Property tax in Montgomery County, Maryland
In Montgomery County, the property tax bill comes from the Department of Finance, Division of Treasury. The FY27 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due December 31, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Montgomery County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Montgomery County, Maryland is $5,539 a year, which is about 0.87% of the county's median home value of $640,300. That effective rate is lower than the typical Maryland county (0.9%) 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 Montgomery County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Department of Finance, Division of Treasury. The value it is based on is set by a state agency, the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Montgomery County assessment office, 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.
Maryland's SDAT, not the county, values every property (on a three-year cycle) and hears the first appeal; the county's Division of Treasury only sends the bill and collects it. The county bill also carries municipal property tax for the 22 municipalities whose taxes the county collects, so a town tax can show up on the same bill. For Levy Year 2026 the County Council cut the Income Tax Offset Credit, shown on bills as the County Property Tax Credit, to $0; it was $692 in Levy Year 2025, so many bills are higher even though the rate did not change. Second-level appeals go to the Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board within 30 days of the Supervisor's final notice, then to the Maryland Tax Court within 30 days of the board's order. Card payments carry a processor fee of about 2.3% online or in person and about 2.45% by phone; electronic checks are free. Mailed payments now go to P.O. Box 5561, Binghamton, NY 13902-5561, not the older Philadelphia box.
When are property taxes due in Montgomery County?
For the FY27 (Levy Year 2026) bill, Montgomery County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due September 30, 2026 and the last December 31, 2026. The next one due is the second semi-annual installment, on December 31, 2026. Unpaid annual bills and first installments become delinquent October 1, and second installments January 1. Delinquent taxes carry interest and penalty of 1 2/3% a month (20% a year: 8% interest plus 12% penalty) on the net bill until paid, and unpaid taxes are sold at a tax lien sale in June of the following calendar year.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Annual bill, or first semi-annual installment | September 30, 2026 (passed) | Owner-occupied homes are billed on the semiannual schedule by default (state law, Tax-Property 10-204.3); the owner may pay the whole year by September 30 instead, and the county charges no fee for the semiannual plan. Escrowed owners who want to pay annually must tell their lender before May 1. Payment must be received by the due date; a postmark is not enough. If a due date falls on a weekend or holiday, real property tax payments are accepted the next business day without interest and penalty. |
| Second semi-annual installment | December 31, 2026 | Applies only to bills on the semiannual schedule. |
From Montgomery 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 Montgomery County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Montgomery County's average effective rate of 0.87% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $5,571 / year
Property tax in Montgomery County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $5,539 |
| Median home value | $640,300 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.87% |
| Typical Maryland county rate | 0.9% |
| 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 Montgomery County compare in Maryland?
Among Maryland's 24 counties, Montgomery County has the 15th highest effective property-tax rate: 14 rank higher and 9 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Maryland. Nationally, it ranks 1420th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Maryland county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Montgomery County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Montgomery County's 254,139 owner-occupied homes, 79.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 87.9% pay at least $2,000, and 2.3% pay under $800. Another 2.5% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 5,910 | 2.3% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 8,991 | 3.5% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 9,157 | 3.6% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 22,227 | 8.7% |
| $3,000 or more | 201,395 | 79.2% |
| No property tax paid | 6,459 | 2.5% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $5,457 and owners without one pay $5,725. That is within 10% either way, so in Montgomery County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Montgomery County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $5,539 is about 3.2% of the median income of Montgomery County homeowner households, $172,408 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 65.3% of Montgomery 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 Montgomery County?
Yes. The median bill went from $4,613 in 2015-2019 to $5,539 in 2020-2024, a 20.1% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 32%, from $484,900 to $640,300. 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 Montgomery County
Montgomery County borders 7 counties, 4 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard County, MD | 1.17% | $6,987 | $597,900 |
| Prince George's County, MD | 1.12% | $4,771 | $426,000 |
| Fairfax County, VA | 1.01% | $7,368 | $732,800 |
| Frederick County, MD | 0.99% | $4,584 | $464,600 |
| Arlington County, VA | 0.91% | $8,153 | $895,000 |
| Montgomery County, MD (this county) | 0.87% | $5,539 | $640,300 |
| Loudoun County, VA | 0.85% | $6,325 | $743,800 |
| District of Columbia, DC | 0.58% | $4,312 | $737,100 |
How is a home assessed in Montgomery County?
Maryland assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Montgomery County included. How Maryland assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Montgomery County?
Not as an exemption. Maryland's Homestead Tax Credit caps how much your taxable assessment can rise each year: 10% for the state portion, and a cap each county and municipality sets between 0% and 10% for its own. That is the Maryland rule, and it applies in Montgomery County. Maryland's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Maryland programs, Montgomery County runs its own:
- County Supplemental Homeowners' Property Tax Credit: A county add-on to Maryland's income-based Homeowners' Property Tax Credit for households with combined income under $76,620 (the limit for July 2026 bills), applied only against county tax; there is no separate application, because it is decided from the state credit application that SDAT administers. Apply by October 1.
- Senior property tax credit: For a principal residence where one owner is 65 or older and the household qualifies for the state Homeowners' Property Tax Credit or the county supplement, the county adds a credit worth 50% of those credits; eligibility comes from the Homeowners' Property Tax Credit application, so there is no separate form. Apply by October 1.
- Individuals 65 and Above and Retired Military Services Members Tax Credit: A 20% credit on county property tax for an owner-occupied home, for 7 consecutive years, for an owner aged 65 or older who has owned and lived in the home for 40 consecutive years or is a retired member of the armed or uniformed services (or the surviving spouse of one); the home's assessment must be $700,000 or less for 40-year owners and $550,000 or less for military retirees. Apply by April 1.
How to appeal your Montgomery County property assessment
In Montgomery County you appeal to the Maryland SDAT, Supervisor of Assessments for Montgomery County (the Supervisor's level hearing). The deadline: Within 45 days of the date on the assessment notice. A buyer whose purchase transferred after January 1 and before July 1 may appeal within 60 days of the transfer. In a year with no new notice, an owner may file a petition for review by the first working day after January 1. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Maryland's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Maryland rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Maryland 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 Montgomery 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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Maryland income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Maryland actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Montgomery County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Montgomery County, Maryland: 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.