The El Paso County Treasurer’s Office has been inundated with an unprecedented amount of residents prepaying their 2017 taxes after Congress adopted the tax overhaul last week.

Under the Republican-sponsored tax bill, the cap for itemized state and local tax deductions will be set at $10,000 starting Jan. 1. The limit applies to any combination of property, income and sales taxes.

The impending change in the tax code led to this week’s exodus to county treasurer’s offices across the country.

Although his office has not kept track of the exact number, Lowderman estimates that between 400 and 500 people have shown up each day this week, including a line waiting at the office door when staff members arrived Thursday morning.

To deal with the increase in traffic, the office has four to five clerks staffing payment windows. Usually at this time of year, only one clerk is necessary.

Lowderman is unsure whether prepaying will benefit taxpayers across the board, or if the benefits come case by case.

“There are some nuances to paying early that people probably should understand and talk to their accountants or financial planners about,” he said.

Those who usually prepay do not have a mortgage and thus pay their property taxes rather than having them paid for by the mortgage company. Lowderman suggested that those with a mortgage speak with their mortgage provider to avoid double payment.

Prepaying this early also locks in taxpayers into paying early every year. If they switch back to the regular payment schedule after prepaying this year, taxpayers will lose their entire deduction, Lowderman said.

Much of the frenzy stems from the fact that the tax overhaul bill was passed so quickly. Lowderman said he and others in the financial world have had little time to dig through the details and pass on confident recommendations to taxpayers.

“The bill came about so quickly that most treasurers are scrambling to accommodate people,” Lowderman said. “The financial community seems to be airing on the side of caution and recommending that people pay early.”

Mike Stout of Stout Appraisals was one of the people advised by his accountant to pay ahead this year.

“He sent me a letter that said, ‘Mike, it’s best you pay your property taxes early this year,’ and here I am,” he said.