How is property tax calculated in Connecticut?

Connecticut taxes the assessed value, which is fixed by statute at 70% of fair market value. The assessed value, minus any exemptions, is multiplied by the town's mill rate and divided by 1,000. One mill equals $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value.

What is a mill rate in Connecticut?

A mill rate is the tax per $1,000 of assessed value. A 35-mill rate means $35 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value. Each Connecticut town sets its own mill rate, ranging from around 11 mills in Greenwich to nearly 70 mills in Hartford.

Why does Connecticut assess at 70%?

State law requires all Connecticut municipalities to assess real and personal property at 70% of fair market value for uniformity. So a home with a $350,000 market value has an assessed value of $245,000, and the mill rate is applied to that assessed figure, not the full market price.

Are there property tax exemptions in Connecticut?

Yes. Connecticut offers exemptions and credits for qualifying veterans, elderly and totally disabled homeowners, the blind, and certain energy or farm uses. These reduce the assessed value or the tax owed; enter the assessed-value reduction in this tool to see the effect.

Does Connecticut tax motor vehicles too?

Yes. Connecticut levies a separate property tax on registered motor vehicles, often at a capped or separate lower mill rate than real estate. This tool estimates real-estate property tax; check your town for the current motor-vehicle mill rate, which is capped statewide.

Connecticut Property Tax Estimator

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Connecticut funds local government almost entirely through property taxes, and the math is consistent statewide: every town assesses real estate at 70% of fair market value and then applies its own mill rate. This estimator combines those two figures so you can estimate an annual bill for any home value and town.

How it works

The estimate follows Connecticut’s statutory method:

assessed value = market value × 0.70
taxable value  = assessed value − exemptions
annual tax     = taxable value × mill rate ÷ 1000

One mill is $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. The 70% assessment ratio is fixed by state law, so the only variable that differs between towns is the mill rate. Mill rates range from about 11 in Greenwich to nearly 69 in Hartford.

Example

A $350,000 home in a town with a 35-mill rate has an assessed value of $245,000 (70%). With no exemptions, the tax is $245,000 × 35 ÷ 1,000 = $8,575 per year, or about $715 per month — an effective rate of roughly 2.45% of market value. The same home in Greenwich at 11.59 mills would owe about $2,840.

Notes

This estimate covers real-estate property tax. Connecticut also taxes registered motor vehicles, often under a separate, capped mill rate. Some towns set a lower mill rate for motor vehicles than for real property. Exemptions for veterans, the elderly, and the disabled reduce assessed value or tax owed. Confirm your town’s current mill rate and exemptions with your local assessor; rates are reset each fiscal year.