Nebraska Property Tax Calculator

How this calculator works

Nebraska property tax is governed by Neb. Rev. Stat. Chapter 77. Four structural features dominate the math and make Nebraska different from most other states: class-specific assessment ratios under § 77-201 (residential and commercial at 100% of actual value, agricultural and horticultural land at 75%), the § 77-3506 Homestead Exemption sliding-scale percentage by income (100% at the low end of the income table tapering to 0% at the upper threshold), the § 77-1738 TEEOSA levy caps, and — most consequentially — LB 1107 (2020), the Nebraska Property Tax Incentive Act refundable income-tax credit at 30% of school-district property taxes paid for tax year 2024.

The math:

• actual value times class ratio equals assessed value (§ 77-201)
• assessed value minus the Homestead Exemption equals taxable value
• taxable value times the combined levy equals the county tax paid to the treasurer
• school-district share of the county tax times the LB 1107 percentage equals the refundable credit claimed on Form PTC
• county tax minus the LB 1107 credit equals the net effective annual burden

The owner pays the full county tax to the treasurer; the LB 1107 credit flows back as a refund (or income-tax offset) on the Nebraska Form 1040N. This calculator surfaces both the bill paid and the net burden after the credit.

The § 77-201 class-ratio system

Nebraska applies different assessment ratios to different property classes:

| Class | Ratio | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Residential | 100% of actual value | Standard owner-occupied homes, rental property, vacation homes | | Commercial | 100% of actual value | Office, retail, industrial | | Agricultural land | 75% of actual value | Cropland, pasture, hay ground in bona fide ag use | | Horticultural land | 75% of actual value | Orchards, vineyards, nurseries in bona fide hort use |

The 25% reduction for agricultural and horticultural land is a structural recognition that working farm and ranch land produces income at a rate below the market value of the underlying ground. The reduction applies to the land itself; the dwelling on a farm, the farm headquarters, and the immediately surrounding area are assessed as residential at the 100% ratio.

Apply for an agricultural or horticultural classification on Form 422 with the county assessor. The parcel must be in bona fide present use — actual cropping, grazing, or hort production — not merely zoned for agriculture or held for future development. Reclassification disputes are heard by the Tax Equalization and Review Commission (TERC) under § 77-5005.

The § 77-3506 Homestead Exemption sliding scale

Unlike most states (which give qualifying owners a flat dollar exemption — North Carolina's $31,500-or-50%-of-value, Florida's $50,000), Nebraska's Homestead Exemption is a percentage-of-value exemption that phases out gradually as adjusted household income rises. The exemption percentage applies to the lesser of assessed value or the $100,000 statutory maximum exempt value.

Eligibility on January 1 of the tax year requires ALL of:

• Age 65 or older OR totally disabled (certified by SSA, VA, or a physician on Form 458B)
• The property is the owner's primary residence (homestead)
• Adjusted household income within the published income table

The exemption percentage by income (illustrative 2026 single-filer bands — refresh against the Department of Revenue's annual Form 458 publication):

| Income range (single) | Exemption % | $100K cap dollar exemption | | --- | --- | --- | | Under $25,701 | 100% | $100,000 | | $25,701 to $27,000 | 90% | $90,000 | | $27,001 to $28,300 | 80% | $80,000 | | $28,301 to $29,600 | 70% | $70,000 | | $29,601 to $30,900 | 60% | $60,000 | | $30,901 to $32,200 | 50% | $50,000 | | $32,201 to $33,500 | 40% | $40,000 | | $33,501 to $34,800 | 30% | $30,000 | | $34,801 to $36,100 | 20% | $20,000 | | $36,101 to $37,400 | 10% | $10,000 | | Above $37,400 | 0% | $0 |

Joint filers have thresholds roughly 17–20% above single-filer thresholds. "Adjusted household income" includes Social Security retirement benefits (even though excluded from federal AGI), tax-exempt interest, and certain pension contributions — use the figure on Form 458, Schedule I, not the federal AGI alone.

