Reducing Your Property Taxes

Appeal your property assessment: This is literally the approach that will - or will not - have the biggest impact on lowering your property taxes. It starts by contacting your local assessor's office and asking what you need to do to get a change in the assessed value of your property.

Research tax exemptions and credits: A number of local governments offer tax exemptions and / or tax credits. Again, you likely need to contact your local assessor to find out. Use the Search capability found on this site to search for the state / county and contact information.

Keep your property in good repair: A bit of a catch-22. Keeping your property in good shape means increasing the value of your property. This will likely not directly lower your property tax bill, but should make it easier to justify a higher selling price should you sell sometime in the future. If you receive more money for the sale, that helps offset the higher ongoing property tax you may have experienced.

Hire an expert: A savvy property tax consultant or attorney should be able to justify their cost by helping you negotiate a lower property tax bill.

Stay up to date: Tax rates can change each year. If your tax bill increases significantly - and especially if you have not increased the value of your property - check with the county assessor to see what you can do to reduce property taxes.

Know your home's value: Especially if your home's value decreases. You may very well have a good case for getting your taxes lowered. Again, contact your local assessor.

Check for errors: They happen. Check that the information on your property tax bill is accurate. If you find any errors, get it corrected.

Property Tax Reduction By State

  • Alabama

    Alabama

    Property tax is based on property classification, millage rates, and exemptions. Alabama taxes are calculated using your property’s assessed value. This is determined...

  • Alaska

    Alaska

    Alaska exempts from property taxes the first $150,000 of assessed value for all senior citizens (65 years of age and over) and...

  • Arizona

    Arizona

    Arizona law provides authority for the valuation and taxation of real and personal property to fund local government budgets, schools, community colleges,...

  • Arkansas

    Arkansas

    The State of Arkansas does not have a property tax. However, Arkansas cities and counties do collect property tax, which is the...

  • California

    California

    California's property taxes are limited to 1% of a property's assessed value and limited to a 2% increase per year. Typically...

  • Colorado

    Colorado

    Colorado's property taxes are primarily levied and collected at the local level, with the county assessor's office responsible for determining the...

  • Connecticut

    Connecticut

    Department of Revenue Service does not administer the property tax. The property tax is administered by each city and town in Connecticut. If...

  • Delaware

    Delaware

    Real property taxes in Delaware are imposed at the local level to fund municipal and county governments as well as school districts. There are...

  • Florida

    Florida

    Property appraisers establish the value of your property each year as of January 1. They review and apply exemptions, assessment limitations, and...

  • Georgia

    Georgia

    The county tax assessor's office is the best source of information for questions about filing an appeal of your property tax assessment,...

  • Hawaii

    Hawaii

    County government depends on property taxes to pay for an array of services, including police and fire protection, civil defense, parks and...

  • Idaho

    Idaho

    Property taxes are used to pay for schools, cities, counties, local law enforcement, fire protection, highways, libraries, and more. The state oversees...

  • Illinois

    Illinois

    The Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) is a quasi-judicial body in Illinois that hears appeals from taxpayers and taxing bodies who are...

  • Indiana

    Indiana

    Property taxes are a primary source of funding for local government units such as counties, cities, and townships. They are used to...

  • Iowa

    Iowa

    In Iowa, property taxes are collected by the county where the property is located. The amount of property tax owed is determined...

  • Kansas

    Kansas

    In Kansas, property taxes are assessed and collected by local governments, such as counties and cities. The amount of property tax you...

  • Kentucky

    Kentucky

    Kentucky property taxes are assessed and collected on the local level by county property valuation administrators. The amount of property tax you...

  • Louisiana

    Louisiana

    To determine the property value, an assessor will need to know the selling price of similar properties, the cost to replace it...

  • Maine

    Maine

    Maine's property taxes are imposed and collected at the local level by municipalities. The amount of property tax you will pay is...

  • Maryland

    Maryland

    The Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation administers and enforces the property assessment and property tax laws of Maryland. Maryland's 23 counties,...

  • Massachusetts

    Massachusetts

    For many cities and towns, property taxes are the largest funding source for teachers, police, firefighters, public works like trash pick-up, and...

  • Michigan

    Michigan

    In Michigan, property taxes are levied by local governments, such as counties, cities, and school districts. The amount of property tax you...

  • Minnesota

    Minnesota

    Property owners in Minnesota generally pay a property tax based on the property value. Property taxes help fund state and community services....

  • Mississippi

    Mississippi

    Property tax revenues are a vital component of the budgets of Mississippi's local governments. Property tax revenues allow these governments to provide...

  • Missouri

    Missouri

    The amount of property tax you will pay is based on the value of your property, as determined by the local assessor's...

  • Montana

    Montana

    The Property Assessment Division appraises and values properties and administers certain property taxes in Montana. The property values appraised by the department...

  • Nebraska

    Nebraska

    The county assessor is responsible for valuing all real and personal property with the exception of railroads, public service entities, and specific...

  • Nevada

    Nevada

    In Nevada, property taxes are imposed on real property (land and buildings) by county governments. The amount of property tax owed is...

  • New Hampshire

    New Hampshire

    In New Hampshire, property taxes are collected at the local level by the town or city in which the property is located....

  • New Jersey

    New Jersey

    As a local tax, this levy is, generally, locally assessed and collected for the support of municipal and county governments and local...

