How are property tax rates determined in Indiana?

Property tax rates in Indiana are set by each taxing district (municipality, school district, park district, library, etc.) based on their annual levy (the amount of tax revenue they need). The rate is calculated by dividing the levy by the total assessed value of all property in the district.

What is the composite tax rate?

The composite tax rate is the sum of all overlapping taxing district rates that apply to a specific property. A typical property may be taxed by several overlapping districts. The composite rate determines your total tax bill when multiplied by your property's assessed value.

Why do tax rates vary within the same town?

Properties within the same municipality can have different composite rates because overlapping districts (school, park, fire, library) have different boundaries. A home in one school district may have a different rate than a home two blocks away in a different school district.

Waterloo, IN Property Tax Rate 2026 — Full Breakdown by District

Showing latest tax year with year-over-year changes. Full rate history available with a paid plan. View plans →

Property Tax — Tax Year 2026 (payable 2027)i

IN DLGF

Composite Ratei

2.83%–3.34%-2%YoY

Varies by school district

Municipal Portioni

1.6934%-4.2%YoY54.9% of total

Effective Ratei

2.83%–3.34%

Est. Annual Taxi

$3K–$3K

Median Home Valuei

$104,600

Rate varies by school district. Your actual rate depends on which school district your property falls in.

Rate Trend — click a year to explorei

20252026

Municipal

Other Districts

Where Your Tax Dollar Goesi

$0.35 GARRETT-KEYSER-BUTLER COMM SCHOOL CORP

$0.31 WATERLOO - GENERAL

$0.26 DEKALB COUNTY CENTRAL UNITED SCHOOL CORP

$0.25 DEKALB COUNTY EASTERN COMM SCHOOL CORP

$0.25 HAMILTON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION

$0.20 WATERLOO - MOTOR VEHICLE HIGHWAY

$0.12 County - DeKalb

$0.07 WATERLOO PUBLIC LIBRARY

$0.06 BUTLER CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY

$0.05 GARRETT PUBLIC LIBRARY

$0.04 AUBURN-ECKHART PUBLIC LIBRARY

$0.02 WATERLOO - REDEVELOPMENT - GENERAL

$0.02 WATERLOO - CUMULATIVE CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT

$0.01 WATERLOO - CUMULATIVE FIRE SPECIAL

Estimated Tax by Home Valuei

$50K

$472–$557

$100K

$943–$1,114

$150K

$1,415–$1,671

$200K

$1,887–$2,227

$250K

$2,358–$2,784

$300K

$2,830–$3,341

$350K

$3,302–$3,898

Highlighted value is closest to median home value ($105K)

14 Overlapping Taxing Districtsi

GARRETT-KEYSER-BUTLER COMM SCHOOL CORPUnit K-12

34.7%1.0694%

WATERLOO - GENERALi

30.6%0.9447%

DEKALB COUNTY CENTRAL UNITED SCHOOL CORPUnit K-12

25.6%0.7910%

DEKALB COUNTY EASTERN COMM SCHOOL CORPUnit K-12

25%0.7707%

HAMILTON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATIONUnit K-12

24.6%0.7592%

WATERLOO - MOTOR VEHICLE HIGHWAYi

19.9%0.6147%

County - DeKalbi

12.2%0.3778%

WATERLOO PUBLIC LIBRARYi

6.5%0.2009%

BUTLER CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARYi

5.8%0.1803%

GARRETT PUBLIC LIBRARYi

5.2%0.1591%

AUBURN-ECKHART PUBLIC LIBRARYi

4%0.1226%

WATERLOO - REDEVELOPMENT - GENERALi

1.6%0.0507%

WATERLOO - CUMULATIVE CAPITAL DEVELOPMENTi

1.6%0.0500%

WATERLOO - CUMULATIVE FIRE SPECIALi

1.1%0.0333%