Abatement and Exemptions

Exemptions

Certain classes of property are tax-exempt by law. Partially exempt property tax relates to the following categories:

Homestead Exemption -This program provides a measure of property tax relief for certain individuals who have owned homestead property in Maine for at least 12 months and make the property they occupy on April 1 their permanent residence. Property owners would receive an exemption of $25,000.

Veteran Exemption - A veteran who served during a recognized war period and is 62 years or older; or, is receiving 100% disability as a Veteran; or, became 100% disabled while serving, is eligible for $6,000.

Veteran Property Tax Exemption for widowed spouse, minor child, or widowed parent - Exemption for a widowed spouse of a veteran who served during a recognized war period.

Paraplegic Veteran - A veteran who received a federal grant for a specially adapted housing unit may receive $50,000.

Blind Exemption - An individual who is determined to be legally blind receives $4,000.

Abatement Applications

Abatement is the process by which a valuation that is found to be excessive or an assessment found to be void because of an error, or illegal, may be corrected. To qualify for an abatement, a property owner must show: 1) that the property is overvalued in comparison to other, similar properties in the same municipality; or 2) that the assessment is illegal or void. The assessor's determination of value is presumed to be correct, so the burden of proving an abatement is warranted is on the property owner.

The property owner has 185 days from the commitment date to file a formal abatement request.

Property Tax Fairness Credit

Eligible Maine taxpayers may receive a portion of the property tax or rent paid during the tax year on the Maine individual income tax return whether they owe Maine income tax or not. If the credit exceeds the amount of your individual income tax due for the tax year, the excess amount of credit will be refunded to you. Find more information here.