Tax Rates
The tax rates below are used to calculate your property tax bill. The assessment ratio below shows how close assessments in your municipality are to fair market value. A ratio of 0.80, for example, means homes are assessed at about 80 percent of fair market value. To compare municipalities, use the rates below, which show all municipalities as if assessed at fair market value. The next tax listed shows the bill for a home with a fair market value of $200,000. These numbers won’t be found on any tax bill.
It’s difficult to compare property taxes among municipalities because homes aren’t always assessed at their current fair market value. The tax rate, which relates to spending by municipalities, schools and other taxing districts, is adjusted up or down depending on how close assessments are to fair market value.
*Tax rates include state, county, municipal, school district, technical colleges, any special tax districts and the state school credit. The rates don’t include lottery credits and special charges that are part of a total tax bill. The rates appear on tax bills but shouldn’t be compared with those in other municipalities. **Ratio to fair market value. A ratio closer to 1.0 is closer to fair market value. A ratio of 0.75 reflects properties assessed at about 75 percent of fair market value. ***Equalized, or fair market value, tax rates for municipalities. These rates don’t appear on tax bills but can be used to compare one community to another. ****Excludes a few thousand Madison tax parcels in school districts other than Madison. *****Because only a small portion of Edgerton is in Dane County, including the city with other Dane County cities distorts that comparison.