How to pay your taxes online discussion

Jon wrote:
On this page, the two mandatory fields to fill-in are the property type (select RUSTICO), and the folio number for the property.  The folio number is a registration number identifying the property & its taxation data, kind of like a parcel # in US property tax statements.  You'll find the folio number on past tax payment receipts.  The clave catastral number also identifies the property, but it is a number defining a specific location on a land map, like the legal description here in U.S.:  e.g., book of plats  #7, lot 3, block 2, Trailer-Trash subdivision #1.

You need only enter your folio number and then select Rustico property type, select the blue "BUSCAR" button (search), and it figures out the clave # for your lot.  But for some reason, if you only input the Clave# (without both the folio & RUSTICO), it won't work...it can't figure out the exact property nor the proper tax data to present.  So, you need to enter at least folio# and RUSTICO property type, and you can add the full clave# if you like, but it's not necessary (in fact, after you enter the folio# and Rustico, you can put anything you want in the clave fields, and it ignores it and still figures out the proper Clave & tax data for your lot.

So, once the proper lot ID data is entered, you select "Buscar" (search), and then a line is added to the screen saying "Periodo de Pago" (payment period) and below that (you have to scroll down to see it) a spreadsheet detailing the property tax that is due for the entire year, along with a button at the bottom (PAGAR) to initiate payment.  Now, despite our annual property taxes being only $10-20, they allow you to split this payment up, if you want, into 6 bi-monthly payments. So notice the Periodo de Pago line has an "INICIAL" date (starting date for the tax year) and a FINAL.  The default FINAL field says 6 (which calculates the tax due for the entire 12 months, shown in the spreadsheet below).  That FINAL field, though, accepts values between 1 and 6.  If you select a value other than 6, and click BUSCAR again, it recalculates the tax amount due based on the number of bi-monthly periods you chose to pay.  The spreadsheet will show the amount due for the number of periods you choose, and any remaining balance due to be paid later.  But for us, we'll all no doubt just leave the FINAL field at its default of 6, so the spreadsheet that appears down lower will show the amount due for the entire year....along with a button at bottom labeled PAGAR (PAY).

You select PAGAR and a page appears presenting the total amount due, along with fields for entering your email address (for sending the receipt) and phone #.  Just enter your US phone #, and click CONTINUAR (continue).  It walks you through paying by credit card (choices are with either a Bancomer card using $$ or "points", or any other VISA/MasterCard).  I used my credit card from a US bank.  After entering all the card info and triggering the payment, a quick screen flashed w/ barely enough time to read it saying the charge was denied by my card's bank.  So I instantly went to my email and found an automated message from my bank asking if that attempted transaction was legitimate.  In the bank email I hit the response button indicating that charge was valid, and then got a reply saying "great, go ahead and make the charge again and this time it should succeed".  So I tried it again and it worked!   Then, after the payment was successful, the property tax web page produced a confirmation page listing details of the transaction & payment, and attached at the end of that line of confirmation data was a small .pdf icon which, if you click-it, opens an image of a formal receipt statement from the municipal government.  Also, very shortly after the payment is successful, my email received an automated message from their system....a confirmation having an attachment which was the same formal .pdf receipt for the payment.

So that's how to do it in 89 easy steps...