Tax bills to be mailed next week; first-half due Jan. 20

posted on 12/9/2025; 12/12/2025

City of Dover property tax bills will be mailed to property owners starting next week. The first half of the tax bill will be due on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026; the second half will be due on Monday, June 1, 2026.

Tax bills can be paid by mail, online through the city’s Billing and Payment webpage, or in person at the City Clerk/Tax Collector’s office, located in City Hall, 288 Central Ave., during regular hours. The online payment accepts electronic check payments (ACH), subject to a $1 transaction fee. Visa and Mastercard are also accepted, subject to a transaction fee of 2.5% of the total payment. Discover and American Express credit cards are not accepted. The payment processor collects the transaction fees.

Dover’s tax rate, set at $19.68 per $1,000 of assessed valuation by the New Hampshire Department of Revenue on Dec. 5, includes four sections: Municipal ($6.91), County ($1.83), Local Education ($9.78), and State Education ($1.16). The rate is determined by the total amount needed to be raised by taxes ($127,421,722) divided by the municipality’s total valuation ($6,482,774,600).

The amount to be raised by taxes is determined by the adopted budget for each section, with the city collecting the Strafford County portion ($11,848,376) and the State Education portion ($7,348,968) on the county and state’s behalf. The amount needed to be raised by taxes for Municipal ($44,830,128) and Local Education ($63,394,250) portions is based on the City of Dover’s adopted fiscal year 2026 budget for the General Fund. The Municipal section is for all non-school departments.

The tax rate of $19.68 is broken down as follows:

• City: $6.91, an increase of 47 cents, or 7.3%
• Local education: $9.78, an increase of 90 cents, or 10.1%
• County: $1.83, an increase of 8 cents, or 4.6%
• State education: $1.16, an increase of 6 cents, or 5.5%

The tax rate set by the DRA represents a $1.51 increase, or 8.3%, over the prior year. In email to the City Council about the certified tax rate, City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr., wrote, “It should be noted that the overall tax rate would have been $0.16 lower as a result of an increase in assessed value created by new construction; however, this reduction was offset by a $0.09 increase attributable to the change in the County tax apportionment, and a $0.07 increase required for the statewide education property tax (SWEPT) assessment.

The average residential property is now assessed at $527,204 ($524,638 last year), which includes the combination of all single-family, multi-family units, condos and manufactured housing. The tax levy for the average residential property will increase $843, or 8.8%, to $10,375. For the average single-family home assessed at $583,064 ($580,809 last year), the tax bill will increase $921, or 8.7%, to $11,475.

To calculate property tax for a specific parcel, multiply the tax rate ($19.68) by the assessed value and divide by 1,000. Find the assessed values for all property parcels in Dover on the Tax Assessment Office webpage.

Property owners may appeal their property tax assessment for the 2025 tax year by filing an abatement application with the Tax Assessment Office by March 1, 2026. Please note: filing an abatement application does not stay the collection of taxes, and taxes should be paid as assessed. If an abatement is granted, the city will issue a refund with interest.

City Manager Joyal reminds the public that there are state and local programs available for those having difficulty paying their taxes, and to contact the Tax Assessment Office or visit www.dover.nh.gov/dovercares for more information. 

For more information, contact the Finance Department at 603-516-6030.