By KAREN LAGRANGE COX
Although the Senior Property Assessment Freeze (SPAF) started in Louisiana through a constitutional amendment in 1998, there may be some seniors who are unaware of it, what it is, and how it could benefit them.
The SPAF allows for a freeze on assessing a primary residence of a property owner aged sixty-five and older who meets the income eligibility criteria. The SPAF does not, however, put a freeze on millage rates.
According to the Louisiana Tax Commission website, “This special assessment will freeze the assessed value of the homestead for as long as the applicant owns and resides in the home and income does not exceed the maximum allowed. This Special assessment level is lost if improvements in excess of 25% of the home’s value are added.”
Military veterans whom the Veterans Administration (VA) has determined to have fifty percent disability pay fifty percent of the property tax after Homestead Exemption. Homestead exemption exempts the first $75,000 market value on a property owner’s primary residence.
If the VA determines a military veteran to be one hundred percent disabled, the veteran has no property tax to pay on their primary residence.
Walter Campbell, an Associate Broker with Keller Williams Realty, said at this time, the Lafayette Parish Assessor’s Office does not accept applications for SPAF via mail or electronically. Campbell said, “I would love to see the Assessor’s office set up a secure electronic system for applicants to apply for SPAF and submit proof of eligibility. Applying through a secure electronic system would be particularly convenient and helpful for those who have trouble getting out of their homes.”
To help ensure property owners are advised of SPAF when they become age-eligible, Campbell continued by saying, “By use of public age knowledge, the assessor’s office could utilize technology to set up a system to send outbound communication to notify property owners that they may be eligible for SPAF while including the requirements for eligibility in the communication”.
To apply for SPAF in Lafayette Parish, the Lafayette Parish Assessor’s Office has a form that can be downloaded to file a SPAF, disability, or veteran property valuation freeze. The form is to be printed, completed, and brought to the Lafayette Parish Assessor’s Office in person, along with the application, last year’s income tax return, and proof of age.
To learn more about SPAF, visit the Lafayette Parish Assessor’s Office website or contact the office using the contact information provided.
