Senior & Disabled Persons Tax Exemption

Seniors and disabled person who meet the criteria shown below may be exempt from school levy taxes. This information is as of February 1, 2022.  It may change-please check the Cowlitz County Assessor’s Office for latest information.

RCW 84.36.381 grants property tax exemptions based on qualification in three categories: age or disability, home ownership, and total household income. You may be eligible for this exemption if you meet the following criteria:

AGE or DISABILITY REQUIREMENTS
You are at least 61 years old, OR
You are unable to work because of a disability, OR
You are a veteran with a 100% service-related disability.

OWNERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
You own the home (either in total, as a contract purchaser, or as a life estate), AND
The home is your principal residence at the time of filing, AND
You occupy the residence at least six (6) months of each year.

INCOME REQUIREMENTS
Effective for 2015, your total annual household income must be $40,000 or less. (For income received prior to 2015, the maximum annual limit was $35,000.) This includes all disposable income (not just what is taxable), including Social Security benefits, pensions, retirement distributions, annuities, interest income, and capital gains. Proof of income is required at time of application.

• Income in 2020	Exemption Provisions
  $ 30,000 or less	Exempt from regular property taxes on up to $60,000 or 60% of valuation, whichever is greater, plus 100% of voter-approved excess levies.
  $ 30,001 – 35,000	Exempt from regular property taxes on up to $50,000 or 35% of valuation, whichever is greater, not to exceed $70,000, plus 100% of all voter-approved excess levies.
  $ 35,001 – 40,000	Exempt from 100% of all voter-approved excess levies.

The exemption is allowed on your home and up to 5.00 acres of land, depending on the minimum lot size required for a building permit. Outbuildings and any non-qualifying land will be billed at 100% on a separate tax statement. This program does NOT exempt property from special assessments such as mosquito, diking and stormwater, or forest patrol assessments.

Once your application is approved, you must renew the exemption every four years unless you have a change in circumstance. If your eligibility status changes (i.e. your income increases over the allowed maximum), you must notify the Assessor’s Office within 30 days after the change occurs. The exemption ceases immediately upon the death of the qualified person (unless survived by an eligible spouse), OR upon the date the claimant moves out, OR upon the date the residence is sold, whichever occurs first.

You may also apply for an exemption of prior years’ property taxes if you would have qualified but were unaware of the program. However, by law, the county Treasurer cannot refund taxes that were due and paid more than three (3) years prior to date of application for exemption (RCW 84.69.030).

Click here for the Department of Revenue (DOR) brochure: Property Tax Exemption for Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons

Click here for more DOR forms and other information related to property tax exemptions for Seniors and Disabled Persons.

You may contact the Cowlitz County Assessor‘s office for more information.