Step 2:

The Proposed Property Tax Notice, sometimes called the "Truth In Taxation" notice, is mailed in mid-November and provides property taxpayers with an estimate of the property tax they will pay in 2024 if the taxing jurisdictions approve the budget amounts they are considering.  Property owners are invited to attend meetings held by the local units of government to express their opinions on local budgets and taxes.

2024 Truth in Taxation Public Budget Meetings

Property Tax Calculations

Property taxes do not have a set rate like income or sales taxes. With property taxes, taxing jurisdictions determine the dollar amount to raise from property taxes. This is called the "levy." The levy is divided by the total value of the tax base of the taxing jurisdiction to arrive at a tax rate. The tax rate is multiplied by the value of each individual parcel to determine each parcel’s share of the property tax liability. It is possible that taxes may go up even if values went down. The property tax on an individual parcel is affected by a number of factors including:

• Spending decisions (levy) of each taxing jurisdiction
• Change in value (tax base) of a taxing jurisdiction
• Change in your parcel’s value
• How does the value change on your parcel compare to the value change on other parcels, did it go up or down more or less than average?

Want to know if the tax change on a property is generally what other taxpayers are experiencing? This document (PDF)has information on property taxes in Washington County. This includes information such as counts of parcels by range of tax increase/decrease, and maps of the percentage change in taxes.

Looking for an estimate of what taxes would be if property was homesteaded? This interactive calculator allows you to enter the value of the property and select the location in the county and will provide an estimate of property taxes if the property is homestead vs. non-homestead.

School District Taxes

The school tax amount is broken down between Voter approved levies and Other local levies. Contact your school district for specific information for your district.

School District Referenda

The proposed 2024 tax notice does not include referenda approved by the voters at the November 7, 2023 election. ISD's 200, 833, 834 & 2144 are holding school referendums for Pay 2024.

Washington County does not have information on the property tax impact of these questions. Here are links to the school district websites if you want to estimate the impact that the referenda will have on your taxes:

ISD 200 Hastings
ISD 833 South Washington
ISD 834 Stillwater
ISD 2144 Chisago Lakes

Election Results - MN Secretary of State website

Following are links to additional information regarding property taxes:
Levies 2020-2024 (PDF)
How to Calculate Property Taxes
Tax Rates
Description of Line Items (PDF)

Property Tax Refunds

Two refund programs are available to homestead property owners. Both are through the state of Minnesota.

Regular Refund: Sometimes called the "circuit breaker," is based on household income and the amount of property tax you pay. Special Refund: To qualify, your net property tax must increase by at least 12 percent and $100. The special refund is not based on income. Forms and instructions are available from the Minnesota Department of Revenue.

Helpful Links

House Research
Citizen’s League
League of Minnesota Cities
Minnesota Taxpayer’s Association