Property tax in Fairfax County, Virginia
In Fairfax County, the property tax bill comes from the Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration. The 2026 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due December 7, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Fairfax County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Fairfax County, Virginia is $7,368 a year, which is about 1.01% of the county's median home value of $732,800. That effective rate is higher than the typical Virginia county (0.6%) 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 Fairfax County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration, Real Estate Division, 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.
The same county department values the home each January 1 and sends the bill. Owners in the Town of Herndon get one combined bill from the county that includes the town tax. Owners in the Town of Vienna get a separate town real estate tax bill from the town, also due July 28 and December 5, on top of the county bill. Online payment by e-check is free; card payments carry a third-party processing fee.
When are property taxes due in Fairfax County?
For the 2026 bill, Fairfax County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due July 28, 2026 and the last December 7, 2026. The next one due is the second installment (july to december), on December 7, 2026. A penalty of 10% of the amount due is added automatically to each installment not paid on time, and interest of 1% a year is charged from the day after the due date. Payments must be received or postmarked by 11:59 p.m. on the due date; there is no grace period. Taxes must be paid on time even while an assessment appeal is pending.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment (January to June) | July 28, 2026 (passed) | Bills are mailed about 30 days before the due date. Owners who pay through a mortgage escrow account do not get a bill; it goes to the lender. |
| Second installment (July to December) | December 7, 2026 | The usual due date is December 5. Because December 5 falls on a Saturday in 2026, the county has extended the due date to Monday, December 7, 2026. The county moves any due date that falls on a Saturday, Sunday or county holiday to the next business day. |
From Fairfax 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 Fairfax County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Fairfax County's average effective rate of 1.01% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $7,401 / year
Property tax in Fairfax County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $7,368 |
| Median home value | $732,800 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.01% |
| Typical Virginia county rate | 0.6% |
| 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 Fairfax County compare in Virginia?
Among Virginia's 133 counties, Fairfax County has the 4th highest effective property-tax rate: 3 rank higher and 129 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 1104th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Virginia county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Fairfax County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Fairfax County's 284,195 owner-occupied homes, 87.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 92.4% pay at least $2,000, and 1.8% pay under $800. Another 2.9% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 5,201 | 1.8% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 4,566 | 1.6% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 3,603 | 1.3% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 13,688 | 4.8% |
| $3,000 or more | 248,856 | 87.6% |
| No property tax paid | 8,281 | 2.9% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $7,244 and owners without one pay $7,715. That is within 10% either way, so in Fairfax County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Fairfax County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $7,368 is about 3.9% of the median income of Fairfax County homeowner households, $188,672 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 68.6% of Fairfax 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 Fairfax County?
Yes. The median bill went from $5,881 in 2015-2019 to $7,368 in 2020-2024, a 25.3% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 30.1%, from $563,100 to $732,800.
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 Fairfax County
Fairfax County borders 9 counties, 3 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George's County, MD | 1.12% | $4,771 | $426,000 |
| Charles County, MD | 1.01% | $4,339 | $428,500 |
| Fairfax County, VA (this county) | 1.01% | $7,368 | $732,800 |
| Alexandria city, VA | 0.96% | $7,024 | $735,100 |
| Falls Church city, VA | at least 0.95% | $10,000+ | $1,055,600 |
| Prince William County, VA | 0.94% | $4,999 | $530,100 |
| Arlington County, VA | 0.91% | $8,153 | $895,000 |
| Fairfax city, VA | 0.9% | $6,515 | $722,600 |
| Montgomery County, MD | 0.87% | $5,539 | $640,300 |
| Loudoun County, VA | 0.85% | $6,325 | $743,800 |
How is a home assessed in Fairfax County?
Virginia assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Fairfax County included. How Virginia assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Fairfax County?
No. Virginia has no general homestead exemption; relief is limited to the elderly and disabled, disabled veterans, and surviving spouses of service members and first responders killed in the line of duty. That is the Virginia rule, and it applies in Fairfax County. Virginia's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Virginia programs, Fairfax County runs its own:
- Real Estate Tax Relief for Seniors and People with Disabilities: For owners aged 65 or older or permanently and totally disabled: for 2026 the county exempts 100% of the real estate tax at incomes of $60,000 or less, 75% up to $70,000, 50% up to $80,000 and 25% up to $90,000, with combined net assets of no more than $400,000; relief is figured on no more than 125% of the average assessed value of homes in the county. A separate deferral option is open at incomes up to $100,000 and assets up to $500,000. Apply by May 1.
- Solar energy equipment exemption: Under county code, qualifying solar heating, hot water and other solar energy equipment on a home or business is exempt from real estate tax for five years; the owner applies with plans and cost records through Land Development Services before the Department of Tax Administration sets the exemption.
How to appeal your Fairfax County property assessment
In Fairfax County you appeal to the Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration (administrative appeal), then the Fairfax County Board of Equalization. The deadline: For 2026 assessments, an administrative appeal to the Department of Tax Administration was due April 1, 2026, and an appeal to the Board of Equalization was due June 1, 2026. The county recommends filing the administrative appeal first. A further appeal goes to the Circuit Court. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Virginia's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Virginia rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Virginia 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 Fairfax 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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Virginia income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Virginia actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Fairfax County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Fairfax County, Virginia: 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.