Department of Tax Administration

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Vehicle Tax Inquiry / Payment Account Help Screen



  • Taxpayer Name - The owner of the vehicle is the individual listed on the Fairfax County Personal Property registration form. In most cases, this will agree with the owner's name as shown on the records of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
  • Mailing Address - The most recent address information provided to the Department of Tax Administration.
  • Registration Fee Due - The local vehicle registration license fee shall be annually assessed on applicable vehicles at the time such vehicles are registered with the County, or the registration is renewed pursuant to Article 17.1 of the Fairfax County Code. Any such annual fee shall be billed and payment collected at the same time and subject to the same payment deadlines as for personal property taxes set out in Article 17.1 of the Fairfax County Code.
    1. Eighteen Dollars ($18) for motorcycles;
    2. Twenty-three Dollars ($23) for any taxicab or other vehicle which is kept for rent or hire operated by a chauffeur for the transportation of passengers, and which operates or should operate under permits issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles as required by law. An additional fee of $5 shall be charged if the weight of the vehicle is more than 4,000 pounds;
    3. Twenty-three Dollars ($23) for a bus used exclusively for transportation to and from church school, for the purpose of religious instruction, or church, for the purpose of divine worship. If the empty weight of the vehicle exceeds 4,000 pounds, the fee shall be $28;
    4. Thirty-three Dollars ($33) for all other vehicles with a weight of 4,000 pounds or less;
    5. Thirty-eight Dollars ($38) for all other vehicles with a weight of more than 4,000 pounds.
    This fee is currently displayed as "Registration Fee Due." There is no windshield decal to purchase or display.
  • DMV Hold Fee - State of Virginia Code § 46.2-752 J allows the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles to refuse to issue or renew any vehicle registration of any applicant who owes to such county, city or town any local vehicle license fees or delinquent tangible personal property tax. Before being issued any vehicle registration or renewal of such license or registration by the Commissioner, the applicant shall satisfy all such local vehicle license fees and delinquent taxes. The Commissioner shall charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of such enforcement action and the treasurer or director of finance may add the cost of this fee to the delinquent tax bill. This fee is currently set at $25.00 and is displayed as "DMV Hold Fee."
  • Collection Fee - State of Virginia Code § 58.1-3958 provides the governing body of any county, city or town may impose, upon each person chargeable with delinquent taxes or other delinquent charges, fees to cover the administrative cost and reasonable attorney's or collection agency's fees actually contracted for. The administrative cost shall be in addition to all penalties and interest, and shall not exceed $30.00 for taxes or other charges pursuant to § 58.1-3919 but prior to taking of any judgment with respect to such delinquent taxes or charges. This fee is currently set at $30.00 and is displayed as "Collection Fee."
  • DMV Customer Number - The DMV assigned customer number is displayed on your VA Driver's License or ID Card.
  • Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) - A unique number assigned to each vehicle by the manufacturer. VIN is displayed on your vehicle's state registration card.
  • Tax Year - The year on which the tax levy was charged. It is considered to be the first two digits of the property number.
    (i.e., 24999999999).
  • Property Number - A unique number assigned to each vehicle by Fairfax County. This number will be used each year the vehicle is taxed. The first two digits will change to indicate the tax year. (i.e., 24999999999).
  • Qualified for Car Tax Relief - State of Virginia Code § 58.1-3523 establishes a tax relief program for passenger cars, motorcycles, and pickup or panel trucks having a registered gross weight of less than 7,501 pounds. Effective January 2017, pickup or panel truck with a gross weight between 7,501 to 10,000 pounds and designated as personal use will qualify for the state Car Tax subsidy (PPTRA) as long as they are registered with DMV as a “pickup.” These vehicles must also be owned by an individual or leased by an individual under a contract requiring the individual to pay the personal property tax and be used 50% or less for business purposes. Motor homes, trailers and farm use vehicles do not qualify for tax relief.
      To determine if the vehicle does not qualify, you must answer YES to any of the following questions:
      1. Is more than 50% of the mileage for the year used as a business expense for Federal Income tax purposes OR reimbursed by the employer?
      2. Is more than 50% of the depreciation associated with the vehicle deducted as a business expense for Federal Income tax purposes?
      3. Is the cost of the vehicle expensed pursuant to Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Service Code?
      4. Is the vehicle leased by an individual and the leasing company pays the tax without reimbursement from the individual?
  • If you answered YES to any of the above questions, your vehicle does not qualify for The Personal Property Tax Relief Act. If your vehicle shows "Y" under the Qualified for Car Tax Relief column on the account information page, it means that you indicated it did qualify for tax relief at one time. This must be changed immediately by calling 703-222-8234 to make a correction. The State Code requires that to qualify a vehicle for the Car Tax Relief Program it must be used for personal use at least 50% of the time and not be claimed as an expense on Federal or State income taxes.
  • Months Billed - State of Virginia Code § 58.1-3516 allows jurisdictions to provide by ordinance for the levy and collection of personal property tax on motor vehicles, trailers, semi trailers and boats which have acquired a situs within such locality after the tax day for the balance of the tax year. Such tax shall be prorated on a monthly basis. Such ordinance may exclude boats or motor vehicles, trailers, and semi trailers with a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or more used to transport property for hire by a motor carrier engaged in interstate commerce, or both, from the property subject to proration of the personal property tax. For the purposes of proration, a period of more than one-half of a month shall be counted as a full month and a period of less than one-half of a month shall not be counted.

