Tax Collection Information

There are three tax collectors/receivers that collect school taxes for Hyde Park Central School District.  Donna Kuklis only collects for properties located in the Towns of Clinton, Pleasant Valley and Rhinebeck within the school district.  Receivers of Taxes for the Towns of Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie collect school taxes for properties located within their towns.

For Hyde Park Central School District properties located in the Towns of Clinton, Pleasant Valley and Rhinebeck - Payment can be made online, by mail or in person.  See question #3 below.

For HPCSD properties located in the Town of Hyde Park - Click this link.

For HPCSD properties located in the Town of Poughkeepsie - Click this link.

Yes.  Please keep in mind that if the taxes were not paid during the tax collection period, it will not show as paid on the online school tax records even if it was later paid to the county or to the town when relevied.

For Properties in the Towns of Clinton, Pleasant Valley and Rhinebeck - Years 2019 to the present are available online at this link.  For years prior to 2019, contact Tax Collector, Donna Kuklis at (845) 229-4000 ext. 1160

For Properties in the Town of Hyde Park - Click this link.

For Properties in the Town of Poughkeepsie - Click this link.

• Pay ONLINE - Click here for the website.  Taxes can be paid online by credit card, debit card and electronic check (fees apply).  The taxes are considered paid on the date you submit them online (unless the payment is declined).  More directions on how to pay online are to the right on this page.

• Pay by MAIL - send your check and entire tax bill (if you want a stamped receipt returned to you) to:

     Hyde Park Central School District

     ATTN: Donna Kuklis, Tax Collector

     PO Box 2033

     Hyde Park, NY 12538

Regarding mailed payments: The taxes are considered paid on the date the envelope is postmarked by the United States Postal Service (USPS) or certain designated delivery services, including DHL, UPS and FedEx.  (Real Property Tax Law § 925)  Please keep this especially in mind if you are paying near the due date or the end of the tax collection period.  It is recommended to request that the post office hand stamp your envelope for added assurance.  For the postmark to be considered the paid date when received outside the due date or tax collection period, it must be legible and cannot be from a postage meter machine.  Checks issued via online bill pay through a financial institution (i.e., your bank) do NOT have a postmark on the envelope and typically do not contain enough information to identify which property is being paid.  Please avoid this method of payment.

 Before mailing in your payment:

1. Include a telephone number that you can be reached at in case the tax collector needs to get in touch with you.  If you do not, the tax collector must mail everything back to you if there is a problem, which can delay the tax payment and incur additional fees.

2. You will only receive a stamped receipt if you mail the entire tax bill along with the check.  The upper portion of the bill is what is used for a return receipt.  If you do not send the entire bill, then your canceled check is considered proof that you paid your tax bill.

3. Checks should be dated for the day they are mailed, since all checks are deposited when received.  If you postdate your check, it may bounce.  The date on the check is not the date the bill is considered paid.

4. Most errors on checks are made on the written amount line, which is also the amount the tax collector legally must go by.  Please be sure that the amount written is correct.

5. Did you sign your check?

6. Make sure you include the Receiver's Stub with your check, if not sending the entire bill.

7. You can write one check for multiple tax bills if owed to the same tax collector/receiver; make sure that the payment amount is calculated correctly and you include all Receiver's Stubs.

8. We cannot accept partial payments.

9. Make sure you are writing the check out for the amount that you owe.  The Total Taxes Due amount is if the taxes are being paid on time.  If the taxes are paid after the due date, then the amount due includes a 2% penalty.  Both amounts are listed in the Penalty Schedule along with the tax collection Pay By dates.

10. Do NOT staple or tape the check to the bill.

11. In this unfortunate time of increasing mail fraud, the safest way you can mail your tax payment is by bringing it to a post office and mailing it inside the post office.  Try to avoid placing it in your home mailbox or even a blue U.S. Post Office collection box where your payment can be stolen.  (If you bring your payment to the post office during office hours, take the extra step of having it stamped at the counter with a postmark which will "lock-in" the payment date.)

• Pay in PERSON - The taxes are considered paid on the date they are received by the tax collector.  Remember, if paying with cash, it must be exact; the tax collector does not have change.

