Taunton seniors and disabled homeowners earning $41,047 or less can apply for property tax aid by Dec. 15

SOUTH COAST Taunton homeowners who are 65 or older, or who have a disability, and whose combined household income is $41,047 a year or less can ask a city fund for help with this year's property tax bill. Applications are due at the Assessor's Office by Tuesday, Dec. 15.

The Taunton Elderly and Disabled Taxation Aid Fund is paid for entirely by donations from residents, the city says, and is meant to help residents, particularly those on fixed incomes, whom the age and income limits of state programs can leave out. The city announced Oct. 21 that it is taking applications for fiscal 2027, which runs from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.

Who qualifies

Applicants must be 65 or older as of July 1, 2026, or have a disability. A disability claim is weighed case by case, and the fund's committee has the final say on whether it counts. The home must be the applicant's primary residence, owned and lived in for at least five years before the deadline. The applicant must be the owner of record or hold a life estate; a home held in a trust qualifies only if the applicant is both a trustee and a 50% beneficiary.

Income is only the first test. The home's assessed value must be at or below the median for its property type in the prior tax year, so a single-family house is measured against the single-family median and a multifamily house against the multifamily median. The committee also counts other assets, including second homes, cars, boats, stocks, bonds, savings, retirement accounts and pensions, in deciding both eligibility and the size of an award. The guidelines say meeting the income limit does not guarantee an award.

Preference goes to applicants with the greatest need who do not qualify for any other exemption or deferral program run by the city's assessors. The committee will also consider extraordinary circumstances, such as an unusual expense burden.

What an award covers

An award cannot be more than the homeowner's fiscal 2027 real estate tax. The committee will notify each applicant in writing by Friday, Jan. 15, 2027, and its decisions are final. Awards are applied to the third or fourth quarter tax bill: the city draws a check and gives the tax collector a list of accounts to credit.

Applying does not put off the tax itself. "Failure to pay the tax when it is due may subject you to interest charges and collection action," the application says. Anyone who received an award last year must apply again to be considered.

How to apply

The application is on the Assessor's Office page of the city's website, under the Taunton Elderly and Disabled Taxation Aid Fund link. Applicants fill out pages 3 through 10, which ask for a full yearly statement of assets, debts, income and expenses for each person in the household, and for the amount of any Senior Circuit Breaker credit claimed on the state income tax return. Copies of a driver's license or birth certificate and of 2025 federal and state tax returns with all schedules are required, or a signed statement that no return had to be filed. A physician's letter and trust papers are needed where they apply.

Completed applications can be emailed to Head Clerk Jennifer MacLean at jmaclean@taunton-ma.gov, or mailed or dropped off at the Assessor's Office, City Hall, 15 Summer St., Taunton, MA 02780. Paper applications are available at the Assessor's and Treasurer's offices at City Hall and at the Council on Aging, 30 Olney St. The Assessor's Office, at 508-821-1011, will help with filling one out.

Taunton's bills rose most in the region

Taunton's average single-family tax bill rose 7.6% in fiscal 2026, to $5,540 from $5,150, the steepest percentage rise among 19 South Coast communities in state Division of Local Services figures. The average single-family home was valued at $497,265. Homes were taxed at $11.14 per $1,000 of value, and commercial and industrial property at $23.73.

The city's fiscal 2027 tax rate was not yet on the state's books as of Wednesday. City Auditor Ian D. Fortes's Oct. 19 letter to Mayor Shaunna O'Connell and the Municipal Council puts final fiscal 2027 appropriations at $336,405,283.70: $308,587,173.81 for the general fund, $9,955,289.24 for the water enterprise, $17,822,820.65 for the sewer enterprise and $40,000 for the golf enterprise. The letter, which says the council's vote is required by the Division of Local Services, was on the council's Oct. 27 agenda with a final budget presentation from Chief Financial Officer Patrick D. Dello Russo Jr.

The council's next meeting, moved because of the Nov. 3 state election, is posted for Monday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 a.m. in the council chambers at City Hall. Its agenda lists no hearings.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.