If you go under contract on a Hilliard home this fall, which tax bill is your closing built on?
It's the old one. Ohio collects property taxes in arrears. The Franklin County Auditor's Board of Revision FAQ gives the example that calendar year 2027 is tax year 2026. The bills Franklin County collected on February 28 and July 20, 2026 were for tax year 2025. The 2026 values the Auditor released on June 9 are still tentative. Final certification is expected in December 2026. So a late-2026 closing happens before any bill based on the new values exists.
That matters because Hilliard's new values are a real jump. The Auditor's preliminary table shows Hilliard City School District residential values up an average of 11%, against 10.1% for residential property countywide. Still, 11% is not the number that predicts your 2027 bill. That depends on how your particular house moved compared with the district average.
The closing credit is calculated before the new values arrive
In Ohio the seller usually credits the buyer at closing for the taxes covering the time the seller owned the home. Because of the arrears system, the buyer then pays those taxes when the bill comes due. Ohio Real Title's guide to Ohio prorations shows two methods. The purchase contract decides which one applies.
Here is their example: a $7,300 annual tax bill and a June 1, 2024 closing.
| Method | Seller's period covered | Daily rate | Credit to buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short proration | Jan. 1 to June 1, 2024, 152 days | $20 | $3,040 |
| Long proration | July 1, 2023 to June 1, 2024, 336 days | $20 | $6,720 |
The two credits differ by $3,680 on the same house and the same closing date. Nothing changes except one term in the contract. Those are illustrative 2024 figures from the title company, not Hilliard numbers. The structure carries over, though. Each method multiplies a daily rate by a number of days, and this fall the daily rate comes from a bill based on pre-update values.
That's why the proration clause is worth reading closely in a Hilliard contract this season. The credit covers a period the new values will eventually be applied to, but it's priced off the old bill. It's also why the "annual taxes" line on a listing sheet is a lagging figure. It reflects 2025 values, collected in 2026.
What the 11% actually does to your share
Hilliard City Schools posted an explainer on July 28, 2026 titled "I received my new property value, does that mean my property taxes will go up?" Its main point is that an 11% district-average increase does not automatically mean an 11% tax increase. For most voted levies, total collections stay essentially the same. What shifts is each owner's share, based on how that property's value changed compared with other properties in the district.
The district gave three cases:
- Value up about 15%, above average: you may pay a slightly larger share of voted taxes.
- Value up about 11%, at the district average: your share generally stays about the same.
- Value up about 8%, below average: you may pay a slightly smaller share.
The Hilliard Herald covered the explainer on August 5 under the headline "Hilliard home values up 11%, but school tax bills likely won't follow." The district's examples are percentages only, with no dollar illustration. The Auditor's figures are averages, not medians.
For a buyer, this changes what to look up. On any home you're seriously considering, check that parcel's tentative 2026 change on the Franklin County Auditor's site and compare it with the 11% district average. A house that rose 15% and a house that rose 8% can show similar tax lines on their listings today and still head toward different 2027 bills.
State law caps the parts that would otherwise follow values up
Two pieces of Ohio's 2025 reform package affect Hilliard's 2026 update directly. Governor DeWine signed the five property tax bills on December 19, 2025. The Ohio Society of CPAs reported that the package took effect March 20, 2026.
HB 335 covers inside millage, the slice of property tax that doesn't need voter approval. In a reappraisal or update year, county budget commissions must adjust inside-millage rates so revenue growth is generally limited to GDP-deflator inflation over the preceding three years. For real property, that starts with tax year 2026. The Hilliard Herald noted that budget commissions had to make those adjustments in September 2026.
HB 186 does two things. It gives property owners in school districts on the 20-mill floor a tax credit, sized so the district's revenue growth from the floor doesn't exceed inflation. It also phases the owner-occupancy rollback up to 15.38% by tax year 2029 and phases out the 10% rollback for residential property that isn't owner-occupied. The package also ended replacement-levy authority, according to the Ohio Society of CPAs.
The rollback change splits buyers into two groups. If you'll live in the home, the credit grows over the next few tax years. If you're buying a Hilliard home to rent out, the seller's tax history may include a 10% rollback that is being phased out for you. Either way, the seller's tax line was shaped by their occupancy status, and it may not match your situation.
Nothing new on Hilliard's November ballot, so check the parcel
The Franklin County Board of Elections' certified issues list for the November 3, 2026 general election, revised September 4, shows no property tax levy or bond issue for Hilliard City Schools, the City of Hilliard, Norwich or Brown Township, or the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Brown Township's item is a zoning plan question, not a tax.
The same list does include a South-Western City School District construction bond: $220 million, 2.26 mills, about $79 per $100,000 of auditor market value, for 38 years. It applies only to parcels inside South-Western's boundaries. If you're comparing homes on Hilliard's edges with homes farther south, the school taxing district is set by parcel, not by mailing address. Confirm it on the Auditor's parcel record before you compare tax lines.
The market gives buyers room to negotiate these terms
The tax lag matters more when buyers have room to negotiate, and Hilliard's numbers have shifted in that direction. The Columbus REALTORS report for August 2026, posted September 15, shows these figures for Hilliard (Corp.):
| Hilliard (Corp.) | August 2025 | August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Median sales price | $447,500 | $449,000 |
| Inventory of homes for sale | 54 | 75 |
| Months supply | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Days on market until sale | 25 | 23 |
| Median list price, new listings | $487,450 | $517,500 |
| Percent of last list price received | 100.0% | 100.5% |
Inventory rose 38.9% year over year in August 2026 while the median sale price barely moved. New listings came on asking a median $517,500, about $68,500 above what homes actually sold for that month. Homes that did sell still closed at about their last list price, so the gap shows up in asking prices that later come down, not in discounts at closing. The broader Hilliard City School District geography reported a $395,500 median, 22 days on market and 185 homes in inventory for the same month.
With 1.9 months of supply instead of 1.5, there's more room for the less visible terms of an offer. The proration method is one of them, since Ohio leaves that choice to the contract.
FAQ
When will a Hilliard buyer first see the 2026 values on a bill? In 2027, when collection for tax year 2026 begins. The Treasurer's FAQ lists February 28 and July 20 as the regular due dates and says future bills follow that schedule unless it changes.
Can the new value still be challenged? The Auditor's informal Property Value Review meetings ended September 5, 2026, and documents were due September 12. The Auditor's Board of Revision lists the 2026 complaint season as August 25, 2026 through March 31, 2027. The Treasurer's FAQ lists a different opening date, November 20, so check with the Board of Revision directly.
Who can answer district-specific tax questions? Hilliard City Schools' business office, led by Chief Operating Officer Mark Dudgeon, at 614-921-7000. For your own tax or legal situation, talk with a qualified professional.
If you're weighing a Hilliard home this fall, The Oracle Group can pull that parcel's tentative 2026 value change and show you how it compares with the district's 11% average. We'll also go through the proration clause with you before you sign, so the tax terms in your offer match the bill you'll actually be paying in 2027.
