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Property Tax Calculator

Tax

Estimate your annual US property tax by home value, assessment ratio, local tax rate, and exemptions. See your assessed value, monthly escrow amount, and effective rate on market value.

$50,000$3,000,000
10100
05
$0

Annual Property Tax

$4,400
Assessed Value
$400,000
Monthly Escrow (1/12)
$367
Effective Rate on Market Value
1.10%

This calculator computes your Annual Property Tax, Assessed Value, Monthly Escrow (1/12), Effective Rate on Market Value from the values you enter.

Inputs
Home Market ValueAssessment RatioProperty Tax Rate (on Assessed Value)Annual Exemptions (homestead, senior, etc.)
Outputs
Annual Property TaxAssessed ValueMonthly Escrow (1/12)Effective Rate on Market Value

What is a Property Tax?

A property tax calculator estimates your annual real estate tax based on your home's market value, the local assessment ratio, the property tax rate, and any applicable exemptions (homestead, senior, veteran). It shows the assessed value on which tax is computed, the annual tax bill after exemptions, the monthly escrow amount your lender will collect, and the effective tax rate as a percentage of market value — giving you all the figures needed to budget for homeownership costs.

Property taxes are the primary funding mechanism for local government services in the United States — schools, fire departments, police, roads, parks, and libraries are all heavily financed by real estate taxes. Because property taxes are levied locally, rates vary enormously not just by state but by county, city, school district, and special taxing district. Two neighboring homes on opposite sides of a county line can carry dramatically different tax bills.

The calculation has three components that often cause confusion:

Market value is the property's fair market price. Assessed value is the taxable value assigned by your county assessor — it may equal market value (100% assessment ratio) or be a fraction of it (e.g., 80%). Tax rate is applied to the assessed value, not the market value. When comparing tax rates across jurisdictions, always compare effective rates (tax ÷ market value) rather than nominal rates (tax ÷ assessed value), since assessment ratios differ.

The effective property tax rate — annual tax as a percentage of market value — is what actually matters for comparing tax burdens across locations. A 2% rate applied to 80% of market value (effective rate: 1.6%) costs more than a 1.5% rate applied to 100% (effective rate: 1.5%), even though the nominal rates alone suggest the opposite.

Pair this calculator with the Home Insurance Calculator and our Mortgage Calculator to build a complete monthly housing cost picture including all four PITI components.

How to use this Property Tax calculator

  1. Enter the Home Market Value — the current market value or purchase price of the property. For existing homeowners, use the current appraised value or a recent Zillow/Redfin estimate as a starting point.

  2. Enter the Assessment Ratio — the percentage of market value used as the taxable base. If your county assesses at 100% of market value, enter 100. If your state uses 80% assessment, enter 80. Check your county assessor's website or your most recent assessment notice for the applicable ratio. If you cannot find this information, try 100% as a starting point.

  3. Enter the Property Tax Rate — the rate applied to assessed value, expressed as a percentage. Find this on your annual property tax statement (listed as "tax rate," "levy rate," or in mills — divide mills by 10 to get percentage). County assessor websites and real estate listing sites often show effective tax rates by area.

  4. Enter Annual Exemptions — if you qualify for a homestead exemption, senior citizen exemption, veterans' exemption, or other reduction, enter the total annual dollar reduction here. This is expressed as a dollar amount, not a percentage. Check your county's exemption programs and apply by the deadline to receive this benefit.

  5. Read all four outputs — Annual Tax is your yearly bill; Assessed Value lets you verify the county's figure; Monthly Escrow is your budget figure; and Effective Rate lets you compare across markets.

Formula & Methodology

Assessed Value = Home Market Value × Assessment Ratio%

Gross Tax = Assessed Value × Property Tax Rate%

Annual Property Tax = max(0, Gross Tax − Annual Exemptions)

Monthly Escrow = Annual Property Tax ÷ 12

Effective Rate = Annual Property Tax ÷ Home Market Value × 100

Worked example:

- Home value: $450,000 | Assessment ratio: 100% | Tax rate: 1.2% | Homestead exemption: $25,000

Assessed value: $450,000 × 100% = $450,000

Gross tax: $450,000 × 1.2% = $5,400

Annual tax: $5,400 − $25,000 exemption... 

Wait: the exemption reduces the taxable assessed value, not the tax itself. Let me state it correctly:

Taxable assessed value = $450,000 − $25,000 = $425,000

Annual tax: $425,000 × 1.2% = $5,100

Monthly escrow: $5,100 ÷ 12 = $425.00/month

Effective rate: $5,100 ÷ $450,000 = 1.133%

Converting from mill rate: A 15-mill rate = 1.5% property tax rate. A 20-mill rate = 2.0%.

Assumptions: The exemption amount is modelled as a dollar reduction in taxable assessed value (the most common structure). Some jurisdictions structure exemptions as a direct reduction in the tax bill (e.g., a $500 tax credit) — in those cases, enter the equivalent assessed-value reduction (credit ÷ tax rate). Special assessments, bond levies, and Mello-Roos districts (California) may add amounts not captured by the primary tax rate — add those to the tax rate if applicable. The calculator does not model California Proposition 13 acquisition-value limits or other state-specific assessment caps automatically; model these by entering the Prop 13-limited assessed value rather than market value.

For a fuller definition, see our glossary entry on Property Tax.

