Property Tax FAQs

Your property tax bill is calculated based on the municipal tax rate (controlled locally and voted on at Town Meeting), the education tax rate (set annually by the state legislature), your total property value, and whether your property is classified as homestead or non-homestead, minus any partial tax exemptions or deductions. All of this information can be found on your bill.

More information about how to read your bill is available from the Vermont Department of Taxes. 

The Selectboard sets this tax rate annually to raise money for maintenance of town roads and other municipal expenses. Your elected officials work with the highway department, town office staff, and appointees to create the town highway fund and general fund budgets, which are then proposed to the residents of Lincoln annually in the Town Report and at Town Meeting. Those who attend Town Meeting vote on these proposed budgets from the floor, and this determines the total amount of property tax revenue to be raised after all other sources of revenue are accounted for. 

The municipal tax rate is then calculated by dividing the total taxes to be raised by the total value of the grand list in Lincoln. The grand list is the full accounting of every property parcel in town, assembled annually by the town lister(s).

The state legislature sets a homestead education tax rate and a nonhomestead education tax rate annually to generate enough property tax revenue to support the school budgets approved by voters across the state after all other sources of revenue to the education fund are accounted for. (Another major source of revenue for the education fund, for example, is the state Sales and Use tax.)

More information about the education tax rate is available from the Vermont Department of Taxes.

In Lincoln, property tax payments are made in two installments, with the first half due by October 9, 2024, and the remaining balance by March 12, 2025. The tax bill received by mail in August 2024 is the only notice – you will not receive a mailed reminder in the spring.

The Municipal Tax Rate (based on the budget passed at the March 2024 Town Meeting) is 0.4945, the Homestead Education Tax Rate (set by the state) is 1.2648, and the Non-Homestead Education Tax Rate (set by the state) is 1.2018, resulting in a total of 1.7593 for the Residential rate and 1.6963 for the Non-residential rate.

In FY24, the Municipal Tax Rate was 0.8479, the Homestead Education Tax Rate was 1.6368, and the Non-Homestead Education Tax Rate was 1.5857, resulting in a total of 2.4847 for the Residential rate and 2.4336 for the Non-residential rate.

In FY23, the Municipal Tax Rate was 0.7739, the Homestead Education Tax Rate was 1.4873, and the Non-Homestead Education Tax Rate was 1.4635, resulting in a total of 2.2612 for the Residential rate and 2.2374 for the Non-residential rate.

More information about current and prior year tax rates is available from the Vermont Department of Taxes.

No. Lincoln residents approved raising $855,663 in taxes for the Highway Fund and $241,448 in taxes for the General Fund in fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025.) This is compared to $950,788 in taxes for the Highway Fund and $276,559 in taxes for the General Fund in fiscal year 2024 (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024.)

CLA stands for “Common Level of Appraisal.” It is a method of ensuring that each town is paying its fair share of education property tax to the state’s Education Fund, even if its grand list is not at 100% of fair market value.

In January 2024, Lincoln’s CLA was set at 67.51% — a CLA below 85% necessitates a reappraisal, which was conducted as of April 2024. Lincoln’s CLA is now set at 115%, and this ensures that another reappraisal will not be needed in the very near term.

Towns are required to perform a reappraisal to ensure that all properties reflect 100% of fair market value. In January 2024, Lincoln’s CLA was set at 67.51% — a CLA below 85% necessitates a reappraisal, which was conducted as of April 2024. Lincoln’s CLA is now set at 115%, and this ensures that another reappraisal will not be needed in the very near term.

More information regarding the reappraisal process is available from the Vermont Department of Taxes. 

Vermont’s “Property Valuation and Review 2024 Annual Report” provides more detailed information on the different contributing factors that go into your tax calculation. 

Not for the 2024-2025 tax year. The grievance period closed on May 30, 2024. Those who submitted written grievances received a letter informing them of the listers' decisions and any adjustments. Appeals to the Board of Civil Authority were required to be filed by June 17, 2024, and have been heard and decided.

If you believe there is a typographical error, for example in the amount of acreage listed, on your property tax bill, you may email listers@lincolnvermont.org.

If you would like to submit a written grievance to be considered after April 1, 2025, for the 2025-2026 tax year, email listers@lincolnvermont.org or drop it off at the Town Office.

After October 9, 2024, a half of one percent interest begins accruing monthly on any portion of the first installment that remains unpaid. After March 12, 2025, an eight percent one-time delinquency penalty is applied, and a half of one percent interest begins accruing monthly on any portion of the remaining unpaid balance. Interest will not be applied to the eight percent penalty.

The delinquent tax collector will begin sending notices of amounts due in April 2025. Any questions about the delinquency process or abatement, please reach out to the Vermont Department of Taxes or Nancy Stevens.

It's always best to make partial tax payments to chip away at your balance due — we will accept tax payments at any time of year, not just in the weeks preceding a deadline. 

Here are some steps you can take:

• Make sure to file your homestead declaration to be eligible for the state property tax credit next year. According to the Vermont Department of Taxes, about two-thirds of all resident homeowners in Vermont receive an income-based property tax credit each year. The state pays this credit directly to the town to reduce your bill.
• Resolve any typographical errors in the amount of acreage listed by emailing listers@lincolnvermont.org.

• Request an escrow analysis from your mortgage company to begin distributing increased tax costs across your next 12 monthly mortgage payments. Mortgage companies will typically run an escrow analysis once a year OR if you alert them to a higher cost on your property tax bill or homeowner’s insurance.

• Make partial tax payments to chip away at your balance due – we will accept tax payments at any time of year, not just in the weeks preceding a deadline. 

• Attend the public info session with our state elected officials on August 19, 2024, at 7pm at Burnham Hall.

• Engage in the municipal and school district budgeting processes in the fall, which will affect the 2025-2026 tax year.

• Come to Town Meeting in March to vote on the municipal and school district budgets.

• Engage in the state legislature’s education tax process. 

• Vote in primary and general elections that help decide who will be managing spending in the town, our school district, and at a state level.

The Vermont Department of Taxes has a lot of valuable information online, and you can reach out with general inquiries at tax.vttaxdept@vermont.gov or 802-828-2505. To speak to someone in Lincoln, please reach out to Town Administrator Trish Waugh at townadmin@lincolnvermont.org or 802-453-2980 with specific questions.