Massachusetts · Tax exemption · Deep-stack program
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
Deep-stack program · late directory
Massachusetts runs a 5-program DSIRE stack; this tax exemption is one layer on a 9.2-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack5 programs
- In-state #3/4
- Type #17/45
- Baseline9.2 yr
In-state directory place #3 of 4 (late alphabet). National tax exemption directory #17 of 45. Amounts and eligibility change; verify with the official program page before relying on a dollar figure. Informational only - not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
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
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 tax exemption layers inside Massachusetts's deep stack
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.
Massachusetts bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. 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.
Other Massachusetts incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the MA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption sit in Massachusetts's deep program stack?
How does this tax exemption work beside Massachusetts's other programs?
Who qualifies, and what does a late in-state directory place mean?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Massachusetts?
Which other Massachusetts programs stack with this one?
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 · Massachusetts solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.