Here’s why you have less time to pay if your Horry vehicle tax is due in January

Your January vehicle tax bills are ready, just later than expected.

Nearly 32,000 Horry County residents took notice when their tax bills were not in their mailboxes at the beginning of the month, but as of Monday, they are in the mail and online.

Vehicle taxes come due for Horry County residents each year at the time they initially registered their vehicles. Those bills have been coming late for the thousands of residents who have a January anniversary date.

The problem was with the QS1 software the Horry County Auditor’s Office is required to use, according to Lois Eargle, Horry County’s auditor. This program has been used since 2016, and every year for the January bills it comes late.

“I did not want QS1 to start with, but Horry County being the county it is, we had very few options,” Eargle said.

To start, the DMV sends a list of cars to QS1 that needs to be taxed. Then the auditor gets the information once QS1 is done. This program helps with determining how much your vehicle will be taxed, depending on its worth. Without it, the county cannot accurately determine what the tax dollars would be.

For the past few years, the January bills were sent just a few days late, not two weeks late like this year. Eargle said other counties in South Carolina experienced delays.

While it may have something to do with the holidays and people being on vacation, Eargle thinks its mostly just the software not being able to quickly determine the value of the car in 2019. For most of the year, the bills are ready before the month even starts.

Eargle said Horry County Administrator Chris Eldridge and Assistant Administrator Justin Powell have been in contact with her office and are looking to help.

Residents can pay their tax bill by visiting the county website. Also, the treasure’s office has locations at the Horry courthouse on Second Avenue in Conway and in Little River. In addition, they can be paid over the phone or sent in by mail. More information on all payment methods can be found on the treasurer office’s website.

Despite the delayed billing process, January’s due date hasn’t changed, and those who don’t pay before the Jan. 31 due date will suffer a fine up to $75, according to Horry County’s website.

This fine is levied by the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, not the auditor’s office, Eargle said.

“I can tell you right now, there are people looking to do something else, another system,” Eargle said.

This story was originally published January 16, 2019 at 12:15 PM.