Property Tax Predictor
Estimate your future property taxes before you buy. Enter any US address and a purchase price — get an instant tax estimate based on real county assessment ratios, millage rates, and local taxing authority breakdowns.
Why Predict Property Taxes Before Buying?
Property taxes are often the largest recurring cost of owning real estate — sometimes larger than insurance, maintenance, and utilities combined. Knowing the tax bill before you close protects you from surprises and makes your investment math accurate.
The problem with using the seller's tax bill
When you buy a property, the county reassesses it at or near your purchase price. If the seller bought years ago at a lower price, their tax bill will be much lower than yours. This tool calculates what your taxes will be based on your purchase price and the county's current assessment ratio and tax rates.
Who Is This For?
Homebuyers
See what your property taxes will actually be at your purchase price — not what the current owner pays. Critical for budgeting your monthly housing cost and understanding the true cost of ownership.
Real Estate Investors
Property taxes directly impact cash flow and cap rate. Get an accurate tax number to plug into your underwriting instead of guessing. Works with the Cash Flow Analyzer for a complete deal analysis.
People Comparing Locations
Thinking about moving to a different county or state? Compare how much you'd pay in property taxes at the same price point across different locations. Tax rates vary dramatically — even between neighboring counties.
How It Works
Type a property address into the terminal-style interface. The tool geocodes your address, identifies the county, looks up local tax data, and calculates your estimated bill.
Enter Address
Type any US property address. Google Maps verifies the location and identifies the county.
Enter Price
Enter the purchase price (or expected sale price). This is what the county will use to assess your property.
Select Jurisdiction
If multiple taxing jurisdictions exist in that county, pick the one that covers your property's location.
Get Results
See your estimated annual and monthly tax, broken down by each taxing authority (county, city, school, etc.).
How Property Taxes Are Calculated
Property taxes in the US follow a straightforward formula, but the inputs vary by county. Our database stores the assessment ratio and millage rates for each jurisdiction so you don't have to look them up yourself.
The Formula
Annual Tax = Assessed Value × Millage Rate ÷ 1,000
Assessment Ratio is the percentage of market value that your county uses for tax purposes. It ranges from 4% (South Carolina) to 100% (some states assess at full market value). This is why the same $300,000 home can have vastly different tax bills depending on where it is.
Millage Rate is the tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value. A millage rate of 25 means $25 in tax for every $1,000 of assessed value. Your total millage is the sum of all taxing authorities — county government, school district, city, fire district, library, and others.
Example
Assessment Ratio: 85%
Assessed Value: $350,000 × 0.85 = $297,500
Total Millage: 22.5 mills
Annual Tax: $297,500 × 22.5 ÷ 1,000 = $6,694
Monthly: $558
Why Property Taxes Are So Hard to Estimate
Property tax prediction sounds simple — multiply a value by a rate. In practice, getting an accurate number requires navigating a patchwork of county-level rules that most online tools don't account for.
- 01 Assessment ratios vary wildly. Some states assess at 100% of market value, others at 4%. A $300,000 home can have an assessed value anywhere from $12,000 to $300,000 depending on the county — and that ratio isn't always published in an obvious place.
- 02 Tax jurisdictions overlap. Your tax bill isn't one rate — it's the sum of county government, school district, city/township, fire district, library, parks, and sometimes a dozen other authorities. Each sets its own millage rate independently, and two houses in the same county can have different total rates based on which jurisdictions they fall within.
- 03 The seller's tax bill is misleading. Most people look at the tax amount on a listing and assume that's what they'll pay. But that bill is based on the seller's assessed value — often from a purchase years ago. When you buy at a higher price, the county reassesses, and your bill can jump significantly.
- 04 No single national database exists. Property tax data lives in 3,143 separate county assessor systems. There's no federal API or standard format. Building a nationwide view means collecting and normalizing data from thousands of sources — which is exactly what we did.
- 05 Most calculators only cover one county. County assessor websites typically only calculate taxes for their own jurisdiction. If you're comparing properties across state lines or even across county lines, you'd normally need to visit each county's site separately and do the math yourself.
Features
Nationwide Coverage
Tax data for 3,143 counties across 50 states, covering 12,419 individual taxing jurisdictions. Enter any US address.
Authority-Level Breakdown
See exactly where your tax dollars go — how much to the county, how much to the school district, how much to the city, fire district, and other local authorities.
Terminal Interface
A clean, distraction-free command-line style interface. Type your address, get your answer. No clicking through multi-page wizards or filling out long forms.
Instant Address Verification
Uses Google Maps to verify and geocode your address, automatically identifying the correct county and state. No need to know your FIPS code or county name.
Links to Cash Flow Analyzer
After getting your tax estimate, jump directly to the Cash Flow Analyzer with your address and price pre-filled to run a full investment analysis.
Copyable Results
One-click copy of your full tax breakdown as plain text. Paste it into a spreadsheet, email, or deal analysis document.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is the tax prediction?
The estimate is based on current county assessment ratios and published millage rates. Actual taxes may differ due to homestead exemptions, senior exemptions, agricultural exemptions, assessment caps, or recent millage rate changes. Use this as a close estimate for budgeting, not a guarantee.
Why is my predicted tax different from the listing's tax amount?
Listings show the current owner's tax bill, which is based on their assessed value — often from a purchase years ago at a lower price. When you buy at today's price, the county will reassess the property, and your taxes will be higher. This tool predicts what you'll pay, not what the current owner pays.
Does this account for homestead exemptions?
Not currently. Homestead exemptions, senior exemptions, veteran exemptions, and other reductions vary by state, county, and individual eligibility. The prediction shows the full tax before exemptions. If you qualify for an exemption, your actual bill will be lower.
What if my county has multiple tax jurisdictions?
Many counties have different millage rates depending on where in the county the property sits (e.g., inside vs. outside city limits, different school districts). If multiple jurisdictions exist for your county, the tool will ask you to choose the one that applies to your property.
Where does the tax data come from?
Tax jurisdiction data is compiled from county assessor offices, state departments of revenue, and published millage rate schedules. The database covers all 3,143 US counties and is updated periodically as new rates are published.
Is this free?
Yes. The Tax Predictor is completely free to use with no account required.
Estimate Your Property Taxes Now
Enter an address and purchase price — get your estimated tax bill in seconds.
Open Tax PredictorThe Tax Predictor provides estimates for informational purposes only. Actual property taxes may vary based on exemptions, assessment appeals, rate changes, and other local factors. This is not tax advice. Consult your county assessor's office for official tax information. Coverage data updates automatically as the database is refreshed.