How New Hampshire property taxes work (without the headache)
NH Property taxes have special rules!
New Hampshire has a very “live free or pay your town” vibe when it comes to funding government. With no broad-based state sales tax and no wage income tax, a lot of the day to day funding for schools and local services flows through property taxes. Which is why your tax bill can feel… personal.
Here’s how it actually works, in plain English, with the moving parts that matter.
1) The value is set as of April 1
In NH, property taxes are based on your property’s assessed value as of April 1 each year. That April 1 value is what the town uses for the tax year that runs roughly April 1 through March 31.
So if you renovate in June, or the market shifts in August, your bill is still anchored to that April 1 snapshot (until the next cycle).
2) The tax rate is “per thousand” and it’s set later in the year
NH tax rates are expressed “per thousand” of assessed value. So a tax rate of $20.00 means $20 for every $1,000 of assessed value.
Most towns don’t finalize the current year’s rate until the fall, when the NH Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) sets/approves the rates.
3) Your bill is usually two payments (but not always)
Many municipalities bill twice per year:
First bill (estimated): typically mailed late May-ish, due July 1, often based on about half of the prior year’s total.
Second bill (final): typically mailed in the fall, due December 1 (or 30 days after mailing), and it “true-ups” using the newly set tax rate and your April 1 assessed value.
Some places collect quarterly instead (Concord is a common example), with due dates like July 1, Oct 1, Jan 2, and Mar 31.
4) The rate is built from budgets, not vibes
This part is weirdly romantic in a spreadsheet kind of way.
At a high level, the property tax rate is driven by how much money needs to be raised (the “tax levy”) divided by total taxable assessed value.
One simple way you’ll see it described is:
(Appropriations − Non-property-tax revenue) ÷ Assessed value = Tax rate
And your total rate is typically a stack of components, often including:
Municipal
Local school
State education
County
That’s why two towns with similar home prices can have very different tax rates: budgets, state education calculations, and total taxable property values differ.
5) A quick example (so it clicks)
Say your home is assessed at $500,000 and your total tax rate is $22.00 per $1,000.
Convert assessed value to “per thousand”:
$500,000 ÷ 1,000 = 500Multiply by the rate:
500 × $22.00 = $11,000 annual property tax
Your July bill might be an estimate, and your December bill true-ups to land on that final annual number once the rate is set.
6) Relief programs and exemptions exist (and they’re worth checking)
NH is not a “there’s nothing you can do” state. A few common ones:
Low and Moderate Income Homeowners Property Tax Relief
This is a state program that can provide relief related to the state education portion for qualifying homeowners. The DRA accepts applications only during a set filing window (generally after May 1 through a deadline).
Elderly exemptions (town administered)
Many towns offer an elderly exemption, and eligibility commonly hinges on being 65+ by April 1 (plus residency, ownership, and income/asset rules that vary by municipality).
Veterans credits and other exemptions
NH has multiple exemptions and veterans tax credits under RSA 72, with details and forms routed through the DRA and your town.
Rules vary by town, so the practical move is: check your town assessing office page and the DRA program page before you assume you don’t qualify.
7) Think your assessment is wrong? Abatement is the process
If you believe the assessment is incorrect (wrong facts, or not in line with market value as of April 1), you can apply for an abatement under RSA 76.
The big, brutal deadline most people miss:
File with your municipality by March 1 following the notice of tax (with special timing if the notice is mailed after Dec 31).
The town generally has until July 1 to respond.
If denied, you can appeal to the Board of Tax and Land Appeals (BTLA) or Superior Court (not both), with additional deadlines.
Abatement works best when you walk in with receipts: comparable sales, property condition issues, and any data errors in the town’s record.
8) Real-life “gotchas” (aka why people get surprised)
Escrow isn’t magic. If your mortgage escrow is short because the rate jumped, you’ll feel it next year. Many towns place the responsibility on the property owner to forward bills to the mortgage servicer if needed.
Tax rate changes can be dramatic. The rate is a moving target because budgets and valuations move. Even if your assessment stays flat, your bill can rise if the levy rises (and vice versa).
Property taxes are just one line on the scoreboard, so if you want the biggest win, we should look at your whole tax picture and make sure every dollar is landing where it’s supposed to.
Own a home in NH? Let’s make sure your whole tax picture is dialed in.
Property taxes matter, but they are only one line item. I help NH homeowners tighten up the rest: withholding, deductions, credits, side income, and “we forgot about that” paperwork before it becomes a penalty.
Start with a quick fit check call.
