Worried your Needham property tax bill is too high?
Your tax bill starts with your assessment. Run a free check to see whether your Needham home may be over-assessed — and if the numbers suggest a real issue, continue to a guided abatement packet.
Free check. No account. No payment required.
Needham assessments by the numbers
How Needham assesses residential property, from 2026 records.
Informational statistics from public assessment and sales records, after setting aside nominal family/trust transfers and statistical outliers. Evenness figures compare each qualified sale’s assessment-to-sale ratio to the town’s typical ratio for its property class, adjusted to a common sale date; a high ratio is a reason to review, not proof of error. Not an appraisal, a determination of market value, or a promise of any tax change. Figures reflect the latest data snapshot and may be out of date.
Reviewing your Needham assessment
In Massachusetts, your property tax bill is your assessed value multiplied by your town’s tax rate. In Needham, the median residential assessment of $1,208,700 at the FY2026 rate of $10.83 per $1,000 works out to roughly $13,090 a year — so an assessment even 10% above where it should be is real money, every year it stands. Our comparison data for Needham draws on 271 qualified arm’s-length sales from 2024, where homes sold at a median assessment-to-sale ratio of 0.96. Assessors are required to assess at fair cash value as of January 1 each year; if your assessment jumped, your record card looks inaccurate, or comparable homes nearby are assessed lower, it can be worth a closer look before the filing window closes.
What the free check and packet help you do
- See whether your assessment appears high
- Estimate the possible impact on your tax bill
- Compare against similar Needham homes
- Organize property record-card details and possible issues
- Prepare a comparable-sales worksheet and evidence checklist
- Prepare a ready-to-sign Form 128 and questions for the assessor
Official Needham resources
- Board of AssessorsNeedham assessing department
- Abatement formMassachusetts State Tax Form 128 (PDF)
- Abatement deadlineTypically February 1 (the due date of the fiscal-year third-quarter actual tax bill) for quarterly-billed municipalities — verify the exact date with the town.
- Needham requiresNeedham requires a Supplemental Information form (G.L. c. 59, §61A) within 30 days of filing the abatement application. The comparable sales must be from Needham, of the same style house, in the same neighborhood code, and of similar lot size, living area, age, and condition. If it is not provided, the application is denied and you may lose your right to appeal to the Appellate Tax Board. Property Tax Hawk prepares the Supplemental Information form for you, with the comparable sales drawn from Needham sales records — you don't need to find comparables yourself.
- Abatement guideNeedham abatement information guide (PDF)
Needham property tax questions
What is the residential property tax rate in Needham, MA?
Needham's FY2026 residential tax rate is $10.83 per $1,000 of assessed value, per Massachusetts DLS data. Verify the current rate on your actual tax bill.
What is the median home assessment in Needham?
The median residential assessment in Needham is about $1,208,700 (roughly $537 per square foot), across 9,624 residential parcels in the public assessment records.
How much is the typical Needham property tax bill?
At the FY2026 rate of $10.83 per $1,000, the median Needham assessment of $1,208,700 implies a tax bill of roughly $13,090 per year, before any exemptions.
How evenly are Needham homes assessed?
Among the 271 qualified home sales Needham reported to the state (DLS LA3), about 3% show an assessment at least 10% above the town's typical assessment-to-sale ratio — after adjusting for sale timing and property class — and 10% at least 10% below. For the over-assessed group, the implied tax difference is a median of roughly $1,779 per year at the current rate. Ratios naturally vary; a high ratio is a reason to review your assessment, not proof of error. The free check shows where your own home stands.
When is the deadline to challenge a Needham property assessment?
In most Massachusetts towns the abatement application is due on or before the date the first actual (non-preliminary) tax bill is due — typically February 1 for quarterly-billed municipalities. Verify the exact date with the Needham assessors.
How do I appeal my Needham property tax assessment?
File Massachusetts State Tax Form 128 (Application for Abatement) with the Needham Board of Assessors by the deadline. Property Tax Hawk's free check compares your home with similar Needham homes, and the optional $79 guided packet prepares the form and comparable-sales evidence for you to review, sign, and file.
See where your Needham tax bill stands
Run a free check first. You’ll only consider the $79 guided abatement packet if the numbers suggest it’s worth it.
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