Cumberland County, PA property tax rates for 2026 start with a county levy of 2.875 mills, but that is only one of three rates stacked on every bill. Your municipality adds its own rate (anywhere from zero to 7.581 mills), and your school district adds the largest piece, between 12.414 and 20.455 mills.1Cumberland County. 2026 County and Municipal and 2025-26 School Tax Rates Two homes with identical assessed values in different parts of the county can owe very different amounts.
The 2026 County Rate
The Board of Commissioners sets one millage rate that applies uniformly to every taxable parcel. For 2026, that rate is 2.875 mills, or 0.002875 as a decimal.1Cumberland County. 2026 County and Municipal and 2025-26 School Tax Rates Multiply your assessed value by that figure to get the county share. A property assessed at $200,000 owes $575 in county tax.
The rate increased from previous years as the county expanded its general fund budget. Whether your parcel sits in Carlisle Borough or a rural township, the county portion of the bill uses the same number.
Municipal Rates
Municipal rates for 2026 range from zero to 7.581 mills. Three townships — Hopewell, Lower Mifflin, and Upper Mifflin — charge no municipal real estate tax at all. Newville Borough sits at the top with 7.581 mills.1Cumberland County. 2026 County and Municipal and 2025-26 School Tax Rates Most boroughs and townships land somewhere between, funding local roads, zoning, and emergency services.
School District Rates
School taxes are the largest share of the bill by a wide margin. For the 2025–26 school year, district rates in Cumberland County run from 12.414 to 20.455 mills.1Cumberland County. 2026 County and Municipal and 2025-26 School Tax Rates
- Cumberland Valley (Hampden, Silver Spring, Middlesex, Monroe): 12.414 mills
- South Middleton Township (Cumberland Valley): 13.563 mills
- West Shore (Lemoyne, Lower Allen, New Cumberland, Wormleysburg): 14.766 mills
- Shippensburg Area (Shippensburg Borough/Township, Southampton, Hopewell): 14.781 mills
- East Pennsboro Area: 15.177 mills
- Big Spring (Newville, Cooke, Penn, and surrounding townships): 16.287 mills
- Mechanicsburg Area (Mechanicsburg, Shiremanstown, Upper Allen): 17.049 mills
- Carlisle Area (Carlisle Borough, Dickinson, North Middleton): 17.369 mills
- Camp Hill Borough (West Shore): 20.455 mills
What a Full Bill Looks Like
Consider a property assessed at $200,000. In Hampden Township, the owner pays $575 to the county plus roughly $2,483 in school tax, before whatever Hampden adds for municipal services. The same assessed value in Camp Hill owes the same $575 county share plus about $4,091 in school tax. The school portion alone differs by over $1,600.
How Assessed Value Works
The Cumberland County Tax Assessment Office assigns a value to every parcel and the buildings on it. All three taxing bodies use that single assessed value as the base. Pennsylvania law requires assessments to be uniform, so similar properties should carry similar values.
Cumberland County uses a base year system, with property values pegged to approximately 2011 market conditions following the county’s most recent reassessment. Your assessed value does not automatically change when the market shifts. It stays fixed unless you make physical improvements, such as an addition or new structure, or the county conducts a full reassessment. A neighbor who recently bought at a high price still gets taxed on the same base-year figure as everyone else on the street.
The Common Level Ratio
Because base-year values drift from actual market prices over time, the State Tax Equalization Board publishes a Common Level Ratio (CLR) for each county every July 1. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue publishes the ratios for use in realty transfer tax calculations and assessment appeals.2Cumberland County, PA – Official Website. Common Level Ratio The CLR converts current market value to the base-year equivalent the county uses, which matters most if you are appealing or buying.3Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Common Level Ratios
Appealing Your Assessment
If your assessed value looks too high compared with similar properties, you can file an appeal with the Cumberland County Board of Assessment Appeals. The deadline is September 1 each year, and the completed form must reach the Assessment Office by 4:30 p.m. on that date.4Cumberland County, PA – Official Website. Frequently Asked Questions – Property Assessment Appeal Deadline
The county offers separate forms for residential, commercial, agricultural, and exemption appeals. You can file in person at the Assessment Office in Room 104 of the Historic Courthouse in Carlisle between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., or submit by mail so long as it arrives by the deadline.5Cumberland County, PA – Official Website. Property Appeal Information A filing fee is required, payable to the Cumberland County General Fund. A recent sale price well below the assessed value (adjusted by the CLR) is strong evidence; so is a professional appraisal, which the Assessment Office accepts electronically.
Programs That Lower the Bill
Homestead Exclusion
The Homestead Exclusion lowers the assessed value used for your school district tax calculation, so the savings appear on the school portion of your bill. It was created under the Taxpayer Relief Act (Act 1 of Special Session 1 of 2006).6Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Property Tax Relief Through Homestead Exclusion The property must be your primary residence, and the application is due by March 1 before the tax year you want relief. Once approved, the exclusion stays in place until your eligibility changes. Farms used for commercial agriculture may qualify for a separate farmstead exclusion under the same program.7Pennsylvania General Assembly. Taxpayer Relief Act
Property Tax/Rent Rebate
Older adults and people with disabilities may qualify for a direct rebate from the state. Eligibility requires household income of $48,110 or less and meeting one of three conditions: age 65 or older, a widow or widower age 50 or older, or a person with disabilities age 18 or older.8Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program For the 2026 application cycle, which covers property taxes paid in 2025, the deadline is June 30, 2026. The rebate arrives as a check from the state, so you still pay the full tax bill up front. Qualifying renters can also apply, because a portion of rent is treated as property tax under the program.
Clean and Green
Owners of larger tracts used for farming, forestry, or open space can reduce their taxes substantially through the Clean and Green program (Act 319). Enrolled land is assessed on use value rather than market value.9Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Clean and Green The property must be at least ten acres and fit one of three categories: agricultural use, agricultural reserve, or forest reserve. Smaller parcels can still qualify as agricultural use if they produce at least $2,000 in annual farm income.
Leaving the program is costly. If you change the land use or sell off a piece for development, you owe rollback taxes equal to the difference between what you paid under Clean and Green and what you would have paid at full assessment, going back seven years, plus 6% simple interest per year. Rollback taxes apply only to the acreage affected, not the entire enrolled property.
Payment Schedule and Penalties
Under Pennsylvania’s Local Tax Collection Law, your bill moves through three phases from the date the tax notice is mailed:
- Discount period, first two months: at least 2% off the total.
- Face period, months three and four: pay the full amount.
- Penalty period, after four months: up to 10% added to the face amount.
Cutoffs are judged by postmark, not by when the payment arrives at the tax collector’s office. Payments typically go to a local tax collector assigned to your municipality rather than directly to the county. The discount is not available if you pay in installments; you must pay the full bill at once to claim it.
If You Don’t Pay
Taxes become officially delinquent on December 31 of the year they were due. The following spring, your local tax collector returns the unpaid account to the Cumberland County Tax Claim Bureau.10Pennsylvania General Assembly. Real Estate Tax Sale Law By the end of July, the bureau sends notice that a one-year window to pay the full balance has begun. If the debt is still unpaid at the end of that window, the claim becomes absolute on January 1 of the following year, and the property can be scheduled for an upset tax sale, typically held between the second Monday of September and October 1. At an upset sale, the minimum bid must cover all delinquent taxes, and the original owner loses the property to the winning bidder. The timeline from missed payment to sale runs roughly two years, but interest and fees build the whole time, so paying early costs far less than waiting.