  • New Mexico

    New Mexico

    The Property Tax Division helps local governments in the administration and collection of ad valorem taxes in the State of New Mexico. Property...

  • New York

    New York

    In New York State, the property tax is a local tax, raised and spent locally to finance local governments and public schools....

  • North Carolina

    North Carolina

    The property tax in North Carolina is a locally assessed tax, collected by the counties. The North Carolina Department of Revenue does...

  • North Dakota

    North Dakota

    Locally assessed property is real property that is owned by an individual or a business. All real property, unless specifically exempt, is...

  • Ohio

    Ohio

    The real property tax is Ohio’s oldest tax. It has been an ad valorem tax – meaning, based on value – since...

  • Oklahoma

    Oklahoma

    Property taxes are based on the value of the property. Property taxes are local taxes. Property taxes provides more tax...

  • Oregon

    Oregon

    The Oregon Constitution limits the rate of growth of property value subject to taxation. The limit is based on a property's maximum...

  • Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania's property taxes are levied by local governments, such as counties, municipalities, and school districts. The amount of property tax that a...

  • Rhode Island

    Rhode Island

    Property taxes are imposed on real and personal property by cities and towns. The rate of property tax is set by each...

  • South Carolina

    South Carolina

    Property tax is administered and collected by local governments, with assistance from the South Carolina Department of Revenue. Real and personal property...

  • South Dakota

    South Dakota

    The Property Tax Division is responsible for overseeing South Dakota's property tax system, including property tax assessments, property tax levies and all...

  • Tennessee

    Tennessee

    The Department of Revenue does not collect property tax. County assessors of property appraise real estate for assessment purposes and assess...

  • Texas

    Texas

    Texas property taxes are levied and collected on a local level by the various counties and other local entities. The state of...

  • Utah

    Utah

    Residential property tax in Utah is administered by the 29 county governments. The counties’ role begins with the surveying and/or recording of...

  • Vermont

    Vermont

    A property tax is a levy on property that the owner is required to pay, with rates set as a percentage of...

  • Virginia

    Virginia

    Personal property taxes and real estate taxes are local taxes, which means they're administered by cities, counties, and towns in Virginia. Tax...

  • Washington

    Washington

    Property tax levy limitations restrict or limit increases to property tax rates. Washington State’s Constitution limits the regular (non-voted) combined property tax rate...

  • West Virginia

    West Virginia

    All real and tangible personal property, with limited exceptions, is subject to property tax. Owners of property, except for owners of public service...

  • Wisconsin

    Wisconsin

    An assessment is the value an assessor places on your property. This value determines what portion of the local property tax levy...

  • Wyoming

    Wyoming

    The assessment of residential properties are performed by the local County Assessor’s offices. The Property Tax Division directs this process through assisting,...


Calculate Your Property Tax

To calculate your property tax here is what you need...

  1. The assessed value of your property: This may or may not be the same as your property's market value, i.e. - the price you would expect to sell or buy your property. Usually each county's website (use the Search capability on this site) gives you the ability to look up the assessed property value based on address or parcel id.
  2. The tax rate: You will typically find the tax rate on the local county assessor website. Often this is referred to as a levy rate. No guarantee that it will be easy to find. As an example, you can find the rate for Ada county Idaho at https://adacounty.id.gov/treasurer/calculation-of-property-taxes/. Added up the individual levy rates for county (0.002953537), school (0.004658860), city (0.007116767), and Special Dist. (highway, EMS, cemetery, etc.) (0.001251735) gives a total tax rate of ~1.60% - or more exactly 1.5980899%. ada county idaho tax rate
  3. Any exemptions or deductions: Some properties may be eligible for exemptions or deductions that reduce the amount of tax that is owed. Guess who you can contact about that? You can find that appropriate contact by using the Search capability of this site looking for the county of interest and getting the county assessor's website. From there it is a click of a link to get the contact information.

To calculate the property tax, you will need to multiply the assessed value of your property by the tax rate, and then subtract any exemptions or deductions.

As an example, if the assessed value of your property is $600,000 and the tax rate is 1.1%, the property tax would be $6,600 ($600,000 x 1.1%). If you are eligible for a $1500 exemption, the property tax would be $5,100 ($6,600 - $1,500).

Your Property Tax

Lower Property Tax Benefits

There are several reasons why property taxes may be lowered.

  • Make housing more affordable: It becomes more difficult to afford a home if taxes are higher. Lowering property taxes can make it easier for people to afford to buy real estate, which can help to increase home ownership rates and promote stability in the local housing market.
  • Stimulate economic growth: Lower taxes are attractive to businesses and can help incentivize locating in a particular area. With more business typically comes more employment opportunities.
  • Encourage property maintenance: High taxes on property can discourage homeowners from making improvements to their homes or maintaining their properties, as they may not be able to afford the additional tax burden. Lowering property taxes can encourage homeowners to invest in their properties and maintain them properly, which can help to improve the overall appearance and value of a community.

Reasons Not To Lower Property Taxes

Local governments typical rely heavily on property taxes to pay for roads, police departments, fire and emergency medical services, schools as well as other services.

  • Reduced government revenue: Depending on your perspective, this may or may not be a bad thing. Local governments rely on property taxes to fund a number of services.
  • Decreased incentives for property improvements: There is less incentive to make property improvements if that results in higher property taxes. With that said, there are counties and municipalities that have laws in place to limit the amount that taxes are allowed to rise on housing.