What actually sets Washington apart
The 1% cap is the most misread rule in Washington. It limits what a district may collect in total, not what any one homeowner pays. When your neighbourhood appreciates faster than the district as a whole, your share of the levy rises and your bill can jump well beyond 1% even though the district collected only 1% more.
Property taxes in Washington at a glance
- Average effective tax rate: 0.84% of home value per year
- Median home value: $519,800
- Estimated tax on a median-value home: $4,361 per year (about $363 per month)
- Rank by tax rate: 24th of 50, highest first
- Rank by amount actually paid: 10th of 50, highest first
- Where these figures come from: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, for the Washington statewide averages shown above — ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates, last reviewed September 2026.
Why the Washington rate understates the bill
Ranked by rate, Washington is 24th of the fifty. Ranked by what an owner actually pays, it is 10th — 14 places higher. The rate is not doing that work; the $519,800 median home value is. A modest percentage of an expensive house is still an expensive bill.
Texas makes the point. It charges 1.58%, roughly 1.9 times the Washington rate, and its median owner still pays about $4,111 a year — some $250 less than a Washington owner on a median-value home.
How Washington works out what you owe
Assessors value property at 100% of market value. Washington has no income tax, so property tax and sales tax fund the state and local government between them.
The 1% limit applies to a taxing district's total regular levy, not to your individual assessment. Your bill can rise much faster than 1% if your home appreciates more than others in the district, or if voters approve levies outside the limit.
Exemptions Washington homeowners should claim
Each of these reduces a Washington bill every year you hold the property, and almost none are granted without a claim:
- Senior citizen and disabled persons exemption: Freezes the taxable value and exempts part of it for owners aged 61 or older, disabled owners and qualifying veterans below a county-specific income threshold.
- Property tax deferral: Allows qualifying owners to postpone payment, with the state taking a lien recovered on sale, rather than reducing the tax.
Where you buy inside Washington changes the bill
A statewide average hides its extremes. Where they show up in Washington:
- King County: Seattle and the eastside, where voter-approved school and transit levies sit outside the 1% limit and drive most of the growth in bills
- Pierce County: Tacoma, with higher combined rates than King County on lower values
- Snohomish County: the northern commuter belt, where new construction has broadened the base and moderated rate growth
Washington and its neighbours
The same $519,800 — the Washington median — taxed at each neighbouring state's average rate:
- Oregon at 0.83%: about $4,314 a year, roughly $47 less than the $4,361 a Washington owner would pay on the same value.
- Idaho at 0.53%: about $2,755 a year, roughly $1,606 less than the $4,361 a Washington owner would pay on the same value.
Appealing a Washington assessment
If the assessed value on your Washington home overstates what it is worth, the route is an appeal to the county Board of Equalization, then the Board of Tax Appeals. The window is by 1 July or within 30 days of the value notice, whichever is later, and it is strict — missing it means waiting a full cycle.
Frequently asked questions
When are Washington property taxes due, and when must exemption claims be filed?
The first half is due 30 April and the second half 31 October. Applications are filed with the county assessor and must be renewed periodically as income thresholds are updated.
Does this calculator use my exact Washington county tax rate?
No — it applies the Washington statewide average of 0.84%. Rates are set locally, and the spread inside Washington is wide enough to matter: on a $519,800 home, $757 a year separates Washington from an averagely taxed state before any county variation is counted. Check the parcel's own rate with its Washington 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.