Massachusetts · Tax exemption
MA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption
Removes a tax burden residential solar owners in Massachusetts would otherwise carry -- see what it covers, eligibility, and payback impact below.
- 20-year exemption
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 9.2 yr
- Massachusetts baseline payback
- 4
- other Massachusetts programs
What it means
In Massachusetts, a 6 kW system already pays back in about 9.2 years on ~$2,023/year of modeled savings, and the MA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption stacks on top of that, on top of any federal credit.
- 20-year exempt…
- stated benefit
- 9.2 yr
- baseline payback (pre-incentive)
- 5
- Massachusetts programs that stack
- full
- net-metering policy
Payback and savings are modeled from public NREL/EIA data; the program benefit is summarized from DSIRE and may change.
Program description
Solar systems installed on residential property are exempt from MA property tax for 20 years.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Tax exemption
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- 20-year exemption
- State electricity rate
- 27.5¢/kWh
- Massachusetts solar score
- 41/100
How Massachusetts compares to the U.S. average
Why this incentive matters more (or less) here - Massachusetts's solar fundamentals against the national average.
Source: NREL irradiance and U.S. EIA rates; payback modeled by PlainSolarData. Bars are scaled to the larger of the two values per metric.
Solar's trajectory in Massachusetts
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Massachusetts reported to the EIA.
Massachusetts's solar incentive stack
How this tax exemption sits among Massachusetts's 4 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Performance
Performance
1 programs
- Rebate
Rebate
1 programs
What this shows Massachusetts tracks 4 incentive types; 1 are tax exemptions like this one, removing a cost solar owners would otherwise carry, on top of the state's other program types.
How this incentive fits Massachusetts's solar picture
The MA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption removes a tax burden solar owners would otherwise carry, one of Massachusetts's DSIRE-tracked solar incentive programs. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of 20-year exemption. DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That's the backdrop this incentive works against. Massachusetts averages 4.2 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 27.5¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,358 kWh/year and $2,023 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $18,600. That baseline already implies a 9.2-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $31,975 before this incentive - every dollar this tax exemption delivers compresses that payback further.
A handful of other levers are worth checking alongside this one. Massachusetts has 5 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like MA Net Metering, Massachusetts SMART Program, Commonwealth Solar Rebate. The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Your next step
- See Massachusetts's full solar profile, score, irradiance, rates, payback, and every program you can claim. Massachusetts solar data
- Run the savings calculator with your real bill to see how this incentive changes your own payback. ROI calculator
- Read how state and federal solar credits work together. Tax-credit guide
Estimates here are modeled from public data and are not financial advice; confirm program terms and your own eligibility before relying on a dollar figure.
Other Massachusetts incentives
Frequently asked questions
What is the MA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption?
How does the MA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption work?
Who is eligible for the MA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Massachusetts?
Are there other solar incentives in Massachusetts?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology.