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2023 taxes

Learn more about paying your current-year taxes. Find valuable resources and see where your money goes.

Where do my property tax dollars go?

We collect taxes for the state, the county, cities, and taxing districts like schools. Then we distribute the revenue back to them. Taxes also fund voter-approved measures for veterans, seniors, fire protection, and parks.

King County gets about 17% of your tax to fund services like roads, police, and public health.

Here's how it breaks down:

2023 Property Taxes

Property tax measures passed in 2022 for the 2023 tax year

Voters approved these lid lifts, levies, and bonds. Qualifying seniors and disabled taxpayers are exempt from lid lifts.

King County

  • A Conservation Futures 1-year permanent lid lift to a top rate of $0.06250/$1,000. It will help fund acquiring and preservation of:
  • Urban green spaces
  • Wildlife and salmon habitat
  • Trails and river corridors
  • Farm and forest lands

Cities

  • Bellevue: 9-year temporary lid lift for open space and parks.
  • Mercer Island: 16-year temporary lid lift for park maintenance and operations.
  • Normandy Park: 6-year temporary lid lift for city services and police.
  • Shoreline: 6-year permanent lid lift for police and neighborhood services.

Fire Districts

  • FD 28: 6-year permanent lid lift restoration to $1.50/$1,000, with a 6% limit factor in years 2 to 6.
  • FD 34: 6-year permanent lid lift to $1.25/$1,000, with a 6% limit factor in years 2 to 6.
  • FD 44: 6-year permanent levy lid lift to $1.50/$1,000, with a CPI-W limit factor in years 2 to 6.
  • Si View Metropolitan Park: 30-year general obligation bond used to fund an aquatic center.

 

School districts

School measures passed in 2022:

 Area  City  Type  Benefit Term  Amount
001 Seattle Special Levy Educational Programs/Operations
3-year $646,800,000
001 Seattle Special Levy Technology/Capital Projects 6-year $783,000,000
210 Federal Way Special Levy Technology/Capitol Projects 4-year $174,000,000
210 Federal Way Special Levy
Technology/Capital Projects 6-year $28,000,000
216 Enumclaw Special Levy Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $52,341,704
400 Mercer Island Special Levy
Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $48,000,000
400 Mercer Island Special Levy Capital Projects 6-year $48,554,873
401 Highline Special Levy
Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $268,030,800
401 Highline Bonds Capital Improvements 21-year $518,397,000
402 Vashon Island Special Levy
Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $24,983,305
403 Renton Special Levy Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $170,497,780
403 Renton Special Levy
Capital Improvements 4-year $120,000,000
404 Skykomish Special Levy Maintenance & Operations 4-year $586,383
405 Bellevue Special Levy
Technology/Capital Projects 4-year $308,000,000
405 Bellevue Special Levy Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $228,000,000
407 Riverview Special Levy
Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $37,346,968
410 Riverview Special Levy Technology Levy 4-year $15,200,000
410 Snoqualmie Valley Special Levy
Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $87,912,000
411 Snoqualmie Valley Special Levy Technology Levy 4-year $35,693,000
411 Issaquah Special Levy
Transportation/School Bus 1-year $3,000,000
411 Issaquah Special Levy Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $262,000,000
411 Issaquah Special Levy
Capital Projects 4-year $141,310,000
412 Shoreline Special Levy Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $108,750,000
412 Shoreline Special Levy
Capital Projects/Technology 4-year $14,000,000
414 Lake Washington Special Levy Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $369,000,000
414 Lake Washington Special Levy
Capital Projects/Technology 4-year $177,100,000
414 Lake Washington Special Levy Capital Levy 6-year $295,000,000
417 Northshore Special Levy
Educational Programs/Operations 4-year $265,100,000
417 Northshore Special Levy Technology Levy 4-year $80,000,000
888 Fife Special Levy
M&O Levy 4-year $45,213,000
888 Fife Special Levy Capital Projects/Technology 5-year $14,000,000

 

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Are you a senior or do you have a disability?

You may be eligible for King County's tax relief programs. Learn more and apply.

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Your property taxes

We base the property taxes you pay this year on the value of your property as of January 1 the previous year. For example, in February of 2023, you received a tax bill for the value of your property as calculated on January 1, 2022. For remodels or new structures, we assess values on July 31 of each year.

By the numbers

  • Total county property values increased in 2022 to $722.5 billion from $659.5 billion, or 21.8%.
  • Property taxes for the year rose from $6.6 billion to $7.2 billion, or 6.4%.

Why do my property taxes increase?

Your property taxes will vary depending on several factors:

  • Location
  • The assessed value of the property
  • How many jurisdictions (state, county, city, school or fire district, etc.) levy taxes

See Property tax bills and residential median values by city.

Why is there a difference between increases in your property value and your property tax?

The state of Washington uses a "budget-based" property tax system. Mill or levy rates adjust to property value changes. Only the amount of revenue requested by taxing districts is generated. The mill rate goes down when values go up, and up when values go down).

State law limits the revenue taxing districts like cities and school districts can collect from year to year. It can only increase by 1% unless voters approve more. Voter-approved levies are usually why your property taxes go up. They're not subject to the 1% growth restriction.

Here are examples of how the budget-based system works:

  • The highest 2022 property value increase was in Sammamish, where median home values increased 51.2%. Because of the “budget based” system, the property tax increase for 2023 payments in Sammamish is 24.0%. To accomplish this, the levy rate for Sammamish decreased by -18%, or -$1.72935 per $1,000 of property value.
  • Tukwila had the lowest property tax increase for 2023, with a 1.3% increase. The median home value increased 16.7% in 2022. So the levy rate decreased -13.2%, or -$1.59891 per $1,000 of property value.
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