The District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) announced today that it has begun mailing more than 800 notices to senior property owners who may qualify for the Senior Citizen/Disabled Property Tax Relief. The benefit provides qualified property owners with a 50 percent discount on their real property taxes.
This notice to seniors of the benefit is a key component of Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey DeWitt’s strategic plan.
“The senior deduction is a critical tool in the District’s effort to enable our older citizens to remain in their homes and to continue to contribute to the communities and neighborhoods they helped to create,” said Jeffrey DeWitt. “I hope that relatives, friends and neighbors will ask seniors if they are receiving the senior deduction, and, if they are not, helping them to apply for it.”
To qualify for the credit, property owners must:
- Be age 65 or over
- Own 50 percent or more of their residence
- Have less than $125,000 in household federal adjusted gross income
- Legally reside in the District of Columbia
To have the benefit applied as a credit to 2014 second half real property taxes, a completed application must be submitted to OTR on or before September 30, 2014.
Income qualification is controlled by the income tax return filed for the year prior to the beginning of the real property tax year in question. Therefore, income reported on a taxpayer’s 2012 income tax return controls entitlement for the 2013-2014 real property tax year and income reported on a taxpayer’s 2013 income tax return controls entitlement to the 2014-2015 real property tax year.
To obtain an application or additional information about the tax relief visit OTR’s website at www.taxpayerservicecenter.com under “Real Property Tax” or call OTR’s Customer Service Administration at (202) 727-4TAX (4829).