Won’t my taxes increase if my assessment is adjusted?
First, as noted, your assessor does not increase your taxes. Assessors are trained to be appraisal professionals, it is their job to make sure that the assessments are accurate and equitable, which provides the basis for fair distribution of taxes among the property owners within the assessing unit. Keeping assessments up-to-date each year is necessary for fair tax distribution. Next, keeping values up-to-date each year does not necessarily mean that your assessment will increase. Market values of properties may stay the same or go down, which means that some properties should see a decrease in assessed values.

If your assessment does increase, it doesn't mean that your taxes will automatically increase. In some cases, a municipality will go from a fractional level of assessment to 100 percent. If the original level of assessment was 10 percent, and the current level of assessment is 100 percent, your assessed value could go from $9,000 to $90,000, and you might not see any increase in taxes.

In addition, if your assessment increases, but the assessments of most other properties increase more, your share of the taxes could decrease. For instance, if your assessment increased by 3 percent, but most other property owners saw increases of 5 percent, you'll likely see a decrease in taxes (assuming your school and municipal budgets remain stable and the tax levy does not increase).

Show All Answers

1. Who is responsible for assessments and who is responsible for taxes?
2. What is the difference between the market value and assessed value of my property?
3. Won’t my taxes increase if my assessment is adjusted?
4. How does the assessor decide which assessments to change and by how much?
5. My assessment was adjusted last year, and it’s been adjusted again this year. Why?
6. Why does State Aid require 100 percent of market value?
7. If my home is physically re-inspected, do I have to let the assessor in?
8. How do I know that the assessor has the correct information about my property?
9. When will I know my new assessment?
10. What information is on the tentative assessment roll?
11. What if I disagree with the assessment on the tentative roll?
12. Where can I learn more?
13. What are the benefits to keeping assessments up-to-date each year?