In the past few weeks, many West Virginia residents received two of their favorite annual reminders — a postcard-sized bill that shows the amount of tax owed on your home or any land you own, and a separate bill showing what is owed on your personal property — cars, trucks, car trailers, etc. As we reminded you repeatedly last fall, it’s important to understand how and when to pay that personal property tax bill on your vehicles so that you qualify for a full credit on your 2025 state income taxes, as provided through tax relief approved by lawmakers in 2023.

The tax relief provides a credit, starting in the 2024 tax year, to all state residents who pay their personal property taxes on schedule. That means you must have paid the first half of your tax bill no later than Oct. 1 of last year, and the second half by April 1 of this year.

If you pay the tax bill late, you don’t qualify.

Sounds simple, right? It is. There was a slight hitch last year for folks who paid their entire tax bill by Oct. 1, as initially they wouldn’t have qualified for part of the credit. But that’s been fixed, and now, as long as you have paid the entirety of your personal property tax bill by April 1, you’ll qualify for the credit on the taxes you’ll file in 2025.

But wait, there’s more. Not only can you get the second half of the tax you paid this year credited against your taxes, you also can take the full credit for next year’s taxes if you pay the entire bill by Oct. 1. Here’s how to pay, according to local assessors and county tax department officials:

• Pay your second half personal property taxes by April 1.

• Then pay your full tax bill for 2024-25 by Oct. 1.

If you follow that schedule, when you file your 2024 state income taxes in 2025, you’ll be eligible for a credit for all the personal property tax paid in 2024.

For example, if your bill is $1,000 annually, and you paid $500 by Oct. 1, the second $500 for this current year by April 1 and then the full $1,000 bill by Oct. 1 of this year, you would receive a credit of $1,500 on your 2024 state income taxes filed in 2025.

West Virginians should not leave money on the table — pay your personal property taxes according to the schedule to maximize your returns.