The Lynn, MA property tax rate for fiscal year 2026 is $10.30 per $1,000 of assessed value for residential property and $19.64 per $1,000 for commercial, industrial, and personal property. The city’s fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30, and bills are issued quarterly. The average single-family home in Lynn carries an FY2026 tax bill of roughly $6,032, up from $5,746 in FY2025.1City of Lynn. Fiscal Year 2026 Classification Hearing
How to Calculate Your Bill
Take your assessed value, divide by 1,000, and multiply by the rate that applies to your property. A home assessed at $500,000 owes $5,150 for the year ($500,000 ÷ 1,000 × $10.30). A commercial building at the same value owes $9,820.
Your assessment reflects what the property was worth on January 1, 2025, since Massachusetts uses a January 1 valuation date for the following fiscal year.2General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Code Chapter 59 Section 38 – Fair Cash Valuation, Classification of Assessed Valuation, Taxable Valuation You can look up the current assessment on your property through the city’s online database.3City of Lynn. Property Data – Assessments If your bill rose by much more than the roughly $286 city-wide average, that usually means your assessed value climbed faster than the rest of Lynn’s housing stock, which is worth checking.
When Payments Are Due
Lynn bills quarterly. Payments are due August 1, November 1, February 1, and May 1.4City of Lynn. Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes The first two quarters are preliminary bills based on the prior year’s tax. The last two reflect the actual FY2026 rate once it’s set. You can pay online through the city’s portal, by mail, or in person at City Hall.
Miss a due date and interest runs at 14% per year on the unpaid balance from the day after it was due.4City of Lynn. Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes That rate is set by state law. The Collector’s office cannot waive it, and there’s no grace period. If you mail a check, give it real lead time.
If a mortgage servicer handles your taxes through escrow, it collects part of the bill with each monthly payment and pays the city on your behalf. Rate or assessment changes push your escrow payment up, and your lender’s annual escrow analysis will catch any shortage. You can usually clear a shortage in a lump sum or spread it across twelve higher monthly payments. If a servicer holding escrow funds misses a tax payment, contact them in writing right away and attach the bill.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Should I Do if I Get a Tax Bill Saying My Mortgage Servicer Did Not Pay My Taxes
Exemptions That Reduce the Bill
Lynn is not offering a residential exemption for FY2026. The city has the authority to adopt one, but the mayor did not recommend it this year.1City of Lynn. Fiscal Year 2026 Classification Hearing That decision is made annually and could change in future years.
Statutory personal exemptions are still available regardless of what the city does on the residential exemption. The most commonly used ones are:
- Clause 41C for homeowners age 65 or older who have lived in Massachusetts for at least 10 years and owned property in the state for at least 5, subject to income and asset limits.
- Clause 22 and related clauses for veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10%, with exemption amounts ranging from $400 up to full exemption depending on the disability.6General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 59 Section 5
- Clause 17D for surviving spouses, minor children of a deceased parent, or persons age 70 or older, if the property is their primary residence, subject to asset limits.
- Clause 37 for legally blind homeowners registered with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind.
File exemption applications with Lynn’s Assessing Department by April 1, 2026.7City of Lynn. Personal Exemptions, Abatements and Other Forms You have to reapply each year, and the property must be your primary residence as of July 1 of the fiscal year.
Seniors who qualify can also defer taxes under Clause 41A rather than pay them now. The deferred balance accrues interest and comes due when the property is sold or transferred. It’s designed for homeowners who are cash-poor but property-rich.
If You Think Your Assessment Is Too High
Mass appraisal works from statistics, not individual walkthroughs, so it can miss things like serious foundation damage or an awkward layout that cuts value. If your assessment looks wrong, you can file an abatement application with the Board of Assessors.
The filing deadline is the last day to pay the first installment of your actual tax bill without interest.8General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 59 Section 59 For most Lynn taxpayers, that’s the first quarterly due date after the rate is set. Miss it and you forfeit abatement rights for the whole fiscal year, so flag the deadline the moment your actual bill arrives.
Use the state-approved form and submit it to the Assessors’ office with supporting evidence: recent comparable sales, an independent appraisal, photos and estimates for damage, or anything else showing the mass appraisal missed the mark on your property.
The assessors have three months to act. If they deny the application or don’t respond in that window, you can appeal to the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board within three months of the denial date.9Mass.gov. Real Estate Tax Appeals – A Helpful Guide for Taxpayers and Assessors A silent assessor equals a deemed denial after three months, and the appeal clock starts from that deemed-denial date.
One important thing: filing for abatement does not pause your tax bill. Pay the full amount on time. If you win, the city refunds the overpayment.
If You Fall Behind
Unpaid taxes escalate on a defined track. After interest accrues, the city can file an Instrument of Taking at the Registry of Deeds, which places a lien on the property.10Mass.gov. Tax Lien Foreclosure Informational Outline You still own the property, but you can’t sell or refinance without clearing the lien.
You can redeem any time before the city files a foreclosure petition by paying the full tax title balance plus 8% annual interest from the date of taking, along with any additional charges.11General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 60 Section 62 The treasurer can accept installment payments and push the start of foreclosure proceedings back by up to two years. If you’re already behind, ask about the installment option before things escalate further.
If you don’t redeem, the city can petition the Land Court to foreclose your right of redemption, and at that point you lose the property. Tax liens stopped appearing on consumer credit reports in 2018, but title searches still turn them up, so a lien can block a sale or refinance just as effectively as a credit hit would.
Business Personal Property
The $19.64 CIP rate covers more than commercial real estate. It also applies to business personal property such as equipment, furniture, fixtures, and other tangible assets used in a trade or business. If you own or lease business property in Lynn, you have to file a Form of List (State Tax Form 2) with the Board of Assessors by March 1 each year, reporting all taxable personal property as of January 1. Inventory held for sale is exempt. Office equipment, machinery, and trade fixtures are not.
Skipping the Form of List does not make the tax disappear. The assessors will estimate a value, and you lose the right to challenge that estimate through abatement. Small business owners often don’t hear about this one until the penalties have stacked up.
Federal Deduction
Lynn property taxes on a primary or secondary home are deductible on your federal return if you itemize.12Internal Revenue Service. Publication 530 – Tax Information for Homeowners The deduction falls under the SALT cap, which covers state and local property taxes together with state income or sales taxes. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed in July 2025, the SALT cap for 2026 is approximately $40,000 for most filers.13Internal Revenue Service. One Big Beautiful Bill Provisions Most Lynn homeowners sit well under that ceiling, though it starts to matter when you also pay substantial Massachusetts income tax.
Only the actual property tax is deductible. Special assessments for local improvements, water and sewer charges, and trash fees don’t qualify even when they share the bill. If you pay through escrow, deduct what your lender actually paid the city during the tax year, not what you paid into escrow.