Estimate your Delaware property tax based on the state's 0.54% average effective rate. Enter your home value for an instant, free calculation.
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Delaware has one of the lowest effective property tax rates in the country. After a court found its decades-old frozen assessments unconstitutional, all three counties just completed their first countywide reassessments in a generation, moving to current market value.
Delaware's three counties — New Castle, Kent, and Sussex — assess and collect property tax, with municipalities levying separately. For decades counties taxed on frozen base-year values, but a 2020 court ruling and a 2023 law required each county to reassess to current market value (Kent for 2024, New Castle and Sussex for 2025) and to reassess at least every five years going forward. Post-reassessment residential rates were reset to roughly 15.75 cents per $100 in New Castle and 5.72 cents per $100 in Kent.
| Home Value | Estimated Annual Tax | Monthly (Escrow) |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $1,350 | $112/mo |
| $307,000 (median) | $1,658 | $138/mo |
| $600,000 | $3,240 | $270/mo |
Effective rates vary within Delaware. These figures are median-tax-to-median-value estimates from U.S. Census ACS data (2019–2023 ACS 5-year (SmartAsset)) for some of the most populous counties:
| County | Effective Rate |
|---|---|
| New Castle County | 0.67% |
| Kent County | 0.42% |
| Sussex County | 0.31% |
Among these counties, effective rates range from about 0.31% in Sussex County to 0.67% in New Castle County. Your actual rate depends on the local mill/millage set by your county, city, and school district.
Delaware has no general statewide homestead exemption on assessed value. Relief comes mainly through the statewide Senior School Property Tax Credit and locally adopted senior exemptions — for example, Wilmington exempts the first $210,300 of assessed value for income-qualified seniors.
Homeowners 65 or older qualify for the statewide Senior School Property Tax Credit equal to 50% of school property taxes on their primary residence, capped at $500 (apply by April 30, and pay the prior year's bill in full). Delaware also offers a Disabled Veterans School Property Tax Credit covering 100% of school taxes for veterans with a 100% permanent service-connected disability, and counties provide additional senior discounts.
County and local school taxes are typically billed in summer and due September 30; because of the reassessment, the 2025 payment deadline was extended to December 31, 2025. Unpaid balances accrue penalties and interest after the due date.
Assessment appeals are filed with each county's Board of Assessment Review. In New Castle County, annual appeals must be filed by roughly mid-March for the following tax year. Owners may pay the full billed tax while an appeal is pending and receive a credit if the assessment is reduced.
Delaware has one of the lowest effective property tax rates in the country, about 0.51% of home value, among the ten lowest of the 50 states.
Yes. After a court found its decades-old assessments unconstitutional, all three counties completed their first countywide reassessments in a generation — Kent for the 2024 tax year and New Castle and Sussex for 2025 — moving to current market value with mandatory reassessments every five years going forward.
Yes. Residents 65+ can claim a Senior School Property Tax Credit worth 50% of school taxes on their primary residence, up to $500, and 100%-disabled veterans may qualify for a full school-tax credit.