The Town of Scarborough has several forms of tax relief available to residents who are looking for assistance with their taxes.

There are several exemptions for residents that can reduce their annual tax bill. Applications for these exemptions must be submitted to our office by April 1.

These exemptions are:

• The Homestead Exemption, for residents who have owned their primary residence in Maine for 12 months with no break in ownership.

• The Veteran’s Exemption, for Veterans or the surviving spouse, minor child, or widowed parent of a Veteran. The Veteran must either be age 62 or older, receive 100% disability from the VA, or paraplegic. By State guidelines, only Veterans who served during a recognized war period are eligible for this Exemption.

• The Blind Persons Exemption, for residents who are legally blind.

You can submit the application by email, in-person, by mail, or in the drop box to the right of the front Town Hall entrance. If you submit the application by email, please note that it must be signed as we cannot accept an electronic signature.

In addition, the Town has a Property Tax Assistance Program for seniors in Scarborough. If your annual property tax burden exceeds 5 percent of household Adjusted Gross Income, then you may be eligible for a return of up to $750 at the end of the year. For residents who rent, we consider your rent as part of your tax burden. The deadline to apply is Oct. 15.

The three eligibility requirements are:

• Applicant is age 62 or older as of the application deadline

• Applicant has been a Town resident for at least 10 years as of Oct. 15

• Applicant’s household Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) is not more than $50,000

When you submit your application, we will need to see identification and proof of income, either your 2020 Tax Return or your 2020 Social Security Benefit Statement if you don’t file taxes. If you rent, we will also need a statement of rent paid between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

Applications are available for the Property Tax Assistance Program online or in the Assessing Office. We have mailed applications to last year’s applicants.

Contact our office at (207) 730-4063 or ebehn@scarboroughmaine.org if you have any questions.

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