What actually sets Ohio apart
HB 920 is genuinely protective but widely misunderstood. It stops voted levies from collecting more simply because values rose, yet it does not apply to the unvoted inside millage, and it does nothing about a new levy the district puts on the ballot. Reappraisal years still produce real increases in most Ohio districts.
Property taxes in Ohio at a glance
- Average effective tax rate: 1.36% of home value per year
- Median home value: $199,200
- Estimated tax on a median-value home: $2,712 per year (about $226 per month)
- Rank by tax rate: 11th of 50, highest first
- Rank by amount actually paid: 22nd of 50, highest first
- Where these figures come from: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, for the Ohio statewide averages shown above — ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates, last reviewed September 2026.
Why the Ohio rate overstates the bill
Ohio ranks 11th of the fifty on rate but only 22nd on the bill itself — 11 places lower. The percentage reads worse than the cheque does, because it is applied to a median home value of $199,200.
California is the mirror image: a rate of 0.71%, well under the 1.36% charged here, and a median bill near $4,926 — about $2,214 more a year than an Ohio owner pays.
How Ohio works out what you owe
Property is assessed at 35% of appraised market value, with a full reappraisal every six years and a statistical update at the three-year midpoint.
House Bill 920 reduces voted millage as values rise, so a reappraisal does not automatically increase what voted levies collect. Inside millage and new levies are not subject to the reduction.
Exemptions Ohio homeowners should claim
Each of these reduces an Ohio bill every year you hold the property, and almost none are granted without a claim:
- Homestead exemption: An income-tested reduction in taxable value for owners aged 65 or older and for permanently disabled owners, with a larger exemption for disabled veterans that carries no income test.
- Owner-occupancy credit: A credit applied to the bill on an owner-occupied home, on top of the general rollback applied to qualifying levies.
Where you buy inside Ohio changes the bill
A statewide average hides its extremes. Where they show up in Ohio:
- Cuyahoga County: Cleveland and its suburbs, with some of the highest effective rates in the country and large differences between school districts
- Franklin County: Columbus, where fast appreciation drove very large reappraisal increases despite the HB 920 reduction factors
- Hamilton County: Cincinnati, where city, county and school levies combine on a comparatively affordable value base
Ohio and its neighbours
The same $199,200 — the Ohio median — taxed at each neighbouring state's average rate:
- Michigan at 1.28%: about $2,550 a year, roughly $162 less than the $2,712 an Ohio owner would pay on the same value.
- Pennsylvania at 1.35%: about $2,689 a year, roughly $23 less than the $2,712 an Ohio owner would pay on the same value.
- West Virginia at 0.54%: about $1,076 a year, roughly $1,636 less than the $2,712 an Ohio owner would pay on the same value.
- Kentucky at 0.77%: about $1,534 a year, roughly $1,178 less than the $2,712 an Ohio owner would pay on the same value.
- Indiana at 0.74%: about $1,474 a year, roughly $1,238 less than the $2,712 an Ohio owner would pay on the same value.
Appealing an Ohio assessment
If the assessed value on your Ohio home overstates what it is worth, the route is an appeal to the county Board of Revision, then the Board of Tax Appeals. The window is complaints are due by 31 March for the prior tax year, and it is strict — missing it means waiting a full cycle.
Frequently asked questions
When are Ohio property taxes due, and when must exemption claims be filed?
Bills are issued twice a year, generally due in February and July. Applications are filed with the county auditor, generally by the end of the year in which you first qualify.
Does this calculator use my exact Ohio county tax rate?
No — it applies the Ohio statewide average of 1.36%. Rates are set locally, and the spread inside Ohio is wide enough to matter: on a $199,200 home, $746 a year separates Ohio from an averagely taxed state before any county variation is counted. Check the parcel's own rate with its Ohio county before relying on this figure.
Reference sources
Related calculators
How this estimate is built
Principal and interest come from the standard amortization formula, worked through in full on the formula reference page. Property tax, insurance, PMI and loan-program figures layer on top from published assumptions — each one sourced, dated and listed on the methodology page. Every result here is an estimate built from public data, not a quote: confirm the specifics with a lender before relying on it.
For developers
This calculation is also available as a REST API and through an MCP server, both running the same engine as this page — so the figures match by construction rather than by convention. No key required.