Property tax in Northampton County, Pennsylvania
In Northampton County, the property tax bill comes from the Northampton County Revenue Division (Department of Fiscal Affairs). Every due date for the 2026 bill has passed, and the county had not posted the next cycle's dates when we checked. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Northampton County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Northampton County, Pennsylvania is $4,700 a year, which is about 1.52% of the county's median home value of $308,600. That effective rate is higher than the typical Pennsylvania county (1.27%) 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 Northampton County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Northampton County Revenue Division (Department of Fiscal Affairs). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Northampton 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.
Most Northampton County homeowners get three separate property tax bills a year: this county bill in January, a bill from the township, borough or city, and a school district bill, each from a different collector. The county bills and collects only its own county real estate tax; ask your municipal tax collector and school district about theirs. Pay the county bill online through the county's payment page for current taxes only (the processor charges 3.5% for cards and $4 for electronic checks under $29,999), in person or at the drop box at the county offices at 669 Washington Street in Easton or 2801 Emrick Boulevard in Bethlehem, or at any Fulton Bank branch in the county. For past-due taxes, call the Revenue Office at 610-829-6186. If a mortgage company pays your taxes, forward the bill to it. Not receiving a bill does not excuse late payment.
When are property taxes due in Northampton County?
Every due date for the 2026 bill has passed, and Northampton County had not posted the next cycle's dates when we checked on September 23, 2026. If that bill is still unpaid, the late-payment rules below apply to it. Counties usually repeat the schedule, but confirm the new dates on your next bill. For the 2026 bill, Northampton County has one due date: June 1, 2026. The county mailed 2026 county real estate tax bills in mid-January 2026. Paying the whole bill on or before March 31, 2026 kept the early-payment discount; the face amount was due on or before June 1, 2026. Mailed payments had to be postmarked by the post office on or before those dates, and the county says it makes no exceptions. The county also offers an installment plan with no discount: you pay the exact amount printed for each installment by the dates on your bill, and it cannot be started after the first installment date. Payments after June 1, 2026 carry a penalty. On the installment plan, a 10% penalty is added to each late or partial installment. County real estate taxes still unpaid are turned over to the county Tax Claim Bureau at the close of business on January 31, 2027, and payments after that cost more.
From Northampton 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 Northampton County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Northampton County's average effective rate of 1.52% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $4,691 / year
Property tax in Northampton County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $4,700 |
| Median home value | $308,600 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.52% |
| Typical Pennsylvania county rate | 1.27% |
| 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 Northampton County compare in Pennsylvania?
Among Pennsylvania's 67 counties, Northampton County has the 10th highest effective property-tax rate: 9 rank higher and 57 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 323rd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Pennsylvania county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Northampton County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Northampton County's 87,201 owner-occupied homes, 73.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 81.9% pay at least $2,000, and 7.7% pay under $800. Another 1.5% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 6,703 | 7.7% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 5,130 | 5.9% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,665 | 3.1% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 7,226 | 8.3% |
| $3,000 or more | 64,200 | 73.6% |
| No property tax paid | 1,277 | 1.5% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $4,942 and owners without one pay $4,304. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Northampton County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $4,700 is about 4.4% of the median income of Northampton County homeowner households, $107,794 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 71.1% of Northampton 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 Northampton County?
Yes. The median bill went from $4,357 in 2015-2019 to $4,700 in 2020-2024, a 7.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 40.4%, from $219,800 to $308,600. 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 Northampton County
Northampton County borders 5 counties, 1 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County, NJ | 2.34% | $8,119 | $346,500 |
| Monroe County, PA | 1.66% | $4,447 | $267,600 |
| Lehigh County, PA | 1.55% | $4,651 | $300,400 |
| Northampton County, PA (this county) | 1.52% | $4,700 | $308,600 |
| Carbon County, PA | 1.46% | $3,088 | $211,400 |
| Bucks County, PA | 1.31% | $5,826 | $445,700 |
How is a home assessed in Northampton County?
Pennsylvania sets the assessment rules and Northampton County applies them. How Pennsylvania assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Northampton County?
Yes, but the amount varies. Pennsylvania's Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion lowers a home's assessed value for school tax, and each school district sets its own exclusion each year. That is the Pennsylvania rule, and it applies in Northampton County. Pennsylvania's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Pennsylvania programs, Northampton County runs its own:
- Active Volunteer Firefighter/EMS Rebate: Under a county ordinance, Northampton County refunds up to $250 of county real estate tax to an active volunteer firefighter or EMS member who owns the home, has it enrolled as a homestead, has answered at least 3 calls and has 6 months of continuous membership in the year, and has paid that year's county taxes in full; the application must be notarized and come with a notarized certification from the agency's chief. Apply by December 15 (received, not postmarked).
How to appeal your Northampton County property assessment
In Northampton County you appeal to the Revenue Appeals Board of Northampton County. The deadline: An annual appeal must be filed by August 1 to get a hearing, and a change it wins takes effect the following tax year. August 1, 2027 is a Sunday and the county has not said whether the deadline moves, so file by Friday, July 30, 2027 to be safe. If you receive a notice that your assessment changed, you have 40 days from the date of that notice. File one application per parcel with the Assessment Division at the courthouse in Easton; the non-refundable fee is $25 for a residential parcel, payable to the County of Northampton, and an application without the fee is returned. Residential properties assessed at $175,000 or more need an appraisal by a state certified appraiser, and your assessment can go up as well as down. A decision can be appealed to the Court of Common Pleas within 30 days of the mailing date of the notice. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Pennsylvania's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Pennsylvania rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Pennsylvania 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 Northampton 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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Pennsylvania income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Pennsylvania actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Northampton County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Northampton County, Pennsylvania: 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.