LB 1107 — the refundable income-tax credit for school taxes paid

LB 1107 (2020), the Nebraska Property Tax Incentive Act, is the most consequential property-tax development in Nebraska in a generation. It created a refundable state income-tax credit equal to a statutory percentage of the school-district property taxes paid during the tax year:

• Tax year 2024: 30% of school-district property taxes paid
• Tax year 2025+: scheduled to step up under a revenue-trigger formula

The credit is claimed on Nebraska Form PTC filed with the Form 1040N state income-tax return. Because the credit is refundable, a taxpayer whose Nebraska income-tax liability is less than the credit amount receives the difference back as a refund — there is no use-it-or-lose-it limitation tied to income-tax liability.

The credit applies to the school-district share of the bill — typically 50%–60% of total on a Nebraska residential property — not the whole bill. Three pieces of information from the county property-tax statement drive the math:

1. Total property tax paid in the tax year (typically two installments)
2. School-district portion of that total — itemized as a separate line
3. The parcel's school district (all K-12 public districts qualify; community college and ESU portions do not)

This calculator uses a default 55% school-district share — override with the parcel-specific figure from the county tax bill for accuracy.

The § 77-1738 TEEOSA levy caps

The Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act at § 77-1738 et seq. caps local-government property-tax levies in Nebraska:

| Jurisdiction | Cap | Per $100 of actual value | | --- | --- | --- | | County (general fund) | 50¢ per $100 | 0.50% | | Cities and villages (general fund) | 45¢ per $100 | 0.45% | | School districts | tied to TEEOSA aid formula | varies by equalization status | | Community colleges, NRDs, ESUs, SIDs | separate per-jurisdiction caps | varies |

Combined levies on a typical parcel sum each of these jurisdictions' rates — that's why combined rates land in the 1.8%–2.4% band: the caps stack. The county isn't levying at 2.18%; the county is levying at ~0.45%, but the school district adds ~1.10%, the city adds ~0.40%, and special districts add the rest.

The TEEOSA caps are a ceiling, not a target — most jurisdictions levy below the cap, but the layered structure makes structural rate cuts politically difficult. Lowering any one cap shifts demand to another district unless the legislature funds state aid to replace the lost local revenue. LB 1107 effectively does that, but as a state-funded refundable credit rather than a local-cap reduction.

Common combined levy rates by county

Representative 2024–2025 combined levies for residential primary residences:

| County | Combined levy | $300K home county tax | After LB 1107 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Buffalo (Kearney) | 1.95% | $5,850 | $4,884 | | Rural / other | 1.75% | $5,250 | $4,384 | | Lancaster (Lincoln) | 2.05% | $6,150 | $5,135 | | Hall (Grand Island) | 2.10% | $6,300 | $5,260 | | Douglas (Omaha) | 2.18% | $6,540 | $5,461 | | Sarpy | 2.32% | $6,960 | $5,811 |

Pull the binding combined levy for the specific parcel from the county treasurer's annual tax-list publication. The tax bill itemizes the levy by district — county, city, school, community college, NRD, ESU, fire, sanitary improvement, and any other special districts that apply.

A worked example — Omaha, $300,000 home, owner age 40

A $300,000 home in Omaha (Douglas County). Owner is 40, single, household income $90,000, primary residence. Douglas combined levy is 2.18%.

• Class ratio: 100% residential (§ 77-201)
• Assessed value: $300,000
• Homestead Exemption: not applicable (under 65, not disabled — and the income is above the threshold anyway)
• Taxable value: $300,000
• County tax (paid to treasurer): $300,000 times 0.0218 = $6,540
• School-district portion (55% default): $3,597
• LB 1107 refundable credit: $3,597 times 30% = $1,079
• Net effective annual burden: $6,540 − $1,079 = $5,461
• Net effective rate: 1.82% of actual value

The owner pays $6,540 to the county treasurer (in two installments) and receives $1,079 back through the Nebraska Form 1040N when filing the state income-tax return. The combined effect is a 16.5-percentage-point reduction off the nominal 2.18% levy — bringing the effective rate to 1.82%, which is meaningfully lower than the headline but still in the upper cluster among Midwestern states.

