Abatement Application for Real Estate and Personal Property


Fiscal Year 2024 Abatement Applications are due  February 1, 2024

An abatement is a reduction in the tax assessed on your property for the fiscal year. To dispute your valuation or assessment or to correct any other billing problem or error that caused your tax bill to be higher than it should be, you must apply for an abatement.

You may apply for an abatement if your property is:

  • Overvalued (assessed value is more than fair cash value on January 1 for any reason, including clerical and data processing errors or assessment of property that is non-existent or not taxable to you)
  • Disproportionately assessed in comparison with other properties
  • Classified incorrectly as residential, open space, commercial, or
  • Partially or fully exempt

Abatement applications must be filed and received in the Assessor's Office after the 3rd quarter tax bills have been mailed, but no later than the due date. The Board of Assessors has three (3) months to act on your abatement application. The abatement process is defined in M.G.L. Chapter 59,§§59-63.  State law prohibits Assessors from acting on an application that is filed late. 

Appeal of the Board of Assessors Decision 

If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Board of Assessors – or if you have not received a notice of the Board of Assessors decision within (3) months from the date you filed your abatement application, you may appeal to the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board, (ATB), a state agency that hears appeals from taxpayers who have been denied or not satisfied by the Board of Assessors decision at the local level.