logo
logo
Sign in

Trying to find ways to lower your taxes?

avatar
Cutmytaxes oconnor
Trying to find ways to lower your taxes?

What Are Property Taxes?

Property taxes are a fee the local government charges owners of real estate. Unlike a mortgage, property taxes are never paid fully. The government wants more of your money every year, year after year. The more real estate you own, the more property taxes you pay. The higher the value of your home, the more property taxes you pay. Use the calculator to estimate your annual property taxes.

How Do I Calculate What I Owe In Property Taxes?

Calculating is complicated and varies within a state and even varies within a metropolitan area. Many states have different property tax rate calculations for commercial and residential. The assessment ratio for property taxes is the portion of the market value to which the tax rate is applied. In Colorado, the assessment ratio for houses is 8.5%. A home worth $200,000 in Colorado is assessed based on a value of $17,000 (=$200,000 x 0.085). The Colorado assessment ratio is 29% for commercial and 85% for oil and gas leaseholds. The assessment rates in Cook County Illinois (home to Chicago) vary from assessment rates in other parts of Illinois. Tax policy also varies in New York for New York City versus the balance of the state.


Calculating Property Taxes

Property taxes = Market Value of real estate x assessment ratio x tax rate.

The above simplifies the tax rate calculation by not including exemptions. Many states have an exemption for homesteads (primary residence owned and occupied). A more precise summary of property tax calculations is:

Property taxes = ((Market value of real estate x assessment rate) – exemption) x tax rate.


How Much Is Too Much?

Paying property taxes above the minimum required by law is too much. You can spend your money better than the government, right? (No one has ever answered this question no.) You have two primary tools to reduce property taxes:

  1. Homestead exemptions for your house, and
  2. Property tax appeals.

Property taxes are used to fund cities, counties, schools, and special districts. They are a large source of revenue for the local government. But you don’t have to pay more than your share. Research homestead exemptions in your area and appeal your property taxes regularly. You should appeal your property taxes each time they are reassessed, and between reassessments, if your taxes are too high based on market value or fairness (if you are paying more than your neighbors).


Start by checking your valuation.

Check the assessor’s estimate of the market value of your property. Then compare the assessor’s value to:

- Comparable sales to determine if the assessor’s value exceeds market value,

- The assessed value for similar properties to determine if your assessment is equitable.

To learn more, visit https://www.cutmytaxes.com/

collect
0
avatar
Cutmytaxes oconnor
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more