Owning in Delaware
Data from January 2026
Property tax in Delaware
The typical owner in Delaware pays $1,768 a year, about 0.50% of the home’s value (0.94% nationwide). Here are the exemptions and discounts the state publishes, the deadlines to claim them or appeal, and every county’s figure.
Key numbers in Delaware
- Typical tax
- $1,768
- per year, typical household
- 43% less than the U.S.
- Effective rate
- 0.50%
- tax ÷ value (estimate)
- 47% less than the U.S.
- United States
- 0.94%
- national effective rate
- Exemptions and relief
- 1
- published by the state, with the source
How it works
Where your bill comes from
The local government puts a value on your home, subtracts the exemptions you apply for and applies the rate of each body that taxes it: the county, the city, the school district and others.
- The value assigned to your home
- The exemptions you apply for
- The rates of each taxing body (county, city, schools)
- Your yearly bill
The effective rate on this page is something else: our estimate (typical tax ÷ typical value, from Census data) for comparing places. It is not the rate your local government sets.
By place
Every county, with its figure
What the typical owner pays in each county of Delaware, with the typical home value and the effective rate. Highest tax first.
| New Castle County | $2,499 | $352,200 | 0.71% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County | $1,363 | $316,600 | 0.43% |
| Sussex County | $1,222 | $382,600 | 0.32% |
- New Castle $2,4990.71%
- Kent $1,3630.43%
- Sussex $1,2220.32%
Effective rate: typical tax ÷ typical value, our estimate from two Census medians. Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates Average 2020–2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (external site)
Exemptions
Which exemption fits you?
What Delaware publishes for each case. You have to apply for almost all of them: none is applied on its own.
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If you are an older owner
If you are 65 or older, you can get a credit of 50% of the regular school property taxes on your primary residence, up to $500. If you moved to Delaware on or after Jan. 1, 2018, you must have lived here at least 10 consecutive years. You must pay your bill in full by the end of each tax year to get the credit the next year. You apply once with your county's application and a valid ID; the credit is taken off the bill the county mails you.
What the source says
“Homeowners age 65 or over are eligible for a tax credit against regular school property taxes of 50 percent (up to $500). This credit may only be used against property taxes on a primary residence. … Individuals who establish legal domicile in Delaware on or after January 1, 2018 will be required to have been legally domiciled within the State for a period of at least 10 consecutive years in order to be eligible to receive a credit. … Taxpayers must pay their property tax bill in full by the end of each tax year in order to qualify for this credit for the subsequent property tax year. To qualify, a copy of a valid driver’s license or official state ID is required for each applicant at the time of application.”
Delaware Department of Finance · Verified November 6, 2026
Buying or selling
Taxes on the sale
Some states charge a tax or fee when the deed is recorded. What the official source says:
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State realty transfer tax
The State charges a realty transfer tax of 3 percent of the property's value. If the municipality or county where the home is located has enacted its full 1.5 percent local tax, the State rate is 2.5 percent. The law splits the tax equally between seller and buyer. No tax is charged when the property's actual value is under $100.
30 Del. C. §5402(a)-(b) · Delaware General Assembly (Delaware Code, Title 30) · Verified October 24, 2026
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Transfer tax reduction for first-time home buyers
The transfer tax is typically shared equally by buyer and seller. If you are buying your first home, the rate you pay as the buyer drops by half a percent (0.5 percent); for most buyers it goes from 1.25 to 0.75 percent, claimed at closing. The reduction is capped at $2,000 and applies only to the first $400,000 of value. It is for people who have never held any direct legal interest in residential real estate and who intend to live in the home as their principal residence within 90 days after closing.
Delaware Division of Revenue · Verified October 24, 2026
Frequently asked questions
How much is property tax in Delaware?
The typical owner pays $1,768 a year, about 0.50% of the home’s value, per the Census (Average 2020–2024). Nationwide the effective rate is 0.94%. Your bill depends on your county, city, school district and the exemptions you claim.
Which county in Delaware pays the most property tax?
By amount, the highest typical tax is in New Castle County ($2,499) and the lowest in Sussex County ($1,222). By effective rate, the highest is New Castle County (0.71%) and the lowest Sussex County (0.32%).
What is the effective rate?
The typical tax divided by the typical home value in the same place. It is our estimate from two Census medians, not the rate your local government sets; it is for comparing places.