What is Boston's property tax rate?

Boston sets a residential tax rate expressed per $1,000 of assessed value — about $10.74 per $1,000 in recent years, which works out to an effective rate near 0.53%. The tool lets you adjust the exact rate as the city updates it annually.

What is the residential exemption?

Boston grants owner-occupants a residential exemption that reduces the taxable assessed value by a fixed dollar amount (recently around $3,500 of tax savings, equal to roughly $300,000 of value at the current rate). The tool subtracts this before applying the rate.

Is assessed value the same as market value?

Not exactly. The city's assessed value is its own estimate for tax purposes and can differ from the price you would get on the open market. Always use the assessed value shown on your City of Boston tax bill for an accurate estimate.

Does this include the Community Preservation Act surcharge?

Boston adds a Community Preservation Act surcharge of about 1% of the net tax, after a $100,000-of-value exemption. The tool includes an optional CPA surcharge field so you can model this small additional levy.

How often does the rate change?

Boston sets new residential and commercial tax rates each fiscal year, typically announced in late autumn. Assessed values are also updated annually. Re-run the estimate with the current year's figures from your tax bill for the most accurate result.

Boston Property Tax Estimator

Boston property tax is set per $1,000 of assessed value, and owner-occupants get a meaningful residential exemption that many estimators ignore. This tool applies the city residential rate, subtracts the exemption, and adds the optional Community Preservation Act surcharge to estimate your annual bill.

How it works

The core calculation taxes the assessed value, less the residential exemption, at the rate per $1,000:

taxable_value = max(assessed_value - residential_exemption, 0)
base_tax      = taxable_value / 1000 * rate_per_1000

The Community Preservation Act surcharge, where it applies, is a small percentage of the net tax after a value exemption:

cpa_base = max(assessed_value - cpa_exemption, 0)
cpa      = (cpa_base / 1000 * rate_per_1000) * cpa_pct
total    = base_tax + cpa

At a rate of $10.74 per $1,000 — an effective rate near 0.53% — a $600,000 owner-occupied home, after a residential exemption worth roughly $300,000 of value, is taxed on about $300,000, giving a base tax near $3,222 a year.

Tips and notes

Always use the assessed value from your City of Boston tax bill, not a Zillow estimate or your purchase price. Confirm you actually qualify for the residential exemption — it applies only to your primary residence. Rates and exemption amounts change every fiscal year, so update the rate field with the current figure. This is an estimate; your official bill is the authority.