By Teresa Adams:

Every year, business owners receive a Tangible Personal Property Schedule (TPPS) that must be completed and filed with their county Assessor’s Office. Personal property taxes are imposed on the business’s tangible personal property; which includes such items as: computers, office equipment, tools, furnishings, machinery, billboards, raw materials, supplies, and vehicles.

The Assessor’s Office calculates the tax based on the information previously disclosed to the assessor and reported on the TPPS form. These forms allow business owners to list any changes to their personal property. For example, new property that is acquired needs to be added to the form and old property that sold or retired should be removed. 

The Tangible Personal Property Schedule (TPPS) forms are mailed out at the beginning of each year and received by businesses around February 1^st. Business owners must complete the TPPS form on or before March 1^st and send them to the Assessor’s Office. If the deadline is missed, the Assessor will do a forced assessment on property owned by the business.

Important Things to Remember:

• Business owners should always keep records about property owned that is up-to-date and readily available to help with preparing these forms.
• After a business owner files the TPPS and later discovers a mistake on the form, they have until September 1^st of the following year to amend the schedule; however any business that has a force assessment is not allowed to amend the TPPS.

Any changes to personal property or business ownership should be reported immediately to the county’s Assessor’s Office.