Municipal Property Tax Deferral for Senior Citizens

State

Maine

Year

2018

Variations in Receipt of Benefit

No Variation in Receipt of Benefits

Benefit Type

Deferral

Benefit

The benefit is a deferral of all property taxes dues. The program is contingent upon adoption by municipal ordinance. Deferrals constitute a lien on the property with interest accruing at a rate of 0.5 percentage points on top of the rate approved by the county for delinquent taxes. Consult local taxing authorities to determine the availability of the deferral program and for applications and deadlines.

How is Benefit Disbursed

Other

Eligible Property Type

Residential

Characteristics of Eligible Property

Only residential property is eligible for this program.

Eligibility Criteria

Age

Homeowner

Income Ceiling

Principal Residence

Description of Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, the claimant must be 70 years of age or older and occupy the homestead as of 1 April. Additionally, the claimant must also have resided in the homestead for at least 10 ten years prior to application, and the taxpayer’s household income must not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level.

Local Option in Adoption of Program

Local government must take action to opt in

Local Option Regarding Program Features

No local option regarding program features

State Funding for Local Tax Loss

Local government covers all of its tax loss

Record ID

ME109_RR18

Footnotes

All deferred taxes and interest are payable if: the taxpayer dies, or someone other than the taxpayer becomes the property’s owner, or the property is no longer occupied as the taxpayer’s primary residence, or the property is moved out of the State. In the latter-most case, all owed monies are due 5 days before moving. In all other instances, all owed monies are due within 45 days of the date of notice for payment. A municipality that has adopted the program under this section may discontinue it through the same procedure by which the program was adopted; however, any taxes deferred under the program continue to be deferred under the conditions of the program on the date it was ended. If an event requiring the the payment of deferred tax and interest occurs, and the ownership of the property is transferred to another member of the same property, the transferee may apply for continuation of the deferral of taxes only if that person is at least 70 years of age with an income not exceeding 300% of the federal poverty level.

Sources

Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 36, § 6271 (in effect for 2018)

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