Skagit County Assessor’s Office outlines state program
Thousands of low-income Skagitonians can sleep better at night after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history has finally come to an end. But for the community’s most vulnerable, covering the cost of basic expenses can still be a challenge.
A statewide property tax exemption program can alleviate some of that burden for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.
Skagit County Assessor Danny Hagen, whose office administers the Property Tax Exemption for Senior Citizens and People with Disabilities program in the county, has said the program gives its participants financial stability by reducing property taxes in three different ways.
Level 1 is for participants with an income ranging from $0 to $34,000, and exempts from paying excess levies (voter-approved levies), as well as Part 2 of the state school levy and regular levies on $60,000 or 60% of the assessed taxable value, depending on which is greater.
Level 2 is for incomes ranging from $34,001 to $41,000, also exempts from paying excess levies and Part 2 of the state school levy, but exempts from paying regular levies on $50,000 or 35% of the assessed taxable value, but no more than $70,000.
Level 3 is available to incomes from $41,001 to $48,000 and exempts from paying excess levies and Part 2 of the state school levy.
The program freezes the taxable value of the residence the first year the applicant qualifies. Any levies they are responsible for paying will be based on the frozen value instead of its market value.
Those who paid taxes in prior years because of a mistake or not knowing about the program may be eligible for a refund. To receive a refund, prospective participants must file the applications within three years of the date the taxes were due and submit separate applications for each of the tax years.
To qualify, senior applicants must be at least 61 or older in the assessment year. If the applicant is the spouse or partner of a program participant who passed away, they must have been at least 57 at the time of their partner’s death.
There are no age requirements for applicants with disabilities. However, they must be 100% disabled and unable to work as a result, or be a disabled veteran with a service-connected evaluation of at least 80%, or receiving compensation from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs at the 100% rate for a disability connected to the time they served.
Applicants must also own their home by Dec. 31 of the filing year and have lived in it for more than six months in the assessment year.
Currently, the combined disposable income cannot exceed $48,000 for the prior year, and it includes the income of any spouses and co-tenants, but this threshold is expected to go up to around 65,000 at the beginning of 2027, Hagen said during a Skagit County meeting at Maple Hall on Oct. 29.
Contact the Assessor’s Office at 360-416-1780 or assessor@co.skagit.wa.us to ask for assistance with applying or to inform staff about any changes in income, ownership and medical costs.
Luisa Loi is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
