The Itat Quarterly
Fiscal Year 2026 - Q2 Edition
Welcome to The ITAT Quarterly!
The ITAT Quarterly newsletter is brought to you by the county treasurers of IowaTaxAndTags.org. It is designed to increase communications and provide treasurers with information on hot-topic issues that concern Iowa county treasurers.
As autumn’s colors fade and the first hints of winter settle over Iowa, we pause to reflect on another productive season. This fall marked our first property tax deadline using the new user account and scheduled payment features, and we’re pleased to share that the rollout was both smooth and successful.
Many users have shared positive feedback about the streamlined process and the added convenience for taxpayers. Thanks to your commitment and efforts in the creation of user accounts, residents experienced easier online access and greater flexibility in managing their payments. It’s rewarding to see these tools working as intended—simplifying the process for everyone involved.
As we turn toward the new year, we remain committed to building on this progress: enhancing efficiency, fostering innovation, and strengthening the spirit of collaboration that continues to define our community of county treasurers.
Thank you for taking the time to read the ITAT Quarterly!
County Treasurer Spotlight
Jennifer Anderson, Poweshiek County
Q&A with Poweshiek County Treasurer Jen Anderson
Q: How long have you been the treasurer of Poweshiek County?
A: I was appointed Treasurer on July 1, 2025, following the retirement of Sandy Ross.
Q: How did you get your start?
A: I worked in a law office for about 12 years prior to beginning in the Treasurer’s office on October 31st, 2022. The law office I worked for also processed Income Tax returns, and that was by far my favorite time of year! Numbers were my thing! When the opening popped up in the county, I jumped on it! Honestly, when Sandy announced her retirement, I didn’t think about taking over until a few months later, but then I thought to myself, why not?? I loved all my coworkers, and I knew they would support me, so I went for it!
Q: How many team members do you have in your office?
A: I currently have 4 working in the Motor Vehicle Department, 2 in our Driver’s License Department, and 2 in our Tax office, that includes me!
Q: What are some successes that you have had during your time as treasurer?
A: It’s only been a few months, but we are in the process of combining Motor Vehicle and Tax to make things run a little smoother and eliminate hiring to cut the budget a bit!
Q: What are some challenges you have faced, and how have you overcome those challenges?
A: Where should I start!?? The biggest was coming into this position at the beginning of a FY and having to learn a lot about the year-end process and compiling all the reports, and getting the Tax statements ready to be mailed in August!
Q: What solutions or accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: I would say keeping an amazing morale within the offices and just making things work so fluently!
Q: What are your future goals for your team and your office?
A: Just keep up the pace we have and continue to cross-train in every department.
Q: What is something about you that most people don’t know?
A: I am a lefty! My late father and I are the only 2 left-handed people on either side of our family!
Q: What is something unique to your county?
A: The first courthouse was erected in 1850 on the northeast corner of the square in Montezuma, and the term of court was in 1851. The present courthouse, a larger and better building, was built in the years 1856-1859. It is the second permanent courthouse built in the State of Iowa. In December 1933, work was done to raise the courthouse, and this was completed by August 1934. An addition was added to the courthouse from 1982-1983 and is still a fully functional courthouse.
Q: What are some of your hobbies?
A: I am an outdoorsman! I love to fish, ice fish, hunt, and of course GO HAWKS!!!
Q: Tell us about your family.
A: Fun fact… I have always lived in Poweshiek County! I grew up in the small town of Deep River, went to school there until it closed in 1992, and from there, I went on to graduate from Montezuma High School, a town 8 miles away . I live in rural Deep River, about 4 miles from the home I grew up in, with my better half, who is also our County Sheriff! I have 4 amazing kids; 2 girls and 2 boys and Matthew brought 2 great kids into my life, so in total we have got 6 kids that keep us incredibly busy!
Q: What was your favorite vacation?
A: We just took an amazing trip to Cancun in June of this year with our kids and my sister and her family!
Q: Any closing comments?
A: I have really truly enjoyed getting to know some of the other Treasurers and all the supporting staff in all the areas it takes to make me successful!!
Featured Enhancements
The ITAT Development Team is continuously making improvements to make Iowa Tax And Tags the best payment site possible. Some of the high-impact enhancements that the team is working on include:
-
ITAT Admin Site Redesign (Planning) - The ITAT Admin Site is due for an upgrade. The development team is reviewing the current site and determining additional features to add to the ITAT Admin Site as part of the redesign.
- E-Check Analysis (In-Progress) - An analysis of returned e-checks is being conducted. The purpose of the analysis is to find trends in mistakes users are making when entering their account information in order to better educate users on how to use e-Checks.
- New Point of Sale Rollout (In-Progress) - A new option for POS devices are available. ITAT is in the process of installing the new devices at those counties that have requested the upgrade.