A worked example — same home, age 70, $20,000 income, single

Same $300,000 Omaha home. Owner is now 70, single, adjusted household income $20,000.

• Class ratio: 100% residential
• Assessed value: $300,000
• Homestead Exemption percentage: 100% (income below the $25,701 threshold)
• Homestead Exemption dollars: 100% of the $100,000 cap = $100,000
• Taxable value: $300,000 − $100,000 = $200,000
• County tax: $200,000 times 0.0218 = $4,360
• School-district portion: $2,398
• LB 1107 refundable credit: $2,398 times 30% = $719
• Net effective annual burden: $4,360 − $719 = $3,641
• Net effective rate: 1.21% of actual value

The Homestead Exemption knocks $2,180 off the county bill before LB 1107 runs; LB 1107 then peels off another $719 from the income-tax return. The effective rate falls from 1.82% to 1.21% — a 33% reduction in the effective property-tax burden for the qualifying senior.

A worked example — Lincoln, $250,000 home, age 70, $32,000 income, single

Same scenario but in Lincoln (Lancaster County), single filer with adjusted household income at the middle of the sliding scale.

• Class ratio: 100% residential
• Assessed value: $250,000
• Homestead Exemption percentage: 50% (income in the $30,901 to $32,200 band)
• Homestead Exemption dollars: 50% of the $100,000 cap = $50,000
• Taxable value: $250,000 − $50,000 = $200,000
• County tax: $200,000 times 0.0205 = $4,100
• LB 1107 credit: $4,100 times 55% times 30% = $677
• Net effective annual burden: $4,100 − $677 = $3,424

The 50% exemption percentage cuts the would-be $250,000 taxable value to $200,000 — a 20% reduction in the county bill from the partial Homestead alone. LB 1107 then reduces the bill by another 16.5%. For a Lincoln retiree at the middle of the sliding scale, the combined effect: roughly a one-third reduction off the no-exemption baseline.

A worked example — $500,000 farm, agricultural class

A $500,000 working farm in a rural county. Owner is 50 (no Homestead eligibility), household income $100,000. Rural combined levy is 1.75%. Land qualifies for agricultural classification under § 77-201.

• Class ratio: 75% agricultural (§ 77-201)
• Assessed value: $500,000 times 0.75 = $375,000
• No Homestead Exemption: owner under 65, not disabled, and Homestead does not apply to agricultural land in any event
• Taxable value: $375,000
• County tax: $375,000 times 0.0175 = $6,563
• LB 1107 refundable credit: $6,563 times 55% times 30% = $1,083
• Net effective annual burden: $6,563 − $1,083 = $5,480
• Net effective rate: 1.10% of actual value

The 75% agricultural ratio is the principal mechanism keeping working farm property tax sustainable. A $500,000 residential parcel in the same county would be taxed on $500,000 of assessed value, producing roughly $7,300 of net burden — a third higher than the agricultural figure. LB 1107 still applies (any Nebraska taxpayer paying school-district property tax can claim the credit on Form PTC), and stacks on top of the class-ratio reduction.

A worked example — disabled veteran, age 50, Omaha

A 100% service-connected disabled veteran. Same $300,000 Omaha home, single filer, adjusted household income $75,000.

• Homestead Exemption: eligible under the disability path even though under 65 — but income above the upper threshold of the sliding scale yields a 0% exemption percentage
• Assessed value: $300,000
• Taxable value: $300,000
• County tax: $6,540
• LB 1107 credit: $1,079
• Net effective annual burden: $5,461

This is an important quirk of the Nebraska system: total disability gates Homestead eligibility, but the income test still drives the exemption percentage. A disabled veteran above the income threshold gets zero Homestead Exemption — the same outcome as an under-65 owner with no disability. Veterans with 100% service-connected disability ratings have a separate path under different income treatment that this calculator does not model — confirm with the county assessor whether the veteran-specific Homestead pathway applies.

