Frequently Asked Questions

Failure to pay your excise tax or parking tickets may result in your license and/or registration being flagged as NON-RENEW at the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The Massachusetts RMV coordinates with other states on this. To prevent further interest and fees, pay all outstanding items owed to the municipalities you owe — once paid, your flag status is cleared, normally handled electronically by PKS Associates.

A “Warrant to Collect” is not an arrest warrant. A yellow warrant represents your city or town's 3rd attempt to collect your outstanding excise tax — the fees and interest on the bill are state-mandated and may not be reduced or abated by the Deputy Collector. A green “FINAL WARRANT” notice is the last warning before your registration or license is flagged at the RMV.

No — do not mail cash under any circumstances. Pay by check or securely online; money orders are accepted in person only.

If mailing payment, it must be a bank-issued check — personal checks are not accepted for flagged accounts. Money orders are also accepted, but only in person.

No — never mail a payment to a walk-in location. It delays posting to your account and may result in additional fines and interest. Mail payments only to the Reading PO Box on the How to Pay page.

Refunds are issued only if directed by the city or town that originally issued the excise or parking bill. Payments are processed through a secure system with checks in place to prevent incorrect or fraudulent charges — if you believe you were charged in error, contact us. See our full Refund Policy.