Ultimate Maui County Real Property Tax Guide for 2024

Guide Overview

Explore how Maui County imposes its real property taxes with our full guide. If you are considering becoming a resident or just planning to invest in the county’s real estate, you’ll come to know whether Maui County property tax statutes are helpful for you or you’d rather hunt for an alternative place.

Average Property Tax Rate in Maui County

Based on latest data from the US Census Bureau

Maui County Property Taxes Range

Maui County Property Taxes Range

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Based on latest data from the US Census Bureau

You May Be Charged an Unfair Property Tax Amount

Maybe you’re unfamiliar that a property tax bill might be bigger than it should be because of an unfair valuation. This may happen given appraisal market values are set collectively in categories, i.e. like properties are lumped together and given the same estimated value sight-unseen. Then there are the inevitable appraiser’s mistakes. Still there is a means to challenge the correctness of your tax bill and get it corrected in the event it’s in error.

Watch for repeat installments that happen particularly if you’ve recently remortgaged. Inspect your real estate billing statement with vigilance. Such tax levies are viewable for everyone to see online. Contrast the assessed worth with other community properties, notably lately sold. Also consider any property market price changes both increasing or dropping.

In the event you believe there’s been an overassessment of your tax bill, don’t hold off. In case you don’t know whether an appeal is a waste of time or not, leave it to pros to determine whether to protest. The only fee for some protest companies’ engagement will be a percentage of any tax decreases found. More details to come.

What Is a Tax Protest Procedure?

If you believe that your property tax levy is excessive, you may contest the assessment. The county is the one that appraised the property and it will review your appeal.

Maui County tax office and their website provide the regulations, procedures, and submission forms that you have to have. Before you start, make sure you grasp the rules for completing the documents and arranging your protest. If you leave out required information or forget a submission time limit, your appeal may be kicked out or returned to you for completion.

You’ll have a time limit after getting your tax notice to file a protest. If you do not make that time window, you might lose your right to protest the appraisal.

It is important that you get a copy of the entire assessment report from the county. The report may decide whether or not you have a credible argument. You’ll have a better chance of obtaining a new valuation of your real property if errors were made in the assessment.

You may not have to go through the official protest process if the evidence is obviously in your favor. In any case, you need to be prepared to present your case in person to the county’s review board. You’re going to be required to illustrate that the tax value assigned to your property is inaccurate. Observations about tax rates or how quickly property tax values have appreciated have no positive impact on your appeal.

If you are dissatisfied with the panel’s conclusion, you may appeal to a state board or panel. In case of litigation, it may make sense to get help from one of the best property tax attorneys in Maui County HI.

Protesting your real estate tax value is your right. However, prior to starting on a time-consuming procedure, perhaps you ought to reduce the assessment to dollars. Determine the amount your real real estate tax payment will be with the higher value and any exemptions you qualify for. What looks like a significant appreciation in value may actually give a tiny increase in your tax bill.

How to Get Your Taxes Reduced for Free?

Numerous tax appeal companies manage all parts of your challenge on a ”dependent upon” basis. This type of an agreement means the service charge you are billed won’t exceed a percentage of any tax savings. In the event of no savings, you don’t owe anything!

Protest companies will examine current levies, conduct further in-depth research, investigate missing exemptions, explore tax rolls for inconsistencies, file challenges before attending conferences, and coordinate a lawsuit when necessary. Tax exemptions particularly have often been a fertile sector for adding new ones and supporting any being challenged.

Concerning residential real estate, one of two methods is normally utilized when challenging your taxes. A second appraisal many times will include either a “sales comparison” or an “unequal appraisal” analysis. While both undertaken in one locality, sales comparisons rely on recent sale prices while unequal appraisals target similar properties’ appraised values discrepancies.

Smaller boutique companies that conduct full evaluations typically opt for sales comparisons. Frequently required, complete reevaluations are handled in-person. Carried out by State-licensed appraisers, these reviews are virtually indisputable. Modifications would only result from, yet again, a whole re-evaluation. Imagine three similar properties sold for $500K, while the re-appraised house needs new shingles costing $10,000, then its true worth slips to $490,000.

The unequal appraisal routine is utilized to find potential tax decreases even if estimated values don’t exceed existing market values. An area list of comparable properties having nearly the same appraised market values is assembled. Then comes a matching of these properties’ respective tax billing amounts within each group. Material discrepancies, (i.e. properties’ bills are higher by at least 10% of the representative median level) are tagged for more study. Note that rather than a flat service fee, clients often pay on a contingency basis — only if they get a tax saving.

Find a company that works best for you in this directory containing the best property tax protest companies in Maui County HI.

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How Does Maui County Real Estate Tax Work?

Hawaii law grants several thousand local public districts the right to levy real estate taxes. Usually, the taxes are levied under a single billing from the county. Each entity then is allocated the assessment amount it levied. There are three vital stages in taxing real estate, i.e., setting tax rates, appraising property values, and taking in receipts.

Taxing authorities include city, county governments, and a number of special districts like public colleges. As recognized legal governmental units, they’re run by elected officials or appointees. They serve a separate locale such as within city borders or special purpose units like recreation parks, water treatment stations, and police districts.