Don Lewis, ITAT Project Manager
The Love/Hate relationship with e-Checks
An e-check works by electronically transferring funds between bank accounts through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network, a secure and proven system with over fifty years of success.
However, despite their efficiency and low cost, there’s one major downside—returned e-checks. Many of us have started our day with an email notification about returned payments, muttering an expletive or two. It’s frustrating, and the question naturally arises: how does someone enter the wrong bank account number twice? Unfortunately, the answer is not simple.
A recent Washington Post survey found that nearly half of Americans haven’t written a check in the past year, and only about 15% write more than one check per month. As physical checks fall out of everyday use, access to customers' routing and account numbers has become more difficult. To complicate matters, the account information displayed in many online banking profiles doesn’t always match the numbers found at the bottom of a physical check. It’s no surprise that more citizens are inadvertently entering incorrect account information when paying their taxes online.
So, what can be done to reverse this trend? Education is key. Helping citizens understand how to properly use e-checks is a critical step in reducing the number of returned payments each year. Some third-party validation services are available, although they come with additional costs and may not always be a perfect fit for our needs.
Main e-Check Validation Methods
- Micro-payments – Cost: approximately $1 per attempt. This method verifies accounts by sending two small deposits to the user’s account, which the customer must confirm. While accurate, the 1–3 business day processing time and multiple verification steps can frustrate customers, causing some to abandon the process altogether.
- Negative Account List – ACH processors maintain internal databases of account combinations previously returned as invalid, cannot locate, closed, or unauthorized. When a payment is attempted, the system checks for matches and declines known bad accounts. This prevents repeated use of invalid accounts but does not stop the initial failed attempt.
- Instant Account Validation – Cost: $1.00–$1.50 per validation. This real-time method confirms account details instantly, but only for participating banks. Although some services claim coverage of over 90% of U.S. accounts, this figure is skewed toward larger banks. Many small and mid-size Iowa banks and credit unions still lack compatibility, limiting its effectiveness for Iowa taxpayers.
ITAT’s Actions to Reduce Returned e-Checks
At ITAT, our focus is on providing low-cost solutions that keep fees affordable for citizens while improving the overall payment experience. We have taken several steps to address returned e-checks:
- Expanded information and guidance on the payment portal to help educate users.
- Implemented real-time routing number validation.
- Partnered with our ACH provider, WorldPay, to use their Negative Account List. In September alone, this feature prevented 129 bad account transactions.
- Developed a returned e-check reporting system that allows counties to:
- Send notification emails to affected customers.
- Enable easy online repayment via credit or debit card.
- Track and manage returned payments more efficiently.
- Created a dedicated webpage to explain common reasons for returned e-checks and answer frequently asked questions.
Looking Ahead
ITAT remains committed to collaborating with county treasurers and payment processors to minimize returned e-checks through stronger citizen education and smarter technology. As account validation tools continue to evolve and become more cost-effective, we’ll work closely with our partners to determine whether instant account validation is a suitable option for Iowa’s counties in the future.
| Event/Location | Date/Time |
| Delinquent Tax Notices Mailed | November 1, 2025 |
| Report Unclaimed Money to the State | November 1, 2025 |
| Daylight Savings Time Ends | November 2, 2025 |
| Election Day | November 4, 2025 |
| Veterans Day - Office Closed | November 11, 2025 |
| Subsequent Tax Payments Eligible for Tax Sale Certificate Holders | November 15, 2025 |
| Special Assessment Tax Replacement (Elderly) sent by the State | November 15, 2025 (approximate) |
| Homestead/DAV Credit sent by the State | November 15, 2025 (approximate) |
| Thanksgiving Day/Friday after Thanksgiving - Office Closed | November 27-28, 2025 |
| Remit Brucellosis & Tuberculosis (TB) Eradication Funds to the State (any remaining amounts) | December 15, 2025 |
| Christmas Eve Day - Some County Offices Closed | December 24, 2025 |
| Christmas Day - Office Closed | December 25, 2025 |
| Day After Christmas Day - ITAT Office Closed | December 26, 2025 |
| New Year's Day - Office Closed | January 1, 2026 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Office Closed | January 19, 2026 |
| 1099 Tax Forms Mailed | by February 2, 2026 |
Transitioning to the IowaTaxAndTags.org website is easier than you may think. Contact ITAT today to discuss the benefits of joining the IowaTaxAndTags.org website.
Email: Contact@IowaTaxAndTags.org
ITAT Team:
Dan Radkay, Sr. Applications Developer
Sarika Mandumula, Sr. Applications Developer
Aaron Nord, Applications Developer
Adam Draayer, ITAT Product Owner
Don Lewis, ITAT Project Manager