Frequently Asked Questions

Property tax is an annual tax levied by local governments — typically counties, cities, school districts, and special districts — on the assessed value of real property. The calculation uses three figures: market value (what the property is worth), assessment ratio (the percentage of market value used as the taxable base), and mill rate or tax rate (the annual tax per dollar of assessed value). Most simply: Annual Tax = Assessed Value × Tax Rate, where Assessed Value = Market Value × Assessment Ratio. The result funds local services including schools, roads, emergency services, and parks.
Market value is the price a willing buyer and seller would agree on in an arm's-length transaction — what a home would sell for on the open market. Assessed value is the value your local assessor assigns for tax purposes. In some jurisdictions, assessed value equals market value (100% assessment ratio). In others, it is a fixed fraction — California Prop 13 limits assessed value to the 1978 purchase price plus 2% per year, which can be far below market value. Some states use different ratios for different property classes. Our calculator separates these inputs so you can model any assessment structure accurately.
A mill rate (or millage rate) is the amount of tax levied per $1,000 of assessed value — 'mill' comes from the Latin 'mille' meaning thousand. A mill rate of 15 means $15 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. Our calculator expresses the tax rate as a percentage for clarity: 15 mills = 1.5%. To convert a mill rate to a percentage, divide by 10. Many county and municipal tax statements express rates in mills; this conversion is the most common source of confusion when calculating property tax by hand.
A homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of a primary residence, lowering the property tax bill. For example, a $25,000 homestead exemption on a home with a $300,000 assessed value means property tax is calculated on only $275,000. Most states offer homestead exemptions for owner-occupied primary residences; additional exemptions exist for seniors (often 65+), veterans, disabled individuals, and surviving spouses. Enter the total annual dollar value of your exemptions in the 'Annual Exemptions' input to see the after-exemption tax amount. Check your county assessor's website for applicable exemptions and deadlines to apply.
The national average effective property tax rate — annual tax as a percentage of market value — is approximately 1.0–1.1%. However, there is enormous state-level variation: New Jersey averages 2.23%, Illinois 1.97%, and Connecticut 1.76% at the high end, while Hawaii (0.28%), Alabama (0.37%), and Colorado (0.49%) are among the lowest. Texas has no state income tax but compensates with a high property tax rate averaging 1.63%. The variation reflects how heavily different states rely on property taxes to fund local government, particularly public schools.
Assessment schedules vary by jurisdiction — most counties reassess annually or every three years, while some states reassess only upon sale (California's Prop 13 is the most extreme example). When a property is reassessed at a higher value, the tax bill increases proportionally unless the rate also changes. Many states limit annual assessment increases to protect long-term homeowners from being priced out by rapid appreciation — common caps range from 2–5% per year on assessed value growth. If you believe your assessed value is too high, you can appeal to the county assessor's office within the appeal window, typically 30–90 days after the assessment notice.
Mortgage lenders typically require property tax to be collected in escrow — one-twelfth of your annual tax bill is added to each monthly mortgage payment, and the lender pays the tax on your behalf when it is due. This means your total housing payment (PITI: principal, interest, taxes, insurance) exceeds the loan's P&I payment by the monthly escrow amounts for property tax and homeowners insurance. The 'Monthly Escrow' output in our calculator shows exactly what your lender adds to your payment for property tax. Use this alongside our [Home Insurance Calculator](/home-insurance-calculator/) to model total PITI accurately.
Yes — real estate taxes on your primary and secondary residences are deductible if you itemize on Schedule A. However, since 2018 the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act capped the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction at $10,000 per return ($5,000 if married filing separately). The SALT cap combines state income taxes (or sales taxes) plus property taxes — so high-income earners in high-tax states often find their combined state income tax and property tax far exceeds $10,000, making only a portion deductible. The SALT cap is scheduled to expire after 2025 without Congressional action, which may restore fuller deductibility.
Property tax is an ongoing annual tax on ownership of real estate, calculated on the assessed value. Transfer tax (or deed tax, stamp tax, or realty transfer fee) is a one-time tax assessed when property changes hands — typically calculated as a percentage of the purchase price, ranging from 0.01% in states like Mississippi to 2.2% in Washington DC. Transfer taxes are paid at closing by the buyer, seller, or split between them depending on state law. Some states also impose a mortgage recording tax when you take out a new loan. Our property tax calculator computes annual ownership taxes only, not one-time transfer taxes.
California's Proposition 13, passed in 1978, limits property tax to 1% of the purchase price (plus voter-approved local levies, typically adding 0.2–0.3%) and caps annual assessed value increases at 2% per year until the property is sold. This means a home purchased in 2010 for $400,000 has an assessed value (for tax purposes) of no more than $400,000 × (1.02)^15 ≈ $538,000 today, regardless of its current market value. When the property sells, it is reassessed to the new purchase price. The result is significant disparity in tax bills between long-term and recent owners — neighbors in identical homes can pay vastly different taxes.
Yes — if you believe your assessed value exceeds the market value of your property, you can file an appeal with your local board of assessment appeals, tax appeals tribunal, or equivalent body. Common grounds for appeal: the assessed value is higher than comparable recent sales of similar properties in your area; the assessor's data contains errors (wrong square footage, wrong number of bedrooms, wrong year built); or the home has defects that are not reflected in the assessment (foundation issues, deferred maintenance). You typically have 30–90 days from the assessment notice date to file. Many jurisdictions allow informal review before the formal appeal process.
Most states offer preferential tax treatment for owner-occupied primary residences — homestead exemptions, assessment caps, and reduced rates that are not available for investment properties, vacation homes, or commercial real estate. In some states, investment residential properties are assessed at a higher fraction of market value or face a higher tax rate. Florida, for example, offers a homestead exemption and a Save Our Homes assessment cap for primary residences, neither of which applies to investment properties in the same county. When estimating taxes for an investment property, do not include homestead exemptions and verify whether a higher assessment ratio or mill rate applies.
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property tax estimatorannual property taxreal estate tax calculatormill rate calculatorhome tax calculator