Deadline for disabled veterans' tax relief extended

by Tonia Brooks Staff Writer
| April 16, 2020 1:00 AM

Disabled veterans now have until June 15 to get their tax relief applications to the Boundary County Assessor’s office.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic issues, Governor Brad Little has extended the 2019 Idaho income tax filing and payment deadlines. This extension includes the 100% Service-Connected Disabled Veterans Benefit application submission deadline.

The property tax relief program, aimed at helping 100 percent disabled veterans, can reduce the property tax owed up to $1,320 for the veterans home and up to one acre of land.

A few important pieces to the tax reduction benefit is that there is no income limit and once the application is accepted, the veterans’ surviving spouse will also be able to utilize the tax reduction.

Veterans who qualify for the 2020 program must be: recognized as a 100 percent service-connected disabled veteran; or receive 100 percent compensation benefits because of unemployability as set by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and the veteran must have owned or lived in a home in Idaho that was a primary residence before April 15, 2020.

Veterans who would like to apply, should contact the county assessor or visit tax.idaho.gov for a downloadable application. Veterans will also need a current letter from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs that confirms the service-connected disability rating or the 100 percent compensation and then must file the application with the assessor’s office by the extended date of June 15, 2020.

If the application is approved for the tax relief benefit, the benefit will appear on the December 2020 property tax bill.

In addition to the 100% Service-Connected Disabled Veterans Benefit, other tax relief options are also available for application at this time.

The Property Tax Reduction option reduces the amount of taxes that individuals pay on their home and up to one acre of land by $150 to $1,320.

The other option, dubbed the Property Tax Deferral, defers the property tax on the home and one acre of land for qualified applicants; though this deferred tax becomes a lien on the property and must be repaid to the state of Idaho.

Both of these options have income limits.

To apply for the 100% Service-Connected Disabled Veterans Benefit, and/or the other two tax relief options, please contact the Boundary County Assessor’s Office at 6452 Kootenai St. in Bonners Ferry or call 208-267-3301 for more information.