Billing & Payments

Town Clerk 

(508) 885-7500 Ext. 150

Office of Development & Inspectional Services

 (508) 885-7500 Ext. 180

Fire Department

(508) 885-3555 / (508) 885-7533

Police Department

 (508) 885-6333

      Payment Information

      Timely Payments:

      Payments must be received in the Collector's Office by the due date in order to be considered "on time". Postmarks are not accepted. This policy is in accord with the ruling of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue on what constitutes "timely payments".

      • Real Estate bills may be paid online through most of the collection year. After demands are mailed, payments will be accepted only in the Collector's Office. Please note that after the bill is due late fees will apply automatically and interest is taken first leaving the tax balance. You should call the office for the late fee and pay directly to the collector's office.
      • Personal Property bills may be paid online up until demands are mailed. All unpaid Personal Property taxes will be turned over to our Deputy Collector for collections. Unpaid Personal Property owners can be taken to Court for collection.
      • Motor Vehicle and Boat Excise can be paid online until demands are mailed. At that time they must be paid to the Collector before they are turned over to the Deputy Collector.

      Check Dates:

      When you make a payment with any type of check, the check must be dated no later than the date on which you are tendering payment. We cannot accept checks which are post-dated, that is are dated in the future. Please remember this when you make out your check. If you send a post-dated check, it will be returned to you, and we will ask you to change the date and to initial your change.

      Insufficient Funds Checks:

      Any check which is returned to this office and, for whatever reason, is not honored by the payer's bank, will be subject to the statutory penalty as outlined in Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 60, Section 57A. The penalty is 1% of the face value of the check with a minimum charge of $25.00. If your check is returned to us, we will not redeposit it. You will received a registered letter requesting good money within 14 days. After 14 days we will turn the letter over to the Police Department. You will be brought to court for a fraudulent check charge.


      Methods of Payment

      In-Person:

      To pay your bill in person, you must visit the Collector's Office in the Memorial Town Hall during regular office hours, which are 7:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Wednesday.

      By Mail:

      Tax bills (including real estate, personal property, water/sewer, and Vehicle excise) may be mailed to the office at 157 Main St, Spencer, MA 01562. Please include the remittance copy in order to ensure that your payment is properly credited.

      Cash:

      Please do not send cash by mail. If you wish to pay by cash, the safest way to do so is to pay at the office during normal business hours. Always bring the whole bill with you. We will stamp the taxpayers copy and return it with you. This will save time at the window.

      Checks:

      We will accept checks that are made payable to the "Town of Spencer". We do not accept checks made payable to a third party, even with an endorsement.

      Electronic Check:

      You should have your tax bill and your checkbook in front of you for reference before you begin the process. You will be guided through a series of steps so that your payment is deducted directly from your checking account and sent electronically to the Town's account. If you wish, you may request that an e-mail be sent to your computer to confirm that the payment has been received by the Collector.

      Bank Payment Systems:

      Some residents prefer to pay their municipal bills by using online systems offered by their bank. We do not recommend this type of payment because no bill is remitted with the payment. We will accept such payments, however, provided that we can immediately determine for whom and for what type of bill the payment is being remitted. If we cannot make such determination, we will mail your check back to you and ask that you return it with the appropriate bill form. In order to avoid having these types of checks returned to you, please make sure that it is clear what type of bill is being paid (tax, excise, utility etc); the bill number and year if payment is being made on a tax or excise bill (tax and excise bill numbers change every year, so you should verify the bill number each time you make a payment); and that your name and address are prominently displayed on either the check or the check stub.

      Online Payments:

      The Town of Spencer accepts online payments through UniBank Government Services Spencer's online payment partner. This online service gives customers who do business with the Town of Spencer a convenient, efficient, and user-friendly way to pay bills or purchase city services 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Bills and services may be paid by using checking account information or credit/debit cards (Note: payments to Jeffrey & Jeffrey must be made using a credit/debit card). Please be advised that all internet payments made by credit or debit cards are assessed a "service fee" by our online payment partner. The exact amount of the service fee charged will be disclosed prior to you completing the transaction. Transactions are internet secure using state-of-the-industry encryption technology. In addition, users may choose to receive confirmation of their transactions by email, verifying the approval and acceptance of the transaction. Be aware that it may take up to four days for the payment to clear your bank or account. If paying within 4 days of the bill's due date the payment should be made directly to the office in order to avoid a late charge or penalty