Property tax in Elkhart County, Indiana
In Elkhart County, the property tax bill comes from the Elkhart County Treasurer. The 2025 pay 2026 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due November 10, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Elkhart County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Elkhart County, Indiana is $1,717 a year, which is about 0.82% of the county's median home value of $210,400. That effective rate is higher than the typical Indiana county (0.66%) and higher than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Elkhart County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Elkhart County Treasurer. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Elkhart County Assessor, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
Property tax bills come from the Elkhart County Treasurer in Goshen and were mailed April 15, 2026. Indiana bills a year in arrears: the 2025 assessment is taxed in two installments during 2026. The Elkhart County Assessor values property and takes appeals. Online payments go through the county's payment vendor, InvoiceCloud, which charges 2.95% (at least $1.00) for a card and $0.95 for an e-check. You can also pay by phone, by text, by mail, at the drop box at the county administration building, or with your coupon at branches of several local banks. Deductions are handled by the County Auditor.
When are property taxes due in Elkhart County?
For the 2025 pay 2026 bill, Elkhart County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due May 11, 2026 and the last November 10, 2026. The next one due is the fall installment, on November 10, 2026. A 5% penalty is added to any balance paid within 30 calendar days after the due date, and another 5% is added on the 31st day. Under state law the full 10% applies at once if the property already owes back taxes. Not receiving a tax bill does not excuse the penalty.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Spring installment | May 11, 2026 (passed) | Indiana law sets May 10 and November 10, moving to the next business day when the date falls on a weekend or holiday. May 10, 2026 fell on a Sunday, so the spring installment was due Monday, May 11. |
| Fall installment | November 10, 2026 | November 10, 2026 is a Tuesday. The Treasurer accepts partial payments in any amount during the year, but any amount still unpaid on the due date is charged a penalty. |
From Elkhart County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Elkhart County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Elkhart County's average effective rate of 0.82% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,725 / year
Property tax in Elkhart County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,717 |
| Median home value | $210,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.82% |
| Typical Indiana county rate | 0.66% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Elkhart County compare in Indiana?
Among Indiana's 92 counties, Elkhart County has the 7th highest effective property-tax rate: 6 rank higher and 85 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 1527th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Indiana county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Elkhart County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Elkhart County's 51,749 owner-occupied homes, 20.1% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 40.2% pay at least $2,000, and 15.4% pay under $800. Another 2.3% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 7,944 | 15.4% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 13,879 | 26.8% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 7,960 | 15.4% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 10,383 | 20.1% |
| $3,000 or more | 10,404 | 20.1% |
| No property tax paid | 1,179 | 2.3% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,721 and owners without one pay $1,709. That is within 10% either way, so in Elkhart County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Elkhart County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,717 is about 2.1% of the median income of Elkhart County homeowner households, $83,252 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 71.6% of Elkhart County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Elkhart County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,306 in 2015-2019 to $1,717 in 2020-2024, a 31.5% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 45.8%, from $144,300 to $210,400. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Elkhart County
Elkhart County borders 7 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County, MI | 1.1% | $1,959 | $178,300 |
| Cass County, MI | 0.97% | $2,116 | $218,000 |
| St. Joseph County, IN | 0.86% | $1,665 | $192,800 |
| Elkhart County, IN (this county) | 0.82% | $1,717 | $210,400 |
| Noble County, IN | 0.67% | $1,310 | $196,800 |
| Marshall County, IN | 0.66% | $1,362 | $204,900 |
| Kosciusko County, IN | 0.6% | $1,303 | $216,000 |
| LaGrange County, IN | 0.55% | $1,403 | $255,900 |
How is a home assessed in Elkhart County?
Indiana assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Elkhart County included. How Indiana assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Elkhart County?
Yes, but it is shrinking. Indiana's homestead standard deduction is $40,000 for assessment year 2026 and reaches $0 from 2030; a bill paid in 2026 reflects the $48,000 figure. That is the Indiana rule, and it applies in Elkhart County. Indiana's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Indiana programs, Elkhart County runs its own:
- Local income tax property tax credit: Elkhart County puts part of its local income tax toward property tax relief (the state certified about $18.3 million of this revenue for 2026); the credit is applied to bills and there is no application.
How to appeal your Elkhart County property assessment
In Elkhart County you appeal to the Elkhart County Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA). The deadline: File Form 130 with the assessor by June 15 of the assessment year if the notice of assessment (Form 11) was mailed before May 1. If the notice was mailed on or after May 1, the deadline is June 15 of the year the tax bill is mailed. When June 15 falls on a weekend, the county says the deadline can move to the 16th or 17th. A Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals decision can be appealed to the Indiana Board of Tax Review on Form 131 within 45 days. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Indiana's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Indiana rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Indiana page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Elkhart County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Indiana income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Indiana actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Elkhart County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Elkhart County, Indiana: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.