% of the depreciated value, which is determined by applying a standardized depreciation schedule to the Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP).
• Motor vehicles registered to Manchester as of October 1 of each year are taxed the following June. Vehicles registered between October 2 and July 31 are taxed on the "supplemental list" in January.
• Registered motor vehicles that are over 20 model years old may be eligible for a reduced assessment if you have a historic plate issued by the DMV. Otherwise they will follow the schedule listed above. 
  
  

APPEALS

• Motor vehicle assessments billed in June may be appealed at the September meeting of the Board of Assessment Appeals.
• Motor vehicle assessments billed on the "supplemental list" in January may be appealed at the March meeting of the Board of Assessment Appeals. Application must be made by February 20 for this session.
• APPEAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE HERE!

ADJUSTMENTS

• If your vehicle was sold, traded, donated, junked, totaled, stolen, or otherwise disposed of, or if you registered the vehicle out-of-state, you may be entitled to a prorated credit or refund of all or part of your tax bill.
• If the registration plates were transferred to a replacement vehicle, the credit will automatically be applied to the Supplemental Tax Bill for the replacement vehicle the following January.

• If the registration was NOT transferred, here are the two forms of documentation required in order to prorate the tax bill:

  • Cancelled plate receipt from Connecticut DMV (cancel online or check status here: CTDMV Online Services, it only takes a few minutes)

    AND one of the following:

  • Signed, dated bill of sale with complete information on both parties (completed back of title or bill of sale form, no handwritten notes)
  • Junk dealer receipt
  • Donation receipt
  • Dated registration from another state
  • Total loss letter from insurance company with year, make, model, VIN and date of loss
  • Other dated documentation such as a repossession statement or title transfer

  When you have BOTH documents ready to submit to the Assessment Office, you can email them to Assessor@manchesterct.gov