FREEZE Property Taxes for Seniors in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County

Oct 01, 2015 at 04:17 pm by bryan


The Senior Tax Freeze is now available on property taxes in the City of Murfreesboro, the Town of Smyrna and Rutherford County.

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The Senior Tax Freeze is available on the primary residence for qualifying seniors. To qualify you must be 65 years of age or older and meet the income requirements established for the Senior Tax Freeze program. For the program, income from all sources including social security is calculated for the applicant, their spouse and all other owners of the property.

Seniors who are already participating in the Senior Tax Freeze program must annually requalify.

To qualify for a tax freeze, applicants must live on the property as their primary residence and have a total household income below the threshold established by the Tennessee General Assembly. The income limit for the applicant, spouse and all others on the deed is $40,810 for 2014.

Required documents include:

•a 2014 federal income tax return

•W-2 and 1099 forms from all sources of income, such as from pensions, retirement income, veterans benefits, dividends

•2014 Social Security Benefit Statement

•Medicare card or driver's license

•voter registration card or current utility bill

•trust if applicable

•title or bill of sale for mobile home if it is primary residence

•death certificate for deceased spouse.

The City Council voted in January to freeze for eligible senior citizens any possible future property tax increases. 2015 will become the base year for Murfreesboro residents who qualify. Should the city tax rate go down, the owner of a property eligible for the tax freeze would pay whatever is the lowest tax.

Rutherford County Trustee Teb Batey's office administers the tax freeze application process for Murfreesboro, Smyrna and Rutherford County residents.

Once all documents are gathered, a senior tax applicant can schedule an appointment with the trustee's office by calling 615-898-7705 or visit www.rctrustee.com. The Rutherford County Trustee's Office is located in Room 102 of the Historic Courthouse on the Public Square in Murfreesboro. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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