Kirkland, WA Property Tax: Rates, Deadlines, and Exemptions

Property tax on a Kirkland, WA home is assessed and collected by King County, based on your property’s full market value multiplied by a combined levy rate that pulls in the state, county, city, school district, and other local taxing districts.¹ Your annual bill is split into two installments due April 30 and October 31, and anything paid late accrues interest at 12 percent per year.²

How Your Bill Is Calculated

Your tax is not a flat percentage of what your home is worth. The King County Assessor multiplies your assessed value by a combined levy rate expressed per $1,000 of value. That combined rate stacks levies from the state, King County, the City of Kirkland, local school districts, fire and library districts, and any voter-approved special levies. The Assessor publishes a city-by-city comparison each year that lists exactly which levies apply to Kirkland properties and at what rate.¹

State law caps the total regular levy any individual taxing district can collect at a one percent increase per year, with revenue from new construction sitting outside that cap.³ The limit applies to the district’s total dollars, not to any one homeowner. If your home’s assessed value climbed faster than surrounding properties, your share of the levy grows even in a year when the district’s overall collections barely moved. Voter-approved bonds and excess levies for schools, parks, or emergency services can push rates higher still.

How Kirkland Properties Are Assessed

Washington law requires every property to be valued at 100 percent of its true and fair market value.⁴ The King County Assessor updates each property’s value every year using a statistical model that pulls in recent sales, market trends, and neighborhood conditions. Appraisers also physically inspect each property at least once during a six-year cycle, looking at size, condition, and features from the outside rather than the interior.⁵

You can look up your current assessed value anytime through the King County eReal Property portal by searching your address or parcel number.⁶ The portal also shows property details and tax history. Check it as soon as your annual valuation notice arrives — if the number looks wrong, you have a limited window to appeal.

Payment Deadlines and How to Pay

If your total annual tax is more than $50, you pay in two installments: the first half by April 30, the second half by October 31.² Bills of $50 or less are due in full on April 30.

King County accepts payment through several channels:

E-check online, drawn directly from your checking account, for a $0.55 convenience fee.⁷
Credit card online (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover), with a 2.35 percent convenience fee charged by the processor.⁸
Mail, using the coupon from your tax statement. The postmark date is treated as the payment date.²
Secure drop boxes located throughout King County.

Any payment method asks for your tax parcel number, a 10-digit alphanumeric code unique to your property.⁹ It is printed on your annual tax statement and is searchable through eReal Property. Write it on your check so the county applies the payment to the right account.

What Happens If You Pay Late

Delinquent Washington property taxes carry interest at 12 percent per year, calculated monthly, starting the day after the deadline.² One detail trips people up: miss the April 30 first-half deadline and interest runs on the full year’s tax, not just the first installment.⁷ Miss the October 31 second-half deadline and interest runs only on the unpaid balance.

Taxes that remain unpaid long enough become a lien on the property, and the county can eventually pursue a tax lien sale that puts your ownership at risk. Redemption rights exist, but back taxes, accumulated interest, and fees add up fast. A couple of months of delay on a sizable Kirkland bill can mean hundreds of extra dollars owed.

A note on missed bills: if the county mails your statement to an old address and you never see it, that does not excuse a late payment. Update your mailing address with the Assessor’s office when you move, and keep it current so your valuation notice and tax statement reach you in time.

Appealing Your Assessed Value

If the Assessor’s valuation looks too high, you can petition the King County Board of Equalization, which operates independently from the Assessor’s office.¹⁰ Your petition must be postmarked or filed online by July 1 of the assessment year, or within 60 days of the date on your valuation notice, whichever is later.¹¹

The petition needs your parcel number, the Assessor’s current value, your opinion of the correct value, and specific reasons the assessment is wrong. The Board can only consider evidence that goes to market value. Arguments that your tax is too high, that your value jumped by too large a percentage, or that paying would be a hardship do not qualify.¹² Strong petitions typically include recent comparable sales from your neighborhood, an independent appraisal, or documentation of conditions that reduce value such as structural damage or environmental issues. You can file through the eAppeals system online or mail a paper petition.

