What Is the Springfield, MA Property Tax Rate?

Springfield, Massachusetts has a residential property tax rate of $15.46 per $1,000 of assessed value for fiscal year 2026, and a commercial, industrial, and personal property (CIP) rate of $34.35 per $1,000.¹ After a $7 million offset applied to the tax levy, the average single-family bill works out to about $4,255 for the year. Both figures are slightly lower than FY2025, when residential owners paid $15.68 and CIP owners paid $35.22 per $1,000.²

Springfield uses a split-rate system and applies the maximum tax shift the state allows onto business and commercial properties, which keeps the residential rate lower than it would be under a single uniform rate.¹ Rates are set once a year and locked in from July 1 through June 30.

One warning before you take comfort in a lower rate: a drop in the rate does not always mean a drop in your bill. If your assessed value rose faster than the rate fell, you can still owe more than last year.

How to Calculate Your Bill

The formula is simple. Take your assessed value, divide by 1,000, and multiply by the applicable rate.

A home assessed at $275,000 in FY2026 owes $275 × $15.46, or $4,251.50 for the year. A commercial parcel assessed at the same $275,000 owes $275 × $34.35, or $9,446.25. Divide by four to see what each quarterly installment will roughly look like.

The number that drives everything is your assessed value, not the rate. The rate applies uniformly to every property in your class citywide. Your assessment is specific to your parcel, and it is the one variable you have any ability to challenge.

Where Your Assessed Value Comes From

The Springfield Board of Assessors sets values based on fair cash value, meaning what a willing buyer would pay a willing seller on the open market. Massachusetts law requires assessment at full market value as of January 1 before the fiscal year begins.³ Your FY2026 bill reflects what the city thinks your property was worth on January 1, 2025.

Assessors do not appraise each property individually. They use mass appraisal, analyzing recent sales and market trends across neighborhoods, supplemented by periodic physical inspections. Additions, finished basements, and expansions tend to show up in later assessments; cosmetic work like paint and flooring usually does not. Building permits are public, and the assessor’s office tracks them, so if your project required a permit, assume it will eventually be reflected in your value.

You can look up your current assessed value through the city’s online assessors database.⁴

Exemptions That Reduce What You Owe

Massachusetts offers property tax exemptions under Chapter 59, Section 5 of the General Laws. These reduce your tax, not your assessed value. Three categories cover most Springfield homeowners who qualify.

Seniors

Under Clause 41C, homeowners 70 or older at the start of the fiscal year can receive an exemption of either $500 or $4,000 off their taxable valuation, whichever produces the larger tax reduction.³ The statute sets baseline income limits around $13,000 for single filers and $15,000 for married couples (after a Social Security deduction), with asset limits of $28,000 single and $30,000 married, excluding the home. Cities and towns can vote to raise those thresholds, and many have. Check with the Board of Assessors for Springfield’s current locally adopted limits.

Veterans

Veterans with service-connected disabilities qualify under Clauses 22 through 22F. The exemption starts at $400 for a basic qualifying veteran and increases with the disability rating. Veterans who are paraplegic or who have a 100% service-connected disability for blindness receive a full exemption and owe no property tax. Surviving spouses of qualifying veterans can also qualify under certain clauses.³

Blind Persons and Surviving Spouses

Legally blind homeowners qualify under Clause 37 ($437.50) or Clause 37A, which pays more. Surviving spouses meeting ownership and occupancy requirements can qualify under separate clauses.³

For every exemption, the application deadline is April 1 of the fiscal year or within three months after the tax bill is sent, whichever is later.⁵ Miss the date and you lose the exemption for that year, no matter how clearly you qualify.

Challenging Your Assessment

If your property is assessed above what it would actually sell for, you can file an abatement application with the Board of Assessors. In Springfield, which bills quarterly, the application is due by February 1, the last day to pay the third-quarter actual tax bill without interest.⁶ If February 1 falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.⁵

The strongest evidence is recent sales of comparable properties in your neighborhood at prices below your assessed value. A professional appraisal, typically $300 to $750, carries real weight if the case moves to the Appellate Tax Board on appeal. You can also document physical problems the assessors likely did not see: foundation damage, a failing heating system, environmental issues on the lot.

The Board has three months to act. If they deny or do not respond, you can appeal to the state Appellate Tax Board. You must keep paying the full bill while the application is pending. If you win, the refund comes with interest.

When and How to Pay

Springfield bills quarterly. The first two installments are preliminary bills based on the prior year’s tax, due August 1 and November 1. The second two reflect the actual FY rate and are due February 1 and May 1.⁷

You have three ways to pay:

Online through City Hall Systems for current-year taxes, with a separate portal for delinquent balances. Both are linked from the city website.⁸
In person at the City Collector’s Office, Room 112, Springfield City Hall, 36 Court Street. Open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.⁸
By mail, with a check and the payment coupon from your bill.

If you have a mortgage escrow, your lender pays the tax out of the account funded by your monthly payment. When the tax goes up, so does the escrow portion of your mortgage. Lenders review escrow at least once a year, and shortfalls can be paid in a lump sum or spread over the next twelve months.

What Happens If You Fall Behind

Unpaid property tax in Massachusetts accrues interest at 14% annually from the original due date, a rate set by state law.⁹ Interest becomes part of the tax, so you cannot pay just the principal and settle the rest later.

If the balance stays unpaid, the city can record a tax lien, which takes priority over most other claims against the property, including your mortgage. From there, the city can proceed with a tax taking. After a taking, you still have a redemption period during which you can pay the full amount owed plus 8% interest to get the property back.¹⁰ If you do not redeem, the city can petition the Land Court to foreclose your ownership permanently.

Each step has notices and statutory waiting periods, so none of this happens overnight. But 14% compounds fast, and legal costs stack on top once a taking is filed. If you are going to be late, call the Collector’s Office before a lien is recorded. Everything is cheaper to fix before that point.

1
City of Springfield, MA. Mayor Sarno and Board of Assessors Announce Recommendation for Lower Residential and CIP Tax Rates
2
City of Springfield, MA. Mayor Sarno and Board of Assessors Announce Recommendation for FY25 Tax Rates
3
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 59 Section 5
4
City of Springfield, MA. Assessors Database Search
5
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 59 Section 59
6
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Property Tax Information
7
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 59 Section 57C
8
City of Springfield, MA. Pay City Taxes, Fees and Tickets Online
9
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 59 Section 57
10
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 60 Section 62