Buffalo Residents Can Use New Calculator To Estimate Property Tax Increase

The last few days in Buffalo have been pretty eventful for property owners and renters alike, as there have been tons of discussions about the new city budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, along with the nearly 26% proposed tax increase in the city's tax levy. The last few years have seen the government in Buffalo operating under some dubious financial leadership with questionable budgets, along with what many have said was the squandering of hundreds of millions in federal stimulus money to fill holes in the city's bank account.

In what has been described as an attempt to right the ship, new Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan has released a new budget that may result in a massive increase in the city's tax levy. As it stands today, the levy is set to increase by more than $46 million.

READ MORE: How Do Buffalo’s Taxes Compare To Neighboring Towns

As part of delivering the budget to the Buffalo Common Council, Mayor Ryan released a video in which he breaks down his budget proposal and the differences between what was budgeted and what was spent last year. In the 2025/26 Fiscal Year, the city budgeted $607 million in spending. The 2026/27 budget proposal is listing $668 million in city spending, with an increase in the tax levy of $46,220,725 (from $179,382,900 to $225,603,625).

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To help people better understand the real impact on them and their taxes, city accounting officials have created a tax bill estimator.

Because the released budget is just the Mayor's recommendation, the numbers used in the budget are not final. But, if you want to get an idea of how much your taxes would change by, you can use the calculator here. According to the Buffalo Division of Budget, the average homeowner in the city is looking at a tax increase of around $25 per month, and many of the lower-income residents of Buffalo may see no tax increase at all due to the various exemptions they are eligible for, like the STAR program.

It is now up to the Buffalo Common Council to review and make any changes to the budget. The Council has until May 26, 2026, to complete any changes to the budget.

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