The Raleigh property tax rate is 35.50 cents per $100 of assessed value for fiscal year 2025–2026, unchanged from the previous year.1City of Raleigh. Raleigh City Council Approves $1.78B Budget, No Tax Increase, for FY 2026 That is only the city’s share. Because Raleigh crosses a county line, your full bill also includes a county levy, and the combined rate runs about 87 cents per $100 on the Wake County side and about 91 cents per $100 on the Durham County side.
City Rate Plus Your County Rate
Every Raleigh property owner pays the same 35.50-cent city rate. The county portion depends on where your parcel sits. Most of Raleigh is in Wake County; a smaller slice extends into Durham County.
- Wake County portion: The county rate is 51.71 cents per $100, bringing the combined city-plus-county rate to 87.21 cents per $100.2Wake County Government. 2025 Property Tax Bills
- Durham County portion: The county rate is 55.42 cents per $100, producing a combined rate of 90.92 cents per $100.3Durham County Government. Tax Rates
Some parcels also owe small additional amounts for fire districts, solid waste fees, or other special taxing districts. These show up as separate line items, so your actual bill can run slightly higher than the combined city-and-county figure. The rate schedule on your county’s tax administration site lists the districts that apply to your address.4Wake County Government. Tax Rates and Fees
How to Calculate Your Bill
Divide the assessed value by 100, then multiply by the combined rate. A $400,000 home in the Wake County part of Raleigh:
$400,000 ÷ 100 = 4,000, then 4,000 × $0.8721 = $3,488.40 for the year.4Wake County Government. Tax Rates and Fees
The same home on the Durham side: 4,000 × $0.9092 = $3,636.80 per year.3Durham County Government. Tax Rates
The assessed value is the number that drives the result. A fraction-of-a-penny change in the rate barely registers on a modest property but hits hard once the assessed value climbs past $500,000.
If Your Lender Pays Through Escrow
If your property taxes flow through a mortgage escrow account, you will not write a check to the county yourself. Your lender collects an estimated monthly amount, holds it, and pays the bill when it comes due. Each year the lender runs an escrow analysis. When the tax bill rises because of a higher assessed value or a higher rate, that analysis will show a shortfall, and your monthly mortgage payment goes up to cover it, usually spread over the following 12 months. Checking your escrow statement after any revaluation or rate change is the simplest way to avoid a surprise.
Why the Assessed Value Matters as Much as the Rate
North Carolina requires every county to reappraise all real property at least once every eight years, and many counties run the cycle more often.5North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-286 – Time for General Reappraisal of Real Property The assessed value is supposed to reflect what the property would sell for on the open market as of the revaluation date.
Wake County’s most recent revaluation took effect January 1, 2024, with the next scheduled for January 1, 2027.6Wake County Government. 2027 Revaluation Durham County’s last reappraisal took effect January 1, 2025.7Durham County Government. Reappraisal Both counties are working from relatively fresh market data, which is why many Raleigh homeowners saw their assessed values jump sharply during a recent cycle. Even with the city rate held flat, a revaluation that lifts your assessed value by 20 or 30 percent produces a proportionally larger bill.
Due Dates and What Late Payment Costs
Property taxes are due September 1 each year. You can pay anytime from September 1 through January 5 at face value, with no interest or penalty.8North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-360 – Taxes Payable, Interest, Partial Payments Wake County accepts payments online, by mail, or in person at government service centers. Credit card payments carry a convenience fee of roughly two percent. Durham County residents pay through the Durham County Tax Administration.
Wake County also allows partial payments in any amount, at any frequency, with no prior approval, as long as the full balance clears before the January 6 delinquency date.9Wake County Government. Payment Information
Taxes paid on or after January 6 are no longer at face value. Interest runs at two percent for the period from January 6 through February 1, then three-quarters of one percent per month after that until the balance is paid.8North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-360 – Taxes Payable, Interest, Partial Payments Those rates look modest, but North Carolina law automatically places a lien on every taxable property as of January 1 each year, and once taxes go delinquent, the county can foreclose on that lien through a civil action or an in rem proceeding.10North Carolina Judicial Branch. Foreclosures Tax foreclosures are relatively rare in Wake County, but the authority is there and the county does use it on long-delinquent accounts.
Programs That Can Lower What You Owe
North Carolina has three relief programs that can reduce the taxable value of a primary residence or defer part of the tax. All three run through your county tax office.
Elderly or Disabled Homestead Exclusion
If you are 65 or older, or totally and permanently disabled, and your prior-year income was $38,800 or less, you can exclude the greater of $25,000 or 50 percent of your home’s appraised value from taxation.11North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-277.1 – Elderly or Disabled Property Tax Homestead Exclusion On a $300,000 home, that drops $150,000 off the taxable base and roughly halves the bill. The income threshold moves up slightly each year with Social Security cost-of-living adjustments. Applications are due by June 1 preceding the tax year.
Disabled Veteran Exclusion
Honorably discharged veterans with a permanent, total, service-connected disability, or their unmarried surviving spouses, can exclude the first $45,000 of the home’s assessed value.12North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-277.1C – Disabled Veteran Property Tax Homestead Exclusion There is no income cap. You will need a disability certification from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs showing a 100 percent rating, or documentation of benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 2101 for specially adapted housing.13North Carolina DMVA. Veterans Property Tax Relief
Circuit Breaker Tax Deferral
The circuit breaker is a separate option for homeowners 65 or older, or totally and permanently disabled, whose income falls within 150 percent of the homestead exclusion limit. Instead of lowering your assessed value, it defers any taxes above four percent of your annual income.14North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-277.1B – Property Tax Homestead Circuit Breaker You must have owned and occupied the home as your permanent residence for at least five consecutive years. The deferred amount accrues interest and becomes due when you sell, move out, or pass away. It functions as a lien against the home’s equity rather than a permanent cut, and total deferred taxes plus interest cannot exceed 50 percent of the property’s market value.
Appealing an Assessment You Think Is Too High
If your assessed value looks wrong after a revaluation, you can challenge it. Appeals most often succeed when there is a factual error on the property record card, such as wrong square footage, an extra bathroom the house does not have, or an incorrect lot size, or when comparable sales in your neighborhood do not support the county’s number.15NCDOR. Property Tax Appeal Process
Start informally with the county tax office. Many disputes get resolved there. If you still disagree, you can appeal to the county Board of Equalization and Review, which typically begins hearing cases around the first week of April.15NCDOR. Property Tax Appeal Process At the hearing, you present your evidence and the county presents its position. The board may rule immediately or deliberate, and you receive the decision in writing.
Strong appeals carry hard numbers: a private appraisal from a licensed appraiser, closed sale prices of genuinely comparable homes similar in size, age, condition, and lot, photos of structural problems, or repair estimates. A general argument that taxes feel too high, without documentation, rarely moves the board.