How to Calculate a Tax Bill
Pursuant to North Carolina law, property is appraised at 100% of fair market value. In North Carolina, property tax is the primary source of revenue for local governments. In FY2021, property tax represented 57.73% of Henderson County revenues.
Henderson County does not keep all property tax dollars collected. To streamline billing and collection processes, Henderson County bills and collects property taxes on behalf of all volunteer fire departments, for the portion of the Town of Saluda that lies within Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and the Town of Laurel Park. The other municipalities (Town of Fletcher, Village of Flat Rock, and the Town of Mills River) bill and collect property taxes on behalf of their citizens. Property tax collected by these municipalities are based on valuations provided by the County Assessor.
For those entities that Henderson County does bill and collect for, the tax liability is a combination of tax rates for each applicable entity. For example, a property residing within the Fire District of Valley Hill will have two separate tax rates represented on the tax bill (the County tax rate and the Valley Hill Fire District rate). Both rates will be totaled to calculate the tax liability due.
For those entities that Henderson County does not bill and collect for, two separate tax bills will be received by the property owner: the tax bill for Henderson County and the tax bill for the entity that the County does not bill and collect for. For example, a property residing within the Village of Flat Rock will receive two tax bills: one for Henderson County and a separate bill from the Village of Flat Rock.
Each taxing entity within the County determines its own budget and tax rate. Each taxing entity will develop a rate as part of their budget process which will be finalized in June 2023.
Calculating property tax liability will vary slightly, depending on the fire district in which the property resides. The column to the right provides several calculation examples:
Example A:
Property Value = $250,000
Property located in Henderson County within the Valley Hill Fire District:
| Total Tax Rate: | |
|---|---|
| County | .431 |
| Valley Hill Fire | .090 |
| Total Tax Rate | .5210 |
Total Tax Due = (250,000/100) x .5210 = $1,302.50
NOTE: Rates used in this example are from FY2023
Example B:
Property Value = $250,000
Property located in Henderson County within the Town of Mills River:
| County Tax Rate: | |
|---|---|
| County | .431 |
| Total County Tax Rate | .431 |
Total Tax Due County = (250,000/100) x .4310 = $1,077.50
| Mills River Tax Rate: | |
|---|---|
| Town of Mills River | .170 |
| Total Town Tax Rate | .170 |
Total Tax Due Town = (250,000/100) x .1700 = $425.00
NOTE:
- Rates used in this example are from FY2023
- In this example, the taxpayer will receive two tax bills: one from the County and one from the Town of Mills River.
- For purposes of this example, the tax due is rounded to the nearest dollar. Actual tax bills are not rounded to the nearest dollar.
Supporting Documents
Sample Tax Bill 2023 (213 KB) Tax Rates 2023 (FY2024) (128 KB) 