Exemptions and Deferrals That Can Lower Your Bill

Washington runs several programs that reduce or defer property tax for qualifying Kirkland homeowners. Every program requires that you own and live in the home as your primary residence.

Senior and Disabled Person Exemption

If you are 61 or older by December 31 of the year you apply, or if you retired from regular employment because of a physical disability, you may qualify for an exemption from all or part of your property taxes.¹³ The program uses income tiers tied to the county’s median household income, and each tier delivers a different level of relief. The lowest-income tier freezes your assessed value and exempts you from excess levies; the highest qualifying tier exempts you from excess levies only.¹⁴

Because King County’s median income is high, qualifying thresholds here are more generous than in most of the state. For applications filed in 2026, total household income for 2025 generally must have been $88,998 or less.¹⁵ Thresholds are recalculated every three years, and the Washington Department of Revenue publishes updated county figures in advance.¹⁶ If your income rises after approval, you must notify the Assessor; failing to report higher income can mean losing the exemption retroactively.

Disabled Veteran Exemption

Veterans with a combined service-connected disability rating of 40 percent or higher from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs qualify under the same program regardless of age, as do veterans rated totally disabled for a service-connected condition.¹³ The income thresholds and tier structure are the same, with the disability rating standing in for the age requirement.

Property Tax Deferral

If you qualify for the senior or disabled exemption and still cannot cover the remaining bill, Washington’s deferral program lets the state pay the taxes for you and place a lien on your property. The deferred amount accrues simple interest and comes due when the home is sold, you move out, or you pass away.¹⁷ A separate limited-income deferral exists for homeowners who do not meet the age or disability requirements but have low household income. Deferral income limits are higher than exemption limits; for King County, the deferral threshold sits above $100,000 for the upcoming cycle.¹⁶

If Your Mortgage Pays the Tax

Most Kirkland homeowners never cut a check to King County directly. Their mortgage servicer collects a monthly escrow amount with the mortgage payment and remits the tax on their behalf. Under federal RESPA rules the servicer can hold a cushion of up to two months of escrow payments to absorb unexpected increases.¹⁸ When your assessed value or levy rate jumps, your monthly payment rises at the next escrow analysis.

If a servicer misses a county deadline and interest is charged, the servicer owes those charges, not you. Even so, escrow errors happen, especially around a sale or a new loan originated mid-year. Compare your annual escrow statement against your King County tax bill and raise any mismatch with the servicer right away.

1
King County, Washington. City Tax Comparison for 2025-2026
2
Washington State Legislature. RCW 84.56.020 – Taxes Collected by Treasurer, Dates of Delinquency
3
Washington Department of Revenue. Property Tax – How The 1% Property Tax Levy Limit Works
4
Washington State Legislature. RCW 84.40.030 – Manner of Assessment of Real and Personal Property
5
Washington State Legislature. Authority of County Board of Equalization to Equalize the Assessment of Property
6
King County, Washington. Look Up Property Information
7
King County, Washington. Property Tax Payment Information
8
King County. King County – Second-Half Property Tax Reminder
9
King County, Washington. Property Research FAQ
10
King County, Washington. Appealing a Valuation
11
King County, Washington. How to Appeal Your Valuation
12
King County, Washington. How to Appeal a Property Tax Assessment
13
Washington State Legislature. RCW 84.36.381 – Exemptions, Qualifications for Senior Citizens, Disabled Persons, and Others
14
Washington State Legislature. RCW 84.36.383 – Definitions and Income Thresholds
15
King County, Washington. Senior or Disabled Exemptions and Deferrals
16
Washington Department of Revenue. Income Thresholds for Senior Citizen and Disabled Persons Property Tax Exemption and Deferral
17
Washington Department of Revenue. Property Tax Exemptions and Deferrals
18
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1024.17 Escrow Accounts