Buying a home in Massachusetts: the help you may qualify for.

Down payment and closing cost help

From the MassHousing.

• MassHousing Down Payment Assistance

  Up to $30,000

  A $30,000 interest-free deferred loan, or $25,000 loans repaid over 15 years at 2% or 3%, in every city and town.

• Closing cost credit for military and veterans Military and heroes

  $2,500

  For National Guard and Reserve members, active military, veterans and Gold Star families.

Who qualifies: Income-eligible first-time buyers with a MassHousing mortgage; income limits vary by region.

Property tax exemptions and credits

Exemptions lower your home’s taxable value or your bill. Most aren’t automatic: you apply with your local board of assessors. Massachusetts’s official exemptions information.

For homeowners who live in the home

• Residential exemption (some cities and towns)

  Varies by community

  Some communities, including Boston, lower the taxable value of homes their owners live in. Ask your assessors whether yours does.

  How to apply: With your local board of assessors. (M.G.L. c. 59, §5C)

For homeowners 65 and older

• Senior Circuit Breaker credit

  A refundable state credit (up to $2,820 for 2025)

  For homeowners and renters 65 or older whose property taxes are high compared with their income, within income and home value limits.

  How to apply: On your Massachusetts income tax return (Schedule CB). (Massachusetts Department of Revenue)

• Senior, veteran, blind and surviving spouse exemptions

  Several hundred dollars or more, by type

  Local exemptions for seniors (Clause 41, 41C), disabled veterans (Clause 22, starting at $400 and higher for more severe disabilities), blind homeowners and surviving spouses. Amounts and income limits vary by community.

  How to apply: With your local board of assessors. (M.G.L. c. 59, §5)

Want to see which ones fit you? Answer a few questions in the property tax exemptions checker.

Your next steps

1. Work out a monthly cost you’re comfortable with in the home cost calculator. It also lists Massachusetts’s programs with the loans you may qualify for.
2. Talk with a free or low-cost HUD-approved housing counselor. Find one near you.
3. Ask each lender which of these programs they work with, and compare Loan Estimates from at least three.
4. Follow the step-by-step home buyer’s guide from budget to keys.

Common questions