The state’s statutory rules and regulations must be followed in the city’s handling of taxation. Taxation of real property must: [1] be equal and uniform, [2] be based on up-to-date market worth, [3] have a single appraised value, and [4] be held taxable unless specially exempted. Owners must also be given a prompt notification of levy hikes.

The city sets tax levies all within Hawaii constitutional directives. However reserved for the county are evaluating property, sending out assessments, taking in the levies, carrying out compliance measures, and working out disagreements.

Real property evaluations are undertaken by the county. Hawaii also enacted rules that Maui County administrators are mandated to conform to in analyzing real estate. This helps to ensure property appraisals are generally completed consistently. Here, potentially mismatched appraising techniques and simple mistakes are often rich issues for protests.

In the U.S., three methods for setting market worth dominate (with variations). A Sales Comparison is built on contrasting average sale prices of comparable homes in the locality. The Income Capitalization approach predicts present value depending on the property’s expected income amount plus the property’s resale value. One Cost Approach variation assumes commercial real estate worth would equal the present expense for a building replacement while factoring in depreciation and land value.

An appraiser from the county’s office determines your property’s worth. That value is multiplied times a total tax levy, i.e. the sum of rates made by all associated public entities. Taxing units include cities, county, school, and different types of special districts such as water treatment plants, recreational parks, and educational facilities.

Who and How Determines Maui County Property Tax Rates?

State statutorial regulations require uniform real property market values be set by counties. Assessors cannot interpose revenue impacts in their appraisals of market values.

Under Hawaii taxation requirements, reappraisals must be done on a regular basis. Normally, assessors lump together all similar properties located in the same neighborhood and collectively apply the same assessment methodologies. Any unique property value reducers, such as a severely wind-damaged roof, will be passed over with you losing a potential tax cut.

Back in the day, when new properties were built, appraisers amassed descriptive tax rolls. These lists offer details regarding all real estate lying within that area’s boundaries. Properties were classified based upon various characteristics, such as size, use, and construction type. Other inputs such as age and area were also factored in when making up these groups by class, which then had market values assigned en masse. Without an onsite inspection, this sometimes stale and vague details – coupled with fresh sales statistics – is what assessors are usually armed with every new assessment period.

To secure some degree of even-handed market worth appraising, Hawaii has installed this process throughout the state. While this en masse operation helps manage an otherwise overwhelming assignment, it also results in imprecise appraisal results. Grounds for protest abound here!

Once market values are established, your city together with other county public units will set tax rates alone. A composite rate will produce anticipated total tax receipts and also generate your bill’s amount. In this mainly budgetary undertaking, county and local public leaders estimate annual expenditures. Then they calculate the tax rates allowing to equal those budgeted expenses. In principle, tax amount should equal the total of all yearly funding.

In Hawaii there are multiple locally-based governmental entities from counties to cities to special purpose units. Each entity establishes its separate tax rate. Under a consolidated tax bill, almost all sub-county entities contract for Maui County to levy and collect the tax on their behalf.

Both regularly planned and previously unscheduled public hearings traditionally play a dominant role in this budgetary process. Maui County residents may legally petition for a public vote when proposed tax hikes top set ceilings.

Your city is obligated to adhere to dictates of the Hawaii Constitution in levying tax rates. In reality, tax rates can’t be raised before the general public is previously informed of that plan. Post-notice, a public formal meeting has to be convened to explain the proposal.

If Maui County property tax rates are too high for your budget and now you have delinquent property tax payments, a possible solution is getting a quick property tax loan from lenders in Maui County HI to save your property from a looming foreclosure.

What Are Maui County Real Estate Taxes Used For?

Property taxes are the mainstay of local neighborhood budgets. They’re a revenue pillar for public services funding cities, schools, and special districts, including water treatment plants, fire safety services, transportation, and more.

Hawaii cities count on the real property tax to support governmental services. Again, real estate taxes are the main way your city pays for them, including more than half of all public school funding. Besides the county and its cities, different specific-purpose units, such as school districts, water authorities, and others, are among this revenue source’s many beneficiaries.

Normally, local school districts are a serious consumer of property tax revenues. Employment costs for public workers also present a large expenditure. Public safety with police and fire departments is a big draw on the budget, as well. Road work, streetlights, sidewalks, and mass transit — all depend on real estate taxes. Another must is water and sewage treatment plants, followed by trash removal. One more category is organized recreation services, such as parks, and various entertainment areas. Often repeated, “It all adds up!”

How Are Property Taxes Handled at Closing in Maui County?

Property taxes are typically sent off beforehand for the whole year. Who pays property taxes at closing when it happens mid-year? When buying a house, at closing, property ownership changes over from sellers to buyers. At the same time, responsibility for paying taxes shifts with that ownership transfer. From that point, buyers repay former owners on a pro-rata basis.

Traditionally, it’s not a proportional tax refund paid straight-through to sellers, however. Instead mortgage companies, closing attorneys, or escrow officers will include the prorated tax with other purchaser payment obligations on settlement.