Boston Property Tax Bills Due Nov. 2: How to Pay and Which Exemptions Apply

Featured image: A brick rowhouse on Mount Vernon Street, Beacon Hill. Photo: DimiTalen via Wikimedia Commons (CC0, public domain dedication).

Boston property tax bills for the second quarter of fiscal 2027 are due Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. The usual Nov. 1 deadline falls on a Sunday this year, and city rules move a weekend due date to the next business day. This guide explains what the November bill covers, how to pay it, and which exemptions can lower a homeowner’s taxes later in the fiscal year. It uses City of Boston Assessing and Collector-Treasurer information as of Oct. 22, 2026.

What the November property tax bill is

Boston’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30, and the city bills property taxes quarterly. The first two bills of fiscal 2027, mailed July 1 and Oct. 1, 2026, are preliminary. The Assessing Department describes them as two equal estimates based on the prior fiscal year’s taxes.

The actual tax arrives with the third-quarter bill, which the city issues in late December. That bill reflects the new fiscal year’s assessed value and tax rate. It is due Feb. 1, 2027, and the fourth-quarter bill is due May 1. Fiscal 2027 values are based on each property’s condition and ownership as of Jan. 1, 2026.

The tax follows the property, not the name printed on the bill. The bill is addressed to whoever owned the property on Jan. 1 before the fiscal year began, so recent buyers may see the prior owner’s name. The city asks sellers who still receive a bill to forward it to the new owner, and it warns that unpaid taxes can become a lien on the property.

How to pay a Boston property tax bill

• Online: pay through the city’s real estate tax payment site. Electronic check (ACH) payments have no fee. Credit and debit cards carry a non-refundable 2.75% service fee, with a $1 minimum. The online system is closed every night from 11 p.m. to midnight.
• By phone: call 855-731-9898 at any hour. You will need the bill number printed next to the ward and parcel numbers. Add leading zeros if it is shorter than six digits.
• By mail: send a check or money order payable to the City of Boston with the bill’s detachable stub to City of Boston, Box 55808, Boston, MA 02205.
• In person: go to City Hall, mezzanine level, windows M-10 to M-12, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cash, checks, money orders, credit cards and PIN-less debit cards are accepted. Cards there carry a 2.5% fee, and a debit card that requires a PIN cannot be used.

The residential exemption for owner-occupants

Owners who live in their Boston property as their primary residence may qualify for the residential exemption. It removes part of the property’s value from taxation. The city says it saved qualified homeowners up to $4,353.74 last fiscal year.

The credit is applied automatically to the late-December third-quarter bill for owners already on file. Homeowners who do not see it there can apply, and the fiscal 2027 deadline is April 1, 2027. Applications become available after December billing through the Boston Property Lookup tool, by phone from the Taxpayer Referral and Assistance Center at 617-635-4287, or at City Hall Room 301. The city asks for a Social Security number, which it says it uses only to confirm the applicant’s tax filing at the property’s address.

A home rule petition expanded eligibility. For fiscal 2027, buyers who recorded a deed at the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds and moved in between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2026, may qualify. People who already owned and lived in their homes on Jan. 1, 2026, still qualify as before. Each person may claim the exemption on one property only.

Personal exemptions for seniors, veterans and others

Massachusetts law offers personal exemptions for qualifying seniors, veterans, blind residents, surviving spouses and some others. A taxpayer receives only one personal exemption. If someone qualifies for more than one, the city applies the exemption that saves the most.

The senior exemption under Clause 41C cuts the tax by $1,000, and Boston adds up to another $1,000 within limits. Fiscal 2027 applicants must meet all of these requirements:

• be 65 or older as of July 1, 2026, and have owned and lived in the home on that date
• have owned and lived in Massachusetts property for at least five years, and lived in the state for the past 10 years
• have gross income of no more than $26,687 if single or $40,031 if married
• have a whole estate, excluding the home, of no more than $41,080 if single or $56,485 if married

The filing deadline is also April 1, 2027.

Additional details

• Filing does not delay payment: the city says an exemption application does not let a taxpayer postpone quarterly payments.
• Decisions and appeals: the assistance center has three months to decide a residential exemption application. Applicants who are denied can appeal to the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board within three months of the decision.
• Exemption limit: combined exemptions generally cannot bring taxable value below 10% of assessed value. The city notes some exceptions for physical ailment or financial hardship.
• Abatements: the window to ask for a lower assessment opens Jan. 1 and closes on the third-quarter due date, Feb. 1, 2027.
• Condo parking: condo owners may get a separate bill for a deeded parking space (class CP), and both bills must be paid.
• Renters: tenants are not billed directly. See our guide to Boston heating rules for renters for winter rights. Our report on the 75 Morrissey Boulevard lawsuit covers one of the city’s larger housing projects.

Sources

• City of Boston: How to Pay Your Real Estate Taxes
• City of Boston Assessing Department: FY2027 Assessing Calendar (PDF)
• City of Boston: Residential Exemption
• City of Boston: Elderly Exemption 41C, Fiscal Year 2027 (PDF)
• City of Boston: Filing for a Property Tax Exemption
• City of Boston: Veterans Exemption 22