Tennessee property taxes for retirees

How homes are valued

Residential property is assessed at 25% of appraised value, and the local tax rate is applied to that assessed amount. Counties reappraise on four-, five-, or six-year cycles.³

After a countywide reappraisal, the state calculates a certified tax rate that would raise about the same revenue as the year before. A county or city that wants more must adopt a higher rate publicly.³

Caps, and what happens when a home sells

There's no annual cap on appraised value. Values change at reappraisal, not when a home sells, so a buyer is taxed on the same appraised value as the seller until the next reappraisal.³

Is there a homestead exemption?

Tennessee has no homestead exemption for homeowners in general. Relief is limited to low-income older and disabled homeowners and to disabled veterans.¹

Relief for homeowners 65 and older

The state Property Tax Relief Program pays part of the tax on a primary residence for homeowners 65 or older, or disabled, whose combined income from all owners is under the annual limit: $37,530 for the 2025 tax year. The relief is calculated on a limited slice of value, the first $32,700 of market value for 2026, so it covers only part of most bills. Apply each year with your county trustee.^4,2

Counties and cities can adopt a tax freeze for homeowners 65 or older. It holds the tax on your home at the amount owed in the year you first qualify, with a higher income limit set county by county. In Blount County, for example, the limit was $61,920 of combined income for the 2025 tax year. You must reapply every year, and not every county participates.^2,5

Disabled veterans with a total and permanent service-connected disability, and their surviving spouses, receive state-paid relief on the first $175,000 of market value with no income limit.²

Second homes and snowbirds

The relief and freeze programs cover only your principal residence. A second home in Tennessee is taxed the same as any other residential property.^5,1