Property taxes in Forsyth County, NC are not a single number. The countywide rate for 2025 is $0.5352 per $100 of assessed value, but what you actually owe depends on whether you live inside a city and which fire district covers your property. A Winston-Salem homeowner pays a combined rate of $1.1022 per $100 once the city levy is added, which works out to roughly $2,756 a year on a home assessed at $250,000.1Forsyth County. Tax Rates Bills go out in July, and you have until January 5 to pay at face value before interest starts.2Forsyth County. Forsyth County Tax Administration – Collections
What You’ll Actually Pay
Your total rate is stacked: the county base rate, a countywide fire service rate of $0.0179, and then whatever your city and local fire district add on top. Combined 2025 rates for common addresses look like this:1Forsyth County. Tax Rates
- Winston-Salem: $1.1022 per $100
- High Point (Forsyth portion): $1.1827 per $100
- Kernersville: $1.0442 per $100
- Clemmons (Clemmons fire district): $0.7611 per $100
- Lewisville (Lewisville fire district): $0.7961 per $100
- Walkertown: $0.6952 per $100
If you live in an unincorporated area outside any city, you pay only the county rate plus your fire district rate, which typically lands somewhere between $0.61 and $0.66 per $100.1Forsyth County. Tax Rates Rates are reset each year during budget season, so check your current bill rather than assuming last year’s number still applies.
How Your Property Value Is Set
Forsyth County reappraises real property on a four-year cycle. The most recent reappraisal took effect January 1, 2025, and the next one is expected around 2029.3Forsyth County Tax Administration. 2025 Reappraisal Between cycles, your assessed value stays the same unless you build, renovate, or demolish something on the property. When the county raises values across the board, it will often lower the rate to keep total revenue roughly stable, but your individual bill can still move up or down depending on how your property fared relative to the average.
When Bills Come Due
Real estate and personal property tax bills are mailed in July. The official due date is September 1, but you can pay at full face value any time through January 5 without penalty.2Forsyth County. Forsyth County Tax Administration – Collections Not receiving your bill is not a defense to a late payment. If it hasn’t arrived by mid-September, call the Tax Collector’s Office.
On January 6, taxes become delinquent and interest starts running. The first charge is 2% covering January 6 through February 1, and after that interest accrues at 0.75% per month, or any fraction of a month, until you pay in full.4North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-360 – Due Date; Interest for Nonpayment of Taxes On a $2,000 bill, that’s $40 the first month and about $15 each month after.
What Happens If You Fall Behind
The tax collector has real teeth. For personal property taxes, state law lets the collector seize and sell personal property or attach wages, bank deposits, rents, and other money owed to you, including property you transferred to a relative if the taxes were already owed at the time.5North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-366 – Remedies Available for Enforcement of Tax Lien on Personal Property
For real property, the county can foreclose on its tax lien. North Carolina allows either a standard civil foreclosure or an expedited “in rem” foreclosure that can produce a judgment without a hearing beforehand.6North Carolina Judicial Branch. Foreclosures The property can then be sold at auction. Falling a year or two behind can genuinely put your home at risk, so if you can’t pay, contact the Tax Collector’s Office before the account goes to enforcement.
Business Personal Property Listing
Most homeowners don’t need to do anything during the January listing period because real property is listed automatically. Business owners do. All business personal property — equipment, computers, furniture, fixtures, machinery, leasehold improvements, and any other income-producing personal property, including farm equipment — must be listed between January 1 and January 31 each year.7Forsyth County, NC. Business Personal Property The same window applies to individuals who own taxable personal property like unlicensed vehicles, boats, or airplanes.8North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-307 – Length of Listing Period; Extension; Preliminary Work
The Board of Commissioners traditionally extends the business listing deadline to February 15. If you need more time, you can request a written extension before the regular listing period closes, pushing your deadline as far as April 15.7Forsyth County, NC. Business Personal Property Miss the deadline and you face a 10% penalty on the tax levied against the unlisted property. If the county later discovers property you failed to list, it can assess taxes for the current year plus the previous five years, with a 10% penalty added to each year.9North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-312 – Discovery of Unlisted Property
Relief Programs You May Qualify For
North Carolina offers three main property tax relief programs, all administered locally through the Forsyth County Tax office using Form AV-9. Applications are due during the January listing period but will be accepted through June 1 for that tax year.
