In the rush to prepare for Thanksgiving, don’t forget to visit the Hall County Tax Commissioner’s Office.

Property taxes are due Dec. 1, though the office will be closed Thursday through Saturday for the Thanksgiving holiday and a county furlough day.

Tax Commissioner Keith Echols said he expects crowds of procrastinating taxpayers to swarm the offices Monday and Dec. 1.

"People will wait," Echols said. "They’re going to hold on to their money until the last minute."

Echols said Dec. 1 is typically the busiest day for the three offices — the main office in the Administration Building in downtown Gainesville, the South Hall location in the College Square shopping center and the North Hall office at Quillian’s Corner.

Echols said his office sent 85,686 tax bills this year for a total of $126,087,836.38.

"We have only about 40 percent that’s paid (their bills)," Echols said.

People can pay property tax bills in person at the office, by mail or online with a credit card.

Credit card payments are subject to a 2.59 percent fee. The ePayments Center link is located hallcounty.org. Convenience fees are used to pay for the cost of the online service.

Bills sent by mail do not need to arrive by Dec. 1 but are considered on time, "as long as it’s postmarked Dec. 1," Echols said.

Bills paid Dec. 2 or after will be considered late.

A 1 percent interest rate will be charged per month after the Dec. 1 deadline until the bill is paid.

After 90 days, the state imposes a 10 percent interest charge.

Echols said people who think they may not be able to pay their tax bills in full by Dec. 1 should go ahead and submit as much as they can to reduce the amount of interest. "We’ll receive partial payments," Echols said.