Overview of King County, WA Taxes
King County, Washington’s average effective property tax rate is 1.05%. That’s higher than the state of Washington’s overall average effective property tax rate of 0.84%.
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To calculate the exact amount of property tax you will owe requires your property's assessed value and the property tax rates based on your property's address. Please note that we can only estimate your property tax based on median property taxes in your area. There are typically multiple rates in a given area, because your state, county, local schools and emergency responders each receive funding partly through these taxes. In our calculator, we take your home value and multiply that by your county's effective property tax rate. This is equal to the median property tax paid as a percentage of the median home value in your county.
To calculate the exact amount of property tax you will owe requires your property's assessed value and the property tax rates based on your property's address. Please note that we can only estimate your property tax based on median property taxes in your area. There are typically multiple rates in a given area, because your state, county, local schools and emergency responders each receive funding partly through these taxes. In our calculator, we take your home value and multiply that by your county's effective property tax rate. This is equal to the median property tax paid as a percentage of the median home value in your county.
King County Property Tax Rates
The median home value in King County is $601,100, the highest in Washington state when compared with the other counties. The state median is $485,700, and the nation's median is almost half less than King County at $281,400.
Overall, King County property owners pay a median of $6,328 in property taxes. In the state of Washington, the median amount of property taxes paid by residents is $4,601.
King County residents pay two different types of property taxes: real property taxes (for homes, buildings and land) and personal property taxes (for equipment, machinery and mobile homes located in mobile home parks). If you live in the area, your property tax bill is calculated by multiplying the effective property tax rate by the estimated value of your property. Property tax bills are also based on the cost of running the local and state governments. Property taxes are used to provide funding for hospitals, schools, libraries and local projects and services.
A financial advisor can help you understand how homeownership fits into your overall financial goals. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
King County Property Tax Breaks
Even a small property tax bill can be burdensome for certain King County residents. If you struggle to pay your property taxes every year, you may want to consider finding out if you’re eligible for a tax break. Exemptions are available for different groups of people, including farmers with certain machinery or equipment and homeowners who’ve renovated their single-family homes or historic properties.
Disabled taxpayers and seniors who were born in 1958 or before may be able to lower their property tax bills if their annual income is under $58,423. To qualify for an exemption, these individuals also need to own and occupy a home in King County. If you’re not eligible for that tax break, you may qualify for a property tax deferral if your disposable income doesn’t exceed $67,411.
Some low-income homeowners may be able to defer the payment of their property taxes, too. If you earn less than $67,411 annually and you’ve owned property in King County for at least five years, you may be able to defer 25% of your property taxes. To request a deferral, residents will need to complete an application and submit it to the County Assessor by September 1. Many of these numbers have increased since 2019.
Another exemption offers tax relief to property owners with damaged property. In addition to filing a form with the County Assessor, King County residents may be required to submit additional documentation, such as a report from the fire department following a fire or paperwork provided by an insurance company following a natural disaster.
If you have questions about how property taxes can affect your overall financial plans, a financial advisor in Bellevue can help you out.
Paying Your King County Property Taxes
Wondering how much you owe in property taxes? You (or your mortgage lender) should receive a bill in the mail in February. In the meantime, you can view your property tax bill online by visiting kingcounty.gov and entering your tax account number for your real or personal property (you can find this number on your Assessor's Valuation Change Notice or an older property tax statement). If you haven’t received a bill by March 1 (and your mortgage lender hasn’t gotten anything either), you may need to request a statement online or by calling the Treasury Operations Property Tax Office.
If you have questions about your property tax bill and the way the county assessed the value of your property, you can email or call the County Assessor. To appeal your property appraisal, you can file a petition with the local Board of Equalization.
In King County, property taxes are usually paid in two installments. First-half taxes must be postmarked by April 30. Second-half taxes must be paid or postmarked by October 31. If you miss these deadlines, your property taxes become delinquent the following day.
For every month that your payment is late, you’ll be charged interest equal to 1% of the amount that’s due. You could also get hit with a 3% penalty if you don’t pay the full amount of your first installment by June 1 and an 8% penalty if you don’t pay all of your second-half property taxes by December 1.
When you’re ready to pay your property tax bill, you can do so online with a check or credit card. You can also either mail in your payment or pay it in person at the King County Treasury Operations Office.
Places Receiving the Most Value for Their Property Taxes
SmartAsset’s interactive map highlights the places across the country where property tax dollars are being spent most effectively. Zoom between states and the national map to see the counties getting the biggest bang for their property tax buck.
Methodology
Our study aims to find the places in the United States where people are getting the most value for their property tax dollars. To do this, we looked at property taxes paid, school rankings and the change in property values over a five-year period.
First, we used the number of households, median home value and average property tax rate to calculate a per capita property tax collected for each county.
As a way to measure the quality of schools, we analyzed the math and reading/language arts proficiencies for every school district in the country. We created an average score for each district by looking at the scores for every school in that district, weighting it to account for the number of students in each school. Within each state, we assigned every county a score between 1 and 10 (with 10 being the best) based on the average scores of the districts in each county.
Then, we calculated the change in property tax value in each county over a five-year period. Places where property values rose by the greatest amount indicated where consumers were motivated to buy homes, and a positive return on investment for homeowners in the community.
Finally, we calculated a property tax index, based on the criteria above. Counties with the highest scores were those where property tax dollars are going the furthest.
Sources: US Census Bureau 2018 American Community Survey, Department of Education