Elderly or Disabled Exclusion
If you’re 65 or older, or totally and permanently disabled, and your income for the prior calendar year was $38,800 or less, you can exclude the greater of $25,000 or 50% of your home’s appraised value from taxation.10North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-277.1 – Elderly or Disabled Property Tax Homestead Exclusion11North Carolina Department of Revenue. Application for Property Tax Relief On a $200,000 home, that’s $100,000 off the assessed value. You must be a North Carolina resident and the home must be your permanent legal residence. If you’re claiming disability, submit Form AV-9A along with your application.12North Carolina Department of Revenue. AV-9A Certification of Disability for Property Tax Exclusion
Disabled Veteran Exclusion
Veterans with a 100% permanent, service-connected disability, or those receiving benefits for specially adapted housing under 38 U.S.C. § 2101, can exclude the first $45,000 of their home’s appraised value.13North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-277.1C – Disabled Veteran Property Tax Homestead Exclusion Unremarried surviving spouses also qualify. There is no income limit. You’ll need Form NCDVA-9 certified by the NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, plus your DD-214 discharge papers, alongside Form AV-9.14North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Instructions for Form NCDVA-9 Property Tax Relief for Disabled Veterans You can’t combine this exclusion with the elderly/disabled exclusion or the circuit breaker.
Circuit Breaker Tax Deferment
The circuit breaker caps your annual tax bill at a percentage of your income rather than reducing your assessed value. If you’re 65 or older or totally and permanently disabled, and your income is no more than 150% of the eligibility limit (currently $58,200 for the 2026 tax year), you can defer any tax owed above 4% of your income (or 5% if your income is between $38,800 and $58,200).15North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-277.1B – Property Tax Homestead Circuit Breaker The deferred amount becomes a lien on the property. When the home is sold or transferred, or you stop qualifying, the last three years of deferred taxes plus interest come due.
How to Appeal Your Assessed Value
If your valuation notice looks too high, you have the right to challenge it, and most disputes get resolved without ever reaching a formal hearing.
Informal Review First
Start by contacting Forsyth County Tax Administration and asking for an informal review. You’ll generally need to submit a form within 30 days of receiving your notice explaining why the value is wrong.16Forsyth County Tax Administration. Reappraisal Brochure Common fixes at this stage involve incorrect square footage, unrecorded structural issues, or sales data that doesn’t fit your property’s actual condition.
Formal Appeal to the Board of Equalization and Review
If informal review doesn’t resolve things, file a written appeal with the Forsyth County Board of Equalization and Review. The deadline is June 30 or 15 days after your last value notice, whichever is later.17Forsyth County, North Carolina. Deadline for Property Value Appeal Is June 30 Bring evidence: recent independent appraisals, comparable sales, photographs of damage, anything showing the assessment exceeds fair market value. A professional appraisal typically runs $300 to $1,200, which can pay for itself quickly on a significant overvaluation.
If the Board rules against you, the next step is the North Carolina Property Tax Commission in Raleigh, with further appeals available to the state appellate courts.18North Carolina Department of Revenue. Property Tax Appeal Process17Forsyth County, North Carolina. Deadline for Property Value Appeal Is June 30
How to Pay
Forsyth County accepts payment through several channels:19Forsyth County. Tax Payment Options
- Online through the county’s payment portal, using an e-check (usually cheaper) or a credit or debit card (processing fee applies).
- By mail with a personal check or money order to the Forsyth County Tax Collector, postmarked by January 5 to avoid interest.
- In person at the cashier windows at the Forsyth County Government Center.
- By phone through an automated system that verifies your account and takes payment.
If January 5 is close, don’t rely on the postmark. Pay electronically or in person and keep the confirmation.