What is Wisconsin's average property tax rate?

Wisconsin's effective property tax rate is roughly 1.61% of home value, among the ten highest in the United States. That equals about $16.10 per $1,000 of assessed value, though actual mill rates vary widely by school district and municipality.

What is the Lottery & Gaming Credit?

Wisconsin returns lottery proceeds to homeowners as a credit on the property tax bill for a primary residence. The credit amount changes yearly and varies by district but commonly runs $100 to $300, directly reducing your net tax owed.

A mill rate is the tax per $1,000 of assessed value. A mill rate of 16 means $16 of tax for every $1,000 of value, so a $250,000 home would owe $4,000 before credits. One mill equals 0.001 of value.

Does Wisconsin reassess property every year?

Municipalities revalue periodically and the state applies an equalization ratio so assessments track market value. If your assessment lags the market, the state Department of Revenue equalized value adjusts the effective burden across districts.

Is this my exact tax bill?

No. Real bills combine school, county, municipal, and technical-college levies plus special assessments. Mill rates differ by parcel. Use this to estimate; your municipal treasurer's bill is authoritative.

Wisconsin Property Tax Estimator

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Wisconsin has some of the highest property taxes in the country, with an effective rate near 1.61 percent of home value. This estimator applies your county mill rate to your home value and subtracts the credits most homeowners receive to approximate your annual bill.

How it works

Property tax is the mill rate times your assessed value, divided by 1,000:

gross tax = (assessed value ÷ 1000) × mill rate
net tax   = gross tax − lottery & gaming credit − first dollar credit

A mill rate of 16 means 16 dollars of tax per 1,000 dollars of value. Wisconsin’s statewide effective rate of about 1.61 percent corresponds to a roughly 16.1 mill rate, but individual municipalities range widely depending on school and local levies. Two credits reduce the net bill: the Lottery & Gaming Credit (primary residences) and the First Dollar Credit (improved parcels).

Example

A 250,000 dollar home at a 16 mill rate has a gross tax of (250,000 ÷ 1000) × 16 = 4,000 dollars. Subtracting a 200 dollar lottery credit and a 70 dollar first-dollar credit leaves a net bill of about 3,730 dollars.

Notes

This is an estimate. Actual Wisconsin bills aggregate school district, county, municipal, and technical-college levies, and mill rates differ by parcel and year. The state equalization process adjusts assessments toward market value. Special assessments and lake-district or sanitary-district charges are not modeled. Confirm your numbers with your municipal treasurer and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue at revenue.wi.gov.