Calculate your property tax for MI. Enter your home value, apply exemptions, and see your estimated annual tax.
Michigan's effective property tax rates are moderate, commonly 1.2% to 1.6% of market value, and the system is distinctive because the state constitution requires property to be assessed at 50% of market value while a 1994 ballot measure — Proposal A — caps the growth of the taxable value each year. Michigan also offers a Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) that removes a large slice of school operating tax for owner-occupants, plus a homestead property tax credit for lower-income owners. This guide explains the calculation and relief; the calculator below estimates your bill.
Michigan first values property at market (true cash) value, then the assessed value is 50% of that. Proposition A then limits how fast the taxable value can rise: by the lesser of 5% or the inflation rate each year, until the home is sold (when it 'uncaps' and resets to the assessed value). Your tax is the taxable value times the local rate (mills per $1,000). The Principal Residence Exemption then exempts the home from up to 18 mills of local school operating tax if you live there.
Michigan's Principal Residence Exemption lets an owner-occupied primary home avoid up to 18 mills of local school operating tax — often the single largest saving available to homeowners, worth hundreds of dollars a year. You claim it with the local assessor when you occupy the home; renting it out or leaving it vacant can trigger a recapture tax. Because the PRE only removes school operating mills (not all levies), you still pay county, city, and other school debt mills.
Michigan's Homestead Property Tax Credit is a circuit breaker that refunds part of the property tax (or rent-equivalent tax) for owners and renters whose household income is under a limit (commonly around $60,000, adjusted) and whose tax exceeds a set percentage of income. It is claimed on the Michigan income-tax return and scales with burden — a meaningful help for lower- and middle-income households.
Michigan grants a disabled veterans' exemption (a full exemption of the home's taxable value for a 100% service-connected-disabled veteran, with a partial exemption for lower ratings) and exemptions for surviving spouses. There is also relief related to the uncapping rule: when a long-term owner sells to a new buyer, the buyer's taxable value jumps to the assessed (50% market) value, so a new owner can suddenly owe far more than the neighbor next door.
Michigan's defining protection is Proposal A's taxable-value cap: taxable value cannot rise faster than 5% or inflation, whichever is less, while you own the home. This is why two identical neighbors can pay very different bills — the one who has lived there longer has a far lower taxable value. The trade-off is the uncapping on sale: the cap disappears at transfer, and the new owner's taxable value resets to assessed value.
The figures below draw on our county datasets where available; rates differ by jurisdiction, so use your specific locality's rate in the calculator.
| County | Effective Rate | Est. tax on $200,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Kent | 1.35% | $2,700 |
| Macomb | 1.38% | $2,760 |
| Oakland | 1.45% | $2,900 |
| Genesee | 1.52% | $3,040 |
Estimates apply each county's effective rate to a $200,000 market value for comparison only; your actual bill depends on your own assessed value, exemptions, and local levies.
Michigan taxes are typically paid in two installments (commonly July and December) on the local mill rate, with penalty and interest on late payment and a tax lien after sustained delinquency. The Principal Residence Exemption is applied by the assessor automatically for owner-occupants; the homestead credit is claimed on the Michigan return as a refund. Because of Proposal A's cap, a long-term owner's bill rises slowly even as the market climbs.
To lower your Michigan bill: (1) claim the Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) on your primary home to drop up to 18 mills of school operating tax; (2) file the Homestead Property Tax Credit on your state return if income qualifies; (3) claim the disabled-veterans' exemption (full for 100%); (4) grieve by the March Board of Review using comparable sales; (5) verify your taxable value was capped correctly under Proposal A each year. The PRE is the single biggest saving for owner-occupants.
In practice, a Michigan bill is the assessed value (50% of market, 'taxable value' capped at the lesser of 50% or last year + 5%/inflation) times the combined state/county/city/school rate, minus the homestead exemption ($50,000 of taxable value for owner-occupants) and any principal residence exemption. The Proposal A taxable-value cap is the key protection for long-term owners. Read the March board of review notice and grieve the assessed value if it looks high; verify your principal residence exemption is claimed.
If you are buying in Michigan, claim the principal residence exemption (the homestead exemption of $50,000 of taxable value) immediately — without it you pay the non-principal rate. Understand the Proposal A taxable-value cap: your taxable value starts at half the purchase price and can rise only 5%/inflation, so your first bill may be far lower than a neighbor's. Check PRE and any circuit-breaker eligibility. Grieve the assessed value at the March board of review if needed.
To appeal in Michigan, act at the March board of review. (1) Compare the assessed value (50% of market) to recent sales; remember the taxable value is capped by Proposal A. (2) File with the local board of review. (3) If needed, go to the Michigan Tax Tribunal. (4) Confirm the principal residence exemption. Because the taxable-value cap already limits growth, appeals win when your individual assessed value is high.
Michigan's property-tax debate is dominated by Proposal A (the taxable-value cap) and the principal residence exemption; periodic proposals would adjust the cap, the homestead exemption amount, or the circuit-breaker. Because Proposal A freezes the taxable base for long-term owners, it is the most important protection — and any change to it is closely watched. Follow the Legislature for any tweak to the cap or the PRE.
Proposal A — the 1994 measure capping taxable-value growth at 5%/inflation. Principal residence exemption (PRE) — the homestead exemption ($50,000 of taxable value). Assessed value — 50% of market. Taxable value — the capped base. Board of review — the March appeal body.
Two $300,000 homes. Homeowner A: taxable value starts at 50% ($150,000) capped; at a 1.5% effective rate the bill is about $4,500 before the $50,000 PRE (which removes $50,000 of taxable value, cutting it to ~$3,000 equivalent). Homeowner B, a long-term owner, is taxed on a frozen base that may be far below half the current price — potentially $1,500–$2,500. The example shows Proposal A's power for long-term owners.
Michigan homeowners with a mortgage pay via escrow; the lender remits the installments. The Proposal A taxable-value cap means a buyer's first bill is based on half the purchase price and grows slowly — so the escrow may be lower than a neighbor's. Claim the principal residence exemption immediately; without it the escrow is set at the non-principal rate. Report any circuit-breaker separately.
Michigan owners should first confirm the Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) is in place on their primary home — it drops up to 18 mills of school operating tax and is the largest single saving, yet renters-turned-owners often forget to file it after moving in. Verify your taxable value was capped correctly under Proposal A each year (it should not rise more than 5% or inflation); if it jumped without a sale, ask the assessor to correct it. File the Homestead Property Tax Credit on your Michigan return if income qualifies. A 100% service-connected-disabled veteran should file the full exemption. Appear before the March Board of Review with comparable sales if the assessed value looks high. Because the PRE and the Proposal A cap do most of the work, keeping those two correct beats a last-minute appeal.
How is Michigan property assessed? At 50% of market (true cash) value; the taxable value is then capped by Proposal A's 5%-or-inflation limit until sale.
What is the Principal Residence Exemption? An exemption removing up to 18 mills of local school operating tax for an owner-occupied primary home; claim it with the assessor.
Is there a Michigan homestead credit? Yes. A circuit-breaker refund for owners/renters with income under a limit whose tax exceeds a set share of income, claimed on the state return.
What happens to the tax cap when I sell? The taxable value 'uncaps' and resets to the assessed (50% market) value for the new owner, who may then owe much more.
How do I appeal my Michigan assessment? Ask the assessor in March, then the March Board of Review, then the Michigan Tax Tribunal; use comparable sales.
Enter your home value, select your state, and see your estimated annual property tax.