    Fairfax prorates the personal property tax bill for vehicles to recognize the number of months it has resided in Fairfax County. Each vehicle with a Virginia State Plate must be registered with a local jurisdiction and pay taxes in that jurisdiction. The months billed represents the number of months a vehicle has been in Fairfax County versus the number of months it was located in another Virginia jurisdiction. Vehicles with a Virginia plate must show 12 months of registration in a jurisdiction unless the vehicle was purchased or moved into Virginia during the year.
  • Amount Paid - The amount that you paid toward your personal property vehicle tax liability.
  • Past Due - Taxes are normally due on October 5th for the current year. If the vehicle was either purchased or moved into Fairfax County after July 1st the tax will be due on February 15th of the following year. Going forward, the tax will be due on October 5th. Tax bills may also be issued during any month of the year for special circumstances. The tax is always due to be paid on the due date indicated on the tax bill. At midnight of the following day, the tax will be past due. There is a 10% penalty plus interest for late personal property tax payments. This increases to a 25% penalty plus interest for payments more than 30 days past due.
  • Current Due - Tax that is not delinquent.
  • Amount Due - The total amount of tax, penalty, interest, Collection Fee and DMV Hold Fee that is due.
  • Partial Payments on Property Taxes - A partial payment will be accepted, however, your account will not be current until all taxes, Collection Fee and any DMV Hold Fee have been paid.
  • Full Payment on Property Taxes - All taxes, penalty, interest, Collection Fee and DMV Hold Fee have been paid.
  • How Payments are Applied - State of Virginia Code § Section 58.1-3913 states that payment of local levies received shall be credited first against the the most delinquent local account, the collection of which is not subject to a defense of an applicable statute of limitations. The payments will be applied to pay the Collection Fee, oldest tax year due applying the payment to interest, penalties, tax, and any DMV Hold Fee.
  • How Accounts are billed - Most accounts are either billed and due on October 5th or February 15th for the current tax year. Using the 2024 tax year as an example, the bill is normally due on October 5th. Vehicles purchased or moved into Fairfax County on or after July 1st of 2024 will be due on February 15th, 2025.
  • Posting of Payments - The information being displayed is based on the data entered in the Fairfax County Personal Property Tax systems as of the previous business day. If you contacted DTA and received an account adjustment, the adjustment will not be reflected in this system until the next business day.
  • Service Fee - NIC Virginia is our third party processor as required by certain credit card companies to allow processing fees to be passed along to the credit card holder. NIC Virginia offers this service at a 2.35% charge of the total amount being paid for tax, penalties, interest and/or fees.
  • Online Payments - Online Payments may not be posted for up to two business days. Time is required for a credit card company or bank to submit the actual payment record that will post to your account.
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