Hanover County makes real estate tax relief available for residents who are elderly or permanently disabled and who have a net worth of $200,000 or less, and combined household gross income of $52,500 or less.

The application period for the upcoming year begins January 3, 2022. The deadline is March 1, 2022 for the relief to be applied to the tax bills due (first half) on June 5, 2022.

Applicants must be 65 years old or permanently disabled and must own or partially own the property and have lived in it on December 31. If the applicant is in a hospital or extended care facility, he or she may still qualify as long as the house is not rented or leased.

The $200,000 net worth figure does not include the value of the house and up to 10 acres around it.

The home’s owners can have a combined gross annual income of up to $52,500 and still qualify. The income of relatives living in the home is counted except for the first $10,000 of the relative’s income, which is exempted.

If an applicant qualifies for 100% tax relief, they pay no real property taxes on that qualified parcel. The discount percentage is based on a sliding scale of the total income.

About 1250 households currently participate in Hanover County’s tax relief for the elderly and disabled program. The average tax savings is about $1,200 for those households; about 35% of the participating households pay no County real estate tax at all as a result of the program.

Because of this program, qualifying Hanover County residents had their real estate taxes reduced by about $1.5 million last year. 

Disabled applicants must provide certification of disability. This can be a statement from the Social Security Administration, a statement from the Veterans Administration, a statement from the Railroad Retirement Board or a sworn affidavit from two (2) medical doctors.

Once an application is on file, only an affidavit is needed for the following two (2) years, unless there is a significant change in income or net worth. A new application is necessary only every third year. All information on the application is confidential and is not open to public inspection.

Remember, applicants must sign up by March 1, 2022 for the relief to be applied to the real estate tax bills that will be sent out later this spring and which are due (first half) on June 5, 2022.

“This is a great program designed to help those taxpayers who most need the help,” said Scott Harris, Hanover’s Commissioner of the Revenue. “We invite all residents who think they might qualify to call our office.”

To apply, call the Commissioner of the Revenue at 365-6128. 

If you have computer access, application forms can also be downloaded from www.hanovercounty.gov