Maine Tax Data Explorer (2024)

FAQs

What town in Maine has the highest property taxes? ›

Androscoggin County has the highest property tax rate in Maine at 1.65%. The average property tax bill in the county is around $2,750.

Maine has the third highest tax burden of all 50 states. That's according to a new survey of 2023 tax burdens by WalletHub, a personal finance company. Only New York and Hawaii will have higher total tax burdens than Maine.

While Maine does not tax Social Security income, other forms of retirement income are taxed at rates as high as 7.15%. It also has above average property taxes, as well as an estate tax. To find a financial advisor who serves your area, try our free online matching tool. Maine is not tax-friendly toward retirees.

To qualify, you must be a permanent resident of Maine, the home must be your permanent residence, you must have owned a home in Maine for the twelve months prior to applying and an application must be filed on or before April 1 with the municipality where the property is located.

Property Tax Stabilization for Senior Citizens, also known as the Property Tax Stabilization Program (the “Program”), is a State program that allows certain senior-citizen residents to stabilize, or freeze, the property taxes on their homestead.

Tax Differences

New Hampshire is famous for having no state income or sales tax, making it an attractive option for those looking to save money on taxes. In contrast, Maine has a 5.5% sales tax and a state income tax, which can be a factor to consider when choosing where to live.

1. Wyoming. Wyoming is considered to be very tax-friendly towards retirees. There is no state income tax in Wyoming, which means that residents do not pay state taxes on distributions from retirement plan accounts, public or private pension payments or Social Security benefits.

Are groceries taxable in Maine? No, grocery is considered staples for human consumption and is not taxed in Maine. This includes most basic unprepared food items. However, tax still applies to prepared products.

For tax year 2023, Maine allows for a deduction for pension income of up to $30,000 that is included in your federal adjusted gross income. The $30,000 must be reduced by all taxable and nontaxable social security and railroad benefits.

Is Maine good to retirees? ›

Another popular retirement option is the state of Maine. In fact, Senior Living places Maine as the state with the highest ratio of older residents in its population - almost 44% of Maine's population is in the 50 and above age range.

Located just off the coast of Canada, Eastport is one of the best places for retirees to spend their twilight years. While there are many top places to retire in Maine to enjoy New England's golden years, Eastport is more tempting because of its lower cost of living compared to the national average.

While many Amish communities tend to be private and not get involved with anything government related, the Amish respect and consistently abide by tax laws that are appropriate to their communities. These taxes include but are not limited to sales, income, property, and public school taxes.

The 2022 Maine personal exemption amount is $4,450 and the Maine basic standard deduction amounts are $12,950* for single and $25,900* for married individuals filing joint returns.

Maine Veterans Property Tax Exemptions: Maine offers a $6,000 property tax exemption to eligible Veterans, disabled Veterans, Surviving Spouses, surviving minor Children and surviving parents.

Hanco*ck County

The county's average effective property tax rate of 1.03% is the lowest in the state and below the state average of 1.09%.

Most expensive: Cumberland County, $392,000

Least expensive community with a population over 1,000 to buy a home: Sebago, median home value of $174,000.