Estimate Property Tax Bill
In Michigan, Taxable Value (TV) uncaps the year following a transfer of ownership. Please do not use the prior year’s taxes or taxable value to estimate your future bill after a purchase. Instead, please use the following formula:
Value x Millage = Tax
To determine value, use either half of the market value or the current State Equalized Value (SEV) multiplied by the school district millage either Homestead or Non-Homestead.
To find the most recent published millage rates, go to the following website:
https://www.accesskent.com/Departments/Equalization/millage_rates.htm
Click on the most current year’s Millage Rates.
Find Courtland Township’s Rates.
Determine the school district where the parcel is located: Cedar Springs or Rockford
Determine if there will be a Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) or Qualified Ag Exemption on the property. If so, use the millage rates under Homestead. If not, use the millage rates under Non-Homestead.
Multiply the value by the millage.
Some parcels have a special assessment that is not included in the millage. Be sure to add that to your estimate, if applicable.
Please note that for millage, you would move the decimal point three places to the left.
For example, using the 2020 millage rates, Courtland Township, Cedar Springs Schools, Homestead Millage, the rate would be 30.5193 for the whole year. For a property with $250,000 True Cash Value (TCV) and $125,000 SEV, it would be multiplied by .0305193 for an estimated tax of $3,814.91.
$125,000 X .0305193 = $3,814.91
You can also estimate the summer or winter taxes separately. For 2020, the summer millage was 25.5133 and, the winter tax millage was 5.0060.
Note: This formula can also be used for estimating taxes for new construction. Just add half the market value of the new construction to the current Taxable Value (or SEV if uncapping) and multiply by the millage. The cost of construction added to a property does not always equate exactly to how much value is added, but it does give a rough estimate of how much to put aside. If you have questions, please contact the Assessing Department.