Comparing Nebraska to surrounding states

Effective property-tax rates on residential primary residences across the Plains:

| State | Effective rate (typical) | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Wyoming | ~0.55% | 9.5% residential assessment ratio, low local levies | | Colorado | ~0.55% | ~6.4% residential ratio (post-Gallagher) | | Missouri | ~1.00% | 19% residential assessment ratio | | South Dakota | ~1.20% | 100% ratio, moderate levies | | Kansas | ~1.40% | 11.5% residential ratio + high levies | | Iowa | ~1.50% | rollback-adjusted residential ratio + moderate levies | | Nebraska (nominal) | ~1.8%–2.4% | 100% residential ratio + high stacked TEEOSA levies | | Nebraska (after LB 1107) | ~1.4%–1.9% | 30% credit on the 55% school portion |

Even with LB 1107, Nebraska sits at the high end of the Plains cluster. The state's historical bargain: heavy reliance on property tax to fund education through local control, partly offset by the structural 25% reduction for agricultural land and the state-funded refundable credit on the school portion of the residential bill.

The political dynamic worth understanding: LB 1107's credit percentage was set at 30% for 2024 and is scheduled to step up under a revenue-trigger formula. The legislative theory is that as state general-fund revenue grows, the LB 1107 percentage rises, and over time the effective Nebraska property-tax burden approaches the Plains median without requiring a structural reduction in the TEEOSA caps — which the school districts and counties heavily oppose.

Common errors to avoid

• Forgetting to claim the LB 1107 credit on Form PTC. Many Nebraska homeowners pay the county property tax bill but never file Form PTC with their state income-tax return — leaving the 30% refundable credit on the table. The credit is refundable, which means there is no income-tax liability requirement: any Nebraska taxpayer paying school-district property tax can claim it.
• Treating the LB 1107 credit as a reduction in the property-tax bill. The credit is paid through the state income-tax return, not the county treasurer. The owner still pays the full county tax bill in two installments. The credit then flows back as a refund (or offset) on the Form 1040N. Budgeting from the net effective number without accounting for the cash-flow timing mismatch can produce a December cash-flow problem in the year of the credit.
• Including Social Security on the federal return but omitting it from § 77-3506 income. Adjusted household income for the Nebraska Homestead Exemption includes Social Security retirement benefits even though much of that income is excluded from federal AGI. Use the figure on Form 458, Schedule I — not the federal AGI alone.
• Filing Form 458 (Homestead) but not Form PTC (LB 1107). The two are administered separately — Homestead is a county-assessor filing (Form 458 by June 30); LB 1107 is a state-revenue filing (Form PTC with the Form 1040N). A qualifying senior who files one but not the other captures only half the available offset.
• Assuming the entire bill drives the LB 1107 credit. The credit applies only to the school-district portion — typically 55% of the total bill. Community college, ESU, NRD, and special-district portions of the bill do NOT generate LB 1107 credit. Read the itemized levy on the county tax statement to compute the credit accurately.
• Treating agricultural land like residential at the ratio level. Agricultural land is assessed at 75% under § 77-201 — but the dwelling on a farm, the farm headquarters, and the immediately surrounding area are assessed at the residential 100% ratio. The county assessor classifies each component separately.
• Missing the June 30 deadline for Form 458. Late filings are accepted only in limited hardship circumstances. File even if eligibility is uncertain — the county assessor will determine qualification.

Tools, not advice. Confirm the binding combined levy with the county treasurer, the school-district portion of the bill, and the current LB 1107 credit percentage on the Nebraska Department of Revenue's published guidance before relying on any result for planning purposes.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-16.