3/17/2023 0 Comments Phil cook kitsap county![]() ![]() Senior and disabled property tax exemptions are among several tax reduction or deferral programs administered through the assessor's office. The tax shift is spread among all property owners who are not receiving an exemption. Reductions in taxes owed by people who qualify for exemptions doesn't mean a reduction in the total tax owed by property owners in each taxing district. In 2019, more than 3,400 households qualified for the property tax exemption resulting in a $6,532,579 shift in the tax burden. 1, given more people will potentially qualify. I think it's much needed," she said.Ĭook says his staff is expecting a significant increase in applications after Jan. Ungren first applied in 2015 after hearing about the tax exemption program from someone in the mobile home park where, she says, many are on fixed incomes. "When people come in, we'd like to sit down with them and explain the process." An 'amazing program' "We find there's just a lot of confusion and frustration, and we'd like to ease that burden," Osborne said. Osborne said she and other staff members stand ready to walk applicants through the paperwork. A co-tenant is a person who lives in the property and has ownership interest in it. Calculations include the income of the applicant, spouse or domestic partner and any co-tenants. Many deductions allowed on federal tax returns are not allowed in calculating disposable income for a property tax exemption. Laura Osborne, exemption specialist for the Kitsap County Assessor's Office, says one of the biggest points of confusion for applicants is that "disposable income" defined by the state for the purposes of a property tax exemption is not the same as one's federal adjusted gross income. In Kitsap County, income thresholds will increase from $30,000 to $33,628 in the first tier, from $35,000 to $41,101 in the second, and from $40,000 to $48,574 in the third. Statewide, the new thresholds are calculated as 45%, 55% and 65% of each county's median income. Qualifying applicants in the lowest income tier are eligible for the greatest reduction in their tax liability. Three income thresholdsĪs in the past, there will be three income threshold tiers. An eligibility exemption for people living in care facilities still stands. The new rules expand an allowance for eligibility to homeowners living with a relative because they need long-term care. This is the only part of the new law that increases a restriction on eligibility. Snow-birds take note: in 2020 the residency requirement increases to nine months. The current law requires an applicant to own their home and live in it for a minimum of six months of the year. Starting in 2020, veterans who are at least 80% service-connected disabled can apply. People of any age who are unable to work because of a certified disability also can apply.Ĭurrently, veterans who are 100% service-connected disabled are eligible. The age qualification for the senior tax exemption remains 61 and older under the new law. ![]() New eligibility criteriaĮligibility criteria for the state's property tax exemption include age, disability status, income, homeownership and residency. Under the new law, the income cap will stay at $40,000 in the remaining counties even if the 65 percent calculation results in a lower amount. "There was no math behind the decision," he said. Kitsap County Assessor Phil Cook said the new calculations are more equitable than adjustments made in previous years, which didn't take into account the relative cost of living in each county across the state. ![]()
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