The Arlington treasurer’s office is seeking to curb a growing rate of tax delinquency with new tools and additional personnel.
The addition of QR codes on delinquency letters, in combination with the hiring of two new collection employees, leaves Chief Deputy Treasurer Kim Rucker optimistic about the possibility of lowering the delinquency rate despite challenging economic times.
The ability to scan a link to pay the full amount or set up a payment plan has already paid dividends, Rucker said.
“In the past, customers had to contact us, or wait for us to contact them, for a payment plan,” she said at Tuesday’s (Nov. 18) Board meeting. “With over 20,000 delinquent accounts, it simply wasn’t possible to reach everyone who may have benefited.”
Payment plans “are now more accessible for our taxpayers and have eliminated much of the administrative work for our staff,” added Rucker, the top deputy to Treasurer Carla de la Pava.
During a three-week stretch after the Oct. 5 deadline for real-estate and vehicle taxes passed, 550 residents set up payment plans, compared to 424 for all of the preceding year, she said.
The treasurer’s office reported a delinquency rate of 0.18% for real-estate and personal-property taxes in fiscal year 2025, up from 0.16% a year before and the highest rate since 0.22% in 2020.
Rucker said economic challenges facing county residents were in large part responsible for the increased rate
“In the first part of the [fiscal] year, we were keeping pace with the progress of previous years,” she said. “Our progress began to slow around Week 32, which was mid-March. That’s when we started to see the cumulative impacts of inflation, trade tariffs and DOGE layoffs.”
More than 80% of the delinquency total was related to vehicle taxes.
“Vehicle taxes are always much harder to collect,” Rucker said. “Cars are getting more expensive, increasing the tax burden.”
Real-estate delinquencies, by contrast, are “few and far between,” she added.
Those unable to pay their Arlington tax bills are able to take out a taxpayer-assistance loan, sponsored by John Marshall Bank in collaboration with the treasurer’s office. The short-term loans, which allow taxpayers to avoid penalties for late payments, carry a 10% origination fee but no interest.
A new tool coming in future months will allow vehicle owners to make monthly payments in advance rather than a lump sum annually for their car taxes. The option is already available for real estate taxes.
The treasurer’s office is also updating its collections software to automate more processes and improve efficiencies.
As part of the fiscal year 2026 budget, two new collections personnel have been hired. Each is expected to bring in more than $1 million in delinquent real-estate and personal-property taxes, in addition to further dollars in other categories.
In remarks, County Board member Matt de Ferranti said he wasn’t surprised to see an increase in tax delinquencies during 2025, owing to economic conditions and federal-government cutbacks.
“It’s just a challenge,” de Ferranti acknowledged said of current conditions.
