Seneca County Auditor reminds eligible homeowners to apply for Homestead Exemption
Seneca County Auditor, Julie A. Adkins, is reminding eligible homeowners to take advantage of the Homestead Exemption for real estate taxes. Homeowners who turn 65 years of age or older in calendar year 2024 or are totally and permanently disabled have until December 31, 2024 to file for the homestead exemption on their 2025 tax bill.
To qualify for the exemption, new applicants must not have a total Ohio Adjusted Gross household income exceeding $38,600 on their 2023 income tax return, with an exception for disabled veterans. The income restriction was introduced by the State of Ohio in 2013 and took effect in 2014. Notably, social security benefits are not included in Ohio Adjusted Gross income.
Disabled Veteran eligibility is not subject to income thresholds and a larger exemption amount is available. Veterans with “total service-connected disabilities” (and their surviving spouses) includes veterans receiving compensation at the 100% level due to individual unemployability caused by service-connected disabilities. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact the Seneca County Auditor’s Office to determine their eligibility.
Auditor Adkins emphasized that over 3900 homeowners in Seneca County benefited from the homestead exemption program in 2023, experiencing an average annual reduction of $350 in real estate taxes.
Those who qualified for the homestead exemption in the previous year, but failed to enroll, still have the opportunity to join the program. Applicants can have their 2023 real estate taxes adjusted if they apply before the December 31, 2024 deadline. Please contact the office for income qualifications.
Past recipients of the homestead exemption are not required to reapply, and those who received the exemption in 2013 and prior are exempt from household income restrictions, even if they sell their current home and purchase another residence in Ohio.
To check if you are currently receiving the homestead exemption, visit the Seneca County Auditor’s website at https://senecacountyauditoroh.gov and select “Search” then enter your last name. Click on your property record, then choose the “tax” tab or scroll to the bottom of the page, where you should see the homestead exemption deduction in the itemized line of your tax information labeled “Homestead Reduction.”
For further information, please contact the Seneca County Auditor’s Office at 419-447-0692.