Burlington Property Tax: FY2026 Rates, Due Dates, and Credits

Burlington property tax bills for fiscal year 2026 run at a combined homestead rate of roughly $2.38 per $100 of assessed value, split into four quarterly payments due August 12, November 12, March 12, and June 12.¹² Your actual bill depends on whether the property is your primary residence, whether you file for the state credits you qualify for, and whether the assessment itself is fair.

What You’ll Owe for FY2026

The bill combines three rates applied to your grand list value, which is your assessed value divided by 100. For the tax year running July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, the rates per $100 of assessed value are:

Municipal tax: $0.8557
Education tax, homestead: $1.5264
Education tax, non-homestead: $1.5072
Local agreement: $0.0004

The municipal rate is set annually by the City Council. The education rate is set by the state and varies by municipality based on school spending. The local agreement rate reflects education tax revenue the city foregoes under negotiated agreements.¹

A homestead property assessed at $350,000 has a grand list value of $3,500. Multiplied by the combined homestead rate of $2.3825, the annual bill comes to about $8,339. A non-homestead property at the same assessed value would owe roughly $8,272, since the non-homestead education rate for Burlington happens to run slightly lower this year.

Homestead vs. Non-Homestead

Your homestead is the principal dwelling and surrounding land you own and occupy as your primary residence as of April 1 of the tax year.³ Rentals, vacation homes, commercial property, and vacant land are non-homestead. The classification controls which education tax rate applies, and it hinges on filing the Homestead Declaration each year (see below).

Quarterly Due Dates and How to Pay

Payments are due on the 12th of August, November, March, and June. If the 12th lands on a weekend, the deadline shifts to the next business day.²

You can pay online through the city’s Municipay portal using your parcel ID in the format 000-0-000-000. E-checks carry a flat $1.50 processing fee. Credit cards are charged $1.50 for transactions under $56 and 2.65% above that.² You can also mail a check to the city’s lockbox or drop one in the secure box at City Hall. If your mortgage servicer pays taxes from escrow, confirm the payment landed before the due date. The city will not waive penalties because your lender was late.

What Happens If You Pay Late

Missing a quarterly deadline triggers an immediate 8% penalty on the unpaid balance. Interest then accrues at up to 1% per month for the first three months and up to 1.5% per month after that.⁴ Any partial month counts as a full month, so one day late within a period costs the same as 29.

If your delinquent balance tops $1,500 and has been overdue more than a year, the city can start the process to sell your property at public auction. The municipality must first offer a written repayment plan. Only if you reject it, fail to respond within 30 days, or stop making payments under the plan can the collector proceed, and the sale must be advertised in a local newspaper for three consecutive weeks with certified mail notice at least 30 days out.⁵

Even after a tax sale, you have one year to reclaim the property by paying the sale price plus 1% interest per month to the purchaser.⁶ That redemption window is the last chance before the loss becomes permanent.

Credits and Exemptions That Lower Your Bill

Homestead Declaration

If you live in your home as your primary residence, file the Vermont Homestead Declaration (Form HS-122) every year by April 15, even if you owe no state income tax.³ This is what gets your property classified as homestead so the correct education rate applies.

Filing late carries real consequences. The town can assess a penalty of up to 3% if the non-homestead rate is higher than the homestead rate, or up to 8% if it is lower. Miss the October 15 cutoff entirely and your property is reclassified as non-homestead for the year, meaning you owe the higher of the two education rates plus the penalty and interest.⁷ An extension on your income tax return does not extend the Homestead Declaration deadline.³

Property Tax Credit

Vermont’s Property Tax Credit can substantially cut what you owe based on household income. You claim it on the same Form HS-122. The maximum credit is $5,600 toward the education tax and $2,400 toward the municipal tax, and the filing deadline matches your income tax return, generally April 15.⁸ For the 2025 filing year the household income threshold was $115,400, typically adjusted each year. If you qualify, the credit is applied directly to your property tax bill.

Veterans Exemption

Vermont law provides a minimum $10,000 reduction in assessed value for veterans receiving disability compensation for at least 50% disability, a non-service-connected VA pension, or permanent medical military retirement pay.⁹ Towns can vote to raise the exemption up to $40,000.¹⁰ The property must be your primary residence and cannot include any portion used for business or rental.

To claim it, file a written application with VA or Military Department documentation to the Office of Veterans Affairs before May 1. For permanent disabilities, you file once and the exemption stays on the grand list until the property changes hands. Unremarried surviving spouses of qualified veterans also qualify, regardless of whether they personally receive government compensation.

Appealing Your Assessment

If you think your property is assessed too high, Burlington gives you a formal path to challenge it, with tight deadlines. The Assessor’s Office mails Change of Assessment Notices to owners whose values changed during the year, and you have 14 calendar days from the notice date to file a grievance with the Board of Assessors.¹¹ For the 2026 calendar year, the final deadline to submit a grievance application is May 15, 2026, at noon.¹²

Board of Assessors hearings are typically held the third week of May. After the Board decides and notifies you, you have another 14 days to appeal to the Board of Tax Appeals.¹¹ Bring comparable sales data from your neighborhood, any recent appraisal, and documentation of conditions that would lower market value. The strongest appeals show a clear gap between the city’s number and what similar homes actually sold for.

Tax Abatement for Financial Hardship

Burlington’s Board of Tax Abatement can reduce or forgive taxes for owners who genuinely cannot pay. The board reviews requests under two main criteria: the taxpayer is unable to pay the taxes, penalties, and interest; or the taxpayer is a disabled veteran or veteran’s surviving spouse who missed a filing deadline due to illness or other good cause.¹³

Submit a completed abatement request form to the Clerk/Treasurer’s Office with your tax bill, payment history report, and property record card. For residential properties, also include your HI-144 household income form, documentation of living expenses, proof of all assets including bank statements and retirement accounts, and proof of your mortgage balance or payoff. The board may also request medical bills, insurance information, or a property inspection.¹³

Filing for abatement does not pause collection. Penalties and interest keep accruing while your application is pending. A committee reviews your case first, then the full Board of Tax Abatement issues a final decision. Expect roughly three months from application to ruling, and submit all supporting documentation at least three weeks before the scheduled review meeting.¹³

1
City of Burlington, Vermont. Tax Rates and Calculations
2
City of Burlington. Property Taxes
3
Vermont Department of Taxes. Homestead Declaration
4
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 32 V.S.A. 5136 – Delinquent Taxes Interest and Collection Fees
5
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 32 V.S.A. 5252 – Levy and Notice of Sale
6
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 32 Chapter 133 – Collection of Current Taxes – Section 5260
7
Vermont Department of Taxes. Form HS-122 Instructions – 2026 Homestead Declaration and Property Tax Credit
8
Vermont Department of Taxes. Property Tax Credit
9
Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 32 V.S.A. 3802 – Property Tax
10
Vermont Department of Taxes. Property Tax Exemptions – Section: Disabled Veteran and Surviving Spouse Property Tax Exemption
11
City of Burlington, Vermont. Assessors Schedule
12
City of Burlington, Vermont. Property Appeal Procedures Board of Assessors
13
City of Burlington, Vermont. Property Tax Abatement