Raleigh’s property tax rate is 35.50 cents per $100 of assessed value for fiscal year 2025–2026, unchanged from the prior year.1City of Raleigh. Raleigh City Council Approves $1.78B Budget, No Tax Increase, for FY 2026 Because Raleigh sits in two counties, the combined rate you actually pay depends on which side of the county line your parcel falls on. In the Wake County portion, city plus county comes to 87.21 cents per $100.2Wake County Government. 2025 Property Tax Bills In the smaller Durham County portion, it comes to 90.92 cents per $100.3Durham County Government. Tax Rates
Some parcels also carry small line items for fire districts, solid waste fees, or other special taxing districts, so the total on your bill can run a little higher than the combined city-and-county figure. The rate schedule on your county’s tax administration website lists the exact districts that apply to any specific parcel.4Wake County Government. Tax Rates and Fees
How to Calculate Your Bill
The math is simple. Divide your assessed value by 100, then multiply by the combined rate.
For a home in the Wake County portion of Raleigh assessed at $400,000:
$400,000 ÷ 100 = 4,000 units × $0.8721 = $3,488.40 per year.4Wake County Government. Tax Rates and Fees
The same home in the Durham County portion would owe 4,000 × $0.9092 = $3,636.80 per year.3Durham County Government. Tax Rates
Every Raleigh property owner pays the same 35.50-cent city portion. What varies is the county share and the assessed value.
Assessed Value Drives What You Pay
Your tax rate is only half the story. The other half is what the county says your property is worth. North Carolina requires every county to reappraise all real property at least once every eight years, and many counties do it sooner.5North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-286 – Time for General Reappraisal of Real Property The assessed value is meant to reflect what the property would sell for on the open market as of the revaluation date.
Wake County’s most recent revaluation took effect January 1, 2024, and the next one is scheduled for January 1, 2027.6Wake County Government. 2027 Revaluation Durham County’s last reappraisal took effect January 1, 2025.7Durham County Government. Reappraisal Both counties are working from recent market data, and most Raleigh homeowners saw their assessed values jump during one of those cycles. Even when the city council holds the rate flat, a revaluation that pushes assessed value up 20 or 30 percent translates directly into a larger bill.
Appealing an Assessment That Looks Too High
The rate is set by the city and county governments and isn’t negotiable, but the assessed value is. If yours looks too high after a revaluation, you have the right to challenge it.8NCDOR. Property Tax Appeal Process
The most common winning arguments are factual errors on the property record card, such as wrong square footage, an extra bathroom the house doesn’t have, or an incorrect lot size, or evidence that recent comparable sales in your neighborhood don’t support the county’s number. Start informally by contacting the county tax office. Many disputes get resolved there. If that goes nowhere, you can appeal to the county Board of Equalization and Review, which typically begins hearing cases around the first week of April.8NCDOR. Property Tax Appeal Process
The strongest appeals come with hard numbers. A private appraisal from a licensed appraiser carries real weight, as do closed sale prices of genuinely comparable homes similar in size, age, condition, and lot.
Relief Programs That Reduce the Taxable Value
North Carolina offers several programs that cut the assessed value used to compute your bill. Eligibility turns on age, disability status, income, or military service.
Homestead Exclusion for Elderly or Disabled Owners
Owners who are 65 or older, or totally and permanently disabled, with prior-year income of $38,800 or less, can exclude the greater of $25,000 or 50 percent of the home’s appraised value.9North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-277.1 – Elderly or Disabled Property Tax Homestead Exclusion On a $300,000 home, that means $150,000 comes off the taxable base. Applications are due by June 1 preceding the tax year and are filed with your county tax office. The income threshold adjusts annually with Social Security cost-of-living increases.
Disabled Veteran Exclusion
Honorably discharged veterans with a permanent, total, service-connected disability, or their unmarried surviving spouses, can exclude the first $45,000 of assessed value.10North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-277.1C – Disabled Veteran Property Tax Homestead Exclusion There is no income cap. You’ll need a disability certification from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs showing a 100 percent rating or documentation of benefits received under 38 U.S.C. § 2101 for specially adapted housing.11North Carolina DMVA. Veterans Property Tax Relief
Circuit Breaker Tax Deferral
The circuit breaker is a separate program for homeowners aged 65 and older, or totally and permanently disabled, whose income falls within 150 percent of the homestead exclusion limit. Instead of reducing assessed value, it defers any taxes that exceed four percent of annual income.12North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-277.1B – Property Tax Homestead Circuit Breaker You must have owned and occupied the home as your permanent residence for at least five consecutive years. The deferred amount accrues interest and becomes due when you sell, move out, or pass away. It functions like a loan against home equity rather than a permanent cut. Total deferred taxes plus interest can never exceed 50 percent of the property’s market value.
Payment Deadlines and Late Penalties
Raleigh property taxes are due September 1 each year. You can pay anytime from September 1 through January 5 at face value with no interest or penalty.13North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-360 – Taxes Payable, Interest, Partial Payments Wake County accepts payments online, by mail, or in person at government service centers. Durham County residents pay through Durham County Tax Administration. Credit card payments generally carry a convenience fee of roughly two percent.
Wake County allows partial payments in any amount and at any frequency without prior approval, as long as the full balance is paid before it goes delinquent on January 6.14Wake County Government. Payment Information
Payments made on or after January 6 lose face value. Interest accrues at two percent from January 6 through February 1, then at three-quarters of one percent per month after that.13North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code 105-360 – Taxes Payable, Interest, Partial Payments North Carolina law automatically places a lien on every taxable property as of January 1 each year. Once taxes go delinquent, the county can foreclose on that lien through either a civil lawsuit or an in rem proceeding.15North Carolina Judicial Branch. Foreclosures Foreclosures are uncommon in Wake County, but the county does use that authority on long-delinquent accounts.
Deducting Property Taxes on Your Federal Return
If you itemize on your federal return, property taxes paid to Wake County or Durham County are deductible as part of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction. The SALT deduction covers property taxes, state income taxes, and local taxes together, and it’s capped. For the 2026 tax year, the cap is $40,000 for most filers and $20,000 for those married filing separately, with a small annual adjustment through 2029.16Internal Revenue Service. Publication 530 – Tax Information for Homeowners Homeowners who also pay significant North Carolina state income tax may hit the cap before their full property tax bill is covered.
A few items that show up on the same bill aren’t deductible: solid waste fees, special assessments for local improvements like sidewalks or sewer lines, and homeowners’ association dues. Only the ad valorem portion, the part based on assessed value, qualifies.