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March 4, 2008

Homestead tax credit Q&A

Consuming Interests columnist and blogger Dan Thanh Dang addresses a question today about the homestead property tax credit: Can you still qualify for it if you're renting out part of your house as well as living in it?

Click HERE for the full answer. The bottom line: Yes. The main issue is whether you qualify for the entire credit or a partial one.

Posted by Jamie Smith Hopkins at 8:47 AM | | Comments (3)
        

Comments

Maryland Homestead Tax Credit (2007)
is this a one time deal? If you did it on line and still received an application w/assessment do you still need to do it again? Form indicates I qualify for $0 (zero) credit!

It's not a one-time deal, and you're only supposed to have to apply once (whether online or by mail) -- unless you move, of course. If you're concerned, you might call the state Department of Assessments and Taxation to make sure your online registration took.

The $0 credit probably means that your newest assessed value is not a significant increase over your old assessed value, assuming there's any increase at all. If your jurisdiction sets its homestead credit at 4 percent, for instance, it's only when an annual increase is more than 4 percent that you end up with value you're not paying taxes on.

Good answer.

Read the bill. It will show the phase in amount. If you have lived there longer than 1 full fiscal year without being reassessed you qualify for a homestead credit - Maximum increase of 4% a year.

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About Jamie Smith Hopkins
Jamie Smith Hopkins, a Baltimore Sun reporter since 1999, writes about the regional economy. Her reporting on the housing market has won national and local awards. Hopkins is a Columbia native and has lived in Maryland all her life, save for 10 months spent covering schools in Ames, Iowa.
She trained to become a wonk by spending large chunks of time as a geek and an insufferable know-it-all.
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