The Hillsborough, NH property tax rate for 2025 is $21.05 per $1,000 of assessed value, as certified by the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration.1New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. 2025 Municipal Tax Rates That is a sharp drop from the 2024 rate of $33.44, and the reason is not that the town needs less money. Hillsborough completed a property revaluation that pushed total assessed values up, which mathematically pulled the per-dollar rate down.2New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. 2024 Municipal Tax Rates For most homeowners, the total bill after a revaluation lands close to what it was before; the split between rate and assessed value just shifts.
On a home now assessed at $250,000, the annual tax comes to roughly $5,263.
What Makes Up the 2025 Rate
The $21.05 total is four separate rates stacked together, each funding a different layer of government. All figures are per $1,000 of assessed value:1New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. 2025 Municipal Tax Rates
- Local education: $10.98, funding the Hillsborough-Deering School District.
- Municipal: $7.95, covering police, fire, road maintenance, and town administration.
- State education: $1.09, collected locally and remitted to the state.
- County: $1.03, supporting Hillsborough County services.
Local education is more than half the bill. On that $250,000 home, about $2,745 of the $5,263 annual tax goes to schools.
Why the Rate Dropped So Much
New Hampshire law requires that taxable property be appraised at full market value: the price a willing buyer would pay a willing seller.3New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 75:1 – How Appraised Assessments drift over time as the market moves, and when the gap gets wide enough, the town revalues everything to bring assessed values back in line with what properties would actually sell for. That is what happened between 2024 and 2025 in Hillsborough. The 2024 rate of $33.44 was nearly 60% higher than the 2025 rate, but total assessed values jumped correspondingly.2New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. 2024 Municipal Tax Rates
Individual results vary. If your property’s value rose faster than the town average, your bill went up; if it rose slower, your bill went down.
Home Improvements and Reassessment
Building an addition, adding a garage, finishing an attic, or converting space for a new use can trigger an assessment increase outside the normal revaluation cycle. The permit you pull is usually how the assessing department finds out. Routine maintenance and cosmetic updates generally do not trigger a reassessment.
Programs That Reduce Your Bill
Hillsborough offers several credits and exemptions that directly reduce your taxable value or your tax bill. Applications use the state’s Form PA-29 and must be filed with the Assessing Office by April 15 of the year you’re claiming.4New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 72:33 – Application for Exemption or Tax Credit
Elderly Exemption
Residents who meet age, income, and asset thresholds can have a portion of their home’s assessed value exempted. You must have lived in New Hampshire for at least three consecutive years before April 1 of the claim year.5New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 72:39-a – Elderly Exemption State-minimum income limits are $13,400 for a single applicant and $20,400 for a married couple, with a minimum asset limit of $35,000 that excludes the home and up to two acres. Hillsborough can set its limits higher than those floors, so check with the Assessing Office for the town’s current thresholds.
Blind Exemption
If you are legally blind, you qualify for an exemption of at least $15,000 off your home’s assessed value.6New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 72:37 – Exemption for the Blind You’ll need a certification letter from the Bureau of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired with your PA-29 application. The town can vote to increase the amount above $15,000.
Veterans’ Tax Credit
Hillsborough has adopted the optional veterans’ tax credit at $750, subtracted directly from the tax bill each year.7Town of Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Town Clerk/Tax Collector It applies to veterans who served at least 90 days on active duty in a qualifying war or armed conflict and received an honorable discharge, along with their spouses and surviving spouses.8New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 72:28 – Standard and Optional Veterans Tax Credit Veterans terminated from service due to a service-connected disability, and surviving spouses of service members who died from service-connected causes, also qualify. Bring your DD214 with the application.
A separate All Veterans’ Tax Credit under RSA 72:28-b covers veterans who served 90 days on active duty but don’t meet the wartime-service requirement. The dollar amount is the same, and you can only receive one credit or the other.9New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 72:28-b – All Veterans Tax Credit
Low and Moderate Income Homeowners Relief
This one is easy to miss because you apply to the state, not the town. If your adjusted gross income is $37,000 or less as a single filer, or $47,000 or less if married or head of household, you can apply directly to the Department of Revenue Administration for a partial rebate of the state education portion of your property tax.10New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. Low and Moderate Income Homeowners Property Tax Relief The window is narrow: applications are accepted only between May 1 and June 30, filed online through Granite Tax Connect or on paper Form DP-8.
Appealing Your Assessment
If your property is assessed above what it would actually sell for, you can apply for an abatement. The deadline is strict. You must file a written application with the selectmen by March 1 following the date of your tax notice, or you lose the right to challenge that year’s assessment.11New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 76:16 – By Selectmen or Assessors
The selectmen have until July 1 to grant or deny your application in writing. Silence past that date counts as a denial. Either way, you can appeal to the state Board of Tax and Land Appeals or to superior court. The strongest applications include recent comparable sales, an independent appraisal, or documentation of property conditions the assessor missed or overvalued.
Paying, and What Happens If You Don’t
Hillsborough bills property taxes semi-annually, typically due in July and December. The Tax Collector accepts online payments (electronic check or credit card), mail, and in-person payments at the town offices.7Town of Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Town Clerk/Tax Collector
The consequences for falling behind escalate quickly. Interest starts accruing at 8% per year on any balance unpaid after December 1 following the assessment. If your bill was mailed on or after November 2, you get a 30-day grace period before interest begins.12New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 76:13 – Interest
If the balance stays unpaid, the town can execute a tax lien against your property. Once the lien is recorded, the interest rate rises to 14% per year on the full lien amount, and a two-year redemption clock starts. To keep the property, you must pay off the entire balance, including principal, interest, and costs, within those two years. If you don’t, the tax collector is required to execute a tax deed transferring ownership of your property to the municipality.13New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 80:76 – Tax Deed Partial payments during the redemption period are allowed and reduce the balance interest accrues on, so paying something still helps if you can’t pay in full.