The City of Memphis property tax is billed separately from Shelby County’s tax and funds city services like police, fire, and parks. For the 2025 tax year, the city rate is $2.58081 per $100 of assessed value, bills are due by August 31, and any balance left unpaid on September 1 starts accruing interest at 1.5% per month.1City of Memphis. Tax Information The Memphis City Council sets a new rate each June with the budget.2City of Memphis. Lookup Property Taxes
How Your Bill Is Calculated
Three numbers drive your bill: the appraised value set by the Shelby County Assessor, the state assessment ratio, and the city tax rate. Tennessee assesses residential property at 25% of appraised value and commercial or industrial property at 40%. The Assessor doesn’t revalue every property every year; state law puts reappraisals on a four-, five-, or six-year cycle, so values can hold steady and then jump in a reappraisal year.3University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service. Reappraisal
Once you know the assessed value, the math is simple. Divide by 100, then multiply by the rate.4City of Memphis. Treasury A home appraised at $200,000 has a $50,000 assessed value. At the 2025 rate of $2.58081 per $100, that’s 500 × $2.58081, or roughly $1,290 in city tax.
That figure is only the city portion. Shelby County sends its own bill at its own rate, and both are owed. A property inside a special taxing district gets a third bill on top. The 2026 city rate will be set when the Council adopts its budget, usually in the third week of June.1City of Memphis. Tax Information
Deadline and Late Interest
City bills are mailed after the June rate-setting, and payment is due by August 31. That date is firm. Starting September 1, unpaid balances accrue interest at 1.5% per month, which compounds on the first of each month the balance remains open and works out to 18% a year.1City of Memphis. Tax Information
If you can’t cover the full amount, the city accepts partial payments with a $10 minimum. Partial payments hit your oldest unpaid tax year first, not the current one, so you’ll still be considered delinquent on whatever remains of the current bill.5City of Memphis. Frequently Asked Questions Paying something still helps, because interest accrues on principal.
How to Pay
You’ll need your parcel ID or exact property address to pull up your account. The parcel ID appears on prior tax receipts, your deed, or the Shelby County Assessor’s site.6Shelby County Assessor of Property. Real Property Search Four options are available:
- Online through the city’s ePayments portal, which accepts credit cards, debit cards, and electronic checks. E-checks carry lower processing fees than card payments.7City of Memphis. City of Memphis ePayments Site
- By phone at (901) 636-7200 with an e-check, credit card, or debit card.4City of Memphis. Treasury
- By mail with a check or money order and your bill stub, sent to City of Memphis Treasury, 125 N Main St., Room 375, Memphis, TN 38103.
- In person at City Hall, 125 N. Main St., Suite 375, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or at any First Horizon Bank branch with your bill and a check or money order.4City of Memphis. Treasury
Online and phone payments produce an immediate confirmation number. In-person payments produce a stamped receipt, which mortgage servicers will sometimes ask for.
Appealing Your Assessment
If you think the Assessor overvalued your home, you can appeal to the Shelby County Board of Equalization. The window for the 2026 tax year runs from May 1 through June 30, 2026.8Shelby County, TN. Board of Equalization Miss it and the assessed value stands for the year. You can file online, by mail postmarked by the deadline, or in person.9Shelby County Board of Equalization. BoE Real Property eFile
Tennessee law presumes the Assessor’s value is correct, so you carry the burden of showing it’s wrong with clear and convincing evidence. The evidence that works is recent sales of comparable properties in your neighborhood and photographs of conditions that reduce value, such as foundation damage, chronic flooding, or a failing roof.10Shelby County, Tennessee. Frequently Asked Questions “My taxes are too high” isn’t evidence. Pull sales from the Shelby County Register of Deeds GIS tool and focus on homes with similar square footage, lot size, and age nearby.11Shelby County Register of Deeds. Shelby County Register of Deeds GIS
Tax Relief for Seniors, Disabled Homeowners, and Veterans
Tennessee funds a state-reimbursed relief program that credits back part of the bill for qualifying homeowners. The relief arrives as a reimbursement, not an upfront discount, so you still have to pay on time to avoid delinquency while waiting on the credit.
Seniors and Disabled Homeowners
Homeowners 65 or older and homeowners with a total and permanent disability can qualify under T.C.A. 67-5-702 and 67-5-703. Both groups face an annual household income ceiling the state adjusts each year based on the Social Security cost-of-living increase. The base limit was $24,000 when the law was last amended, and yearly COLA adjustments have raised it since.12Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. Tennessee Code 67-5-701 Through 67-5-704 Apply through the City of Memphis Treasurer’s Office with proof of age or disability and income documentation. Relief covers a portion of the taxes, not the full amount.
Disabled Veterans
Veterans with a service-connected disability, and their surviving spouses, qualify for relief on the first $175,000 of the home’s full market value, with no income limit.13MTAS. Property Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled The reimbursement is computed by applying the 25% residential ratio to that $175,000 cap. A veteran whose home is appraised at $300,000 gets relief on the first $175,000 of value and pays full tax on the remaining $125,000. Apply through the Treasurer’s Office with Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of the service-connected disability.
The Tax Freeze for Seniors
Separate from the reimbursement, Tennessee offers a freeze that locks your city tax at its current dollar amount so it doesn’t rise when your property value does. You can potentially qualify for both the freeze and the relief program.
To qualify, you must be at least 65 by December 31 of the tax year, own and live in the property as your principal residence, and have combined household income below the annual limit. For 2026 in Memphis, the standard income limit is $50,570 and the local option limit is $63,470.14Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. 2026 Tax Freeze Income Limits List Income counts Social Security, pensions, wages, interest, and dividends; only net income counts from a business, rental, or farm.
The freeze covers up to five acres tied to your primary residence. Once approved, your tax dollar amount stays fixed even through a reappraisal, but you have to requalify each year by confirming your income is still under the limit.15Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. Property Tax Freeze
What Happens If You Don’t Pay
Interest is the least of the consequences. When taxes stay delinquent long enough, the taxing authority can sue and a court can order the property sold at a tax sale. Under Tennessee law the sale is for cash, and if no outside bidder meets the minimum, the taxing entity bids the amount of the debt.16Justia Law. Tennessee Code 67-5-2501 – Sale of Land Generally
You don’t lose everything the day of the sale. Tennessee gives former owners a redemption period to buy the property back by paying the purchase price plus 12% annual interest. How long you have depends on how many years the taxes were delinquent:
- Five years or less delinquent: one year from the court order confirming the sale.
- More than five but less than eight years: 180 days.
- Eight years or more: 90 days.
- Vacant or abandoned property: 30 days, regardless of how long taxes were delinquent.
Redemption can never extend beyond one year from the date of the court order.17University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service. Redemption The 12% interest runs from the date the buyer pays the purchase price until you file the motion to redeem. Add back taxes, penalties, court costs, and attorney fees, and redeeming a property after a tax sale costs dramatically more than paying the original bill on time.