     WITHOUT an appointment - All Tuesdays and Thursdays during the tax collection period from 4 PM to 6 PM

     WITH an appointment - Mondays through Fridays (except holidays) from 8 AM to 4 PM by calling (845) 229-4000 ext. 1160

Your portion of the approved and passed or contingent school budget is based on your property assessment determined by your town assessor and your town's tax rate (based on the equalization rate determined by New York State).  The District does not control any part of the assessment or equalization process.  Contact the assessor's office in the town your property is located and visit this page for more information on what to do if you think your assessment is too high.  "Grievance Day" typically falls on the fourth Tuesday in May, although towns have the option to shift to a different day.  Also, you can speak to the assessor about additional tax exemptions or credits that you may be eligible for.

Unfortunately, yes.  The failure to mail a bill statement or the failure of a property owner to receive a bill statement will not affect the validity of the taxes or the interest prescribed by law (New York State Real Property Tax Law § 922 [3]).  The law does not allow the collecting officer or the school district/municipality to waive the penalty for any reason. (Real Property Tax Law § 924 & Op St Comp 68-626)

New York State law sets the penalty schedule. (Real Property Tax Law § 924-a)

Contact the assessor in the town your property is located to inform them of any tax bill/receipt changes, including a change in your mailing address or name.  If it is close to or during the tax collection period, it is advisable to also contact your tax collector/receiver and the Dutchess County Real Property Tax Agency (845-486-2140 or realproperty@dutchessny.gov) to ensure the information has been relayed to them, although the town assessor is a good first point of contact.  In most cases, the mortgage lender informs all parties when the mortgage has been paid off and there is no longer an escrow account. 

• The school tax collection period begins in September and ends no earlier than the end of October.  The exact dates of the tax collection period typically change slightly from year to year in our district.
• School taxes are typically due in the middle of October in our district.  After the due date, a 2% late fee is added to the amount due. 
• If you have a mortgage escrow account through a financial institution, the institution will obtain the amount of your tax bill and pay it before the due date.  Once the taxes have been paid, you should receive a tax receipt in the mail from the tax collecting officer.  (Please keep in mind that your financial institution estimates the amount of your taxes and bills according to this estimate during the year.  Your actual tax bill might be more or less than your financial institution's estimate.)  
• If the taxes are not paid during the school tax collection period, the Dutchess County Real Property Tax Agency is notified.  The county typically accepts payment in the month of November for the current year and all unpaid previous years.  Please contact 845-486-2026 or TaxFinance@dutchessny.gov for delinquent tax information.  (Click here for their website.)
• If the taxes are not paid to the school or the county in the year they are due, they will be relevied to the Town/County tax bill with additional fees that are due early in the following year.  Contact your town tax collecting officer for more information.
• Taxes are calculated using the ASSESSED VALUE of your property, NOT the Full Market Value (FMV). This is the calculation:
  • ASSESSED VALUE divided by 1000 = ANSWER multiplied by TOWN TAX RATE per 1000 = SCHOOL TAX AMOUNT

Please see the School Tax Related Information webpage under the heading "Tax Notes" for more information about the current Town Tax Rates and the Equalization process.

1. Contact the assessor's office in the town your property is located.  (Click here to find your assessor.)  Ask if there are exemptions for which you may qualify, such as STAR, and/or about the assessed value of your property.  See question #4 above.

2. Contact the regional housing counseling agency funded by New York’s Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP). Information is available by clicking HERE.

3. See if you qualify for assistance programs and/or services, such as SNAP or HEAP.  This page lists assistance programs and services.

Keep in mind:

1. A taxpayer paying delinquent taxes must pay the MOST CURRENT tax first.
2. Properties with taxes remaining unpaid after twenty-one (21) months will go into In Rem foreclosure.

Schools are the foundation of communities. Real property taxes are used to educate the individuals that will ultimately become part of the workforce that ensures the successful functioning of our community. A community that offers a quality public education is more desirable to live in and could increase the value of real property.

Like all public services that are paid for with tax dollars, such as fire, library, parks, etc., all property owners help to pay for them whether we personally use them or not, in order to maintain these services for public usage and for our personal use when needed or desired.