Get Help Paying Your Property Tax

North Carolina low-income seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans with a disability or their unmarried surviving spouse who own a home and it is the primary residence may quality for property tax relief. Three programs authorized by the North Carolina General Assembly can help significantly reduce property tax bills for qualifying owners.

What the Programs Do:

Reduce the taxable value of your home:
Homeowners who are 65 and older or 100% totally and permanently disabled can get $25,000 or up to 50% off their primary residence value, whichever is greater, if they meet certain income and ownership requirements. Married couples can qualify even if only one partner is 65+ or disabled. This tax relief does not need to be paid back.

OR

Pay only a percentage of your income:
Seniors and those disabled who’ve owned and occupied their primary residence for more than five years can choose a program that ensures their property tax bill will not be more than 4-5% of their income. Homeowners might have to pay some of this tax relief back, for example, if they move or sell their home. This method creates a lien on your primary residence.

OR

Get a Veteran Discount:
Veterans with a 100% total and permanent service-connected disability, or their unmarried surviving spouse, can get $45,000 reduction on the property value of their primary residence, no matter their income. This tax relief does not need to be paid back. The veteran and/or surviving spouse’s name that is applying must have his/her name on the deed. If two veterans live in the home only one $45,000 reduction is allowed.

Visit our Property Tax Relief Programs page

Who Qualifies?:

Senior & Disabled Program

Also called the Elderly or Disabled Homestead Exclusion
Applicants must be 65 years of age or 100% totally and permanently disabled as of January 1 of the year applying
Gross income for 2023 for a sole owner or both an applicant and spouse cannot exceed $36,700
For unmarried joint property owners, each owner must apply separately, and benefit limitations may apply based on the percent of ownership
Home owners only apply once

This program excludes from taxation the first $25,000 or up to 50% (whichever is greater) of your home value and one acre of land. Exclusion means some of the value of the primary residence will not be considered when your tax bill is created. Even if you do not qualify for the program in future years, the excluded value from prior years in which you did qualify does not become taxable.

Once approved for this program, you do not need to reapply unless your primary residence changes, your income exceeds the current annual income eligibility limit, or you are no longer 100% totally and permanently disabled. When the person receiving the exclusion becomes deceased prior to January 1, then the person listing the property is required by law to notify the Guilford County Tax Department of the change. The surviving spouse or joint property owner must reapply for the exclusion, if qualified. Failure to make any of these notices before June 1 will result in penalties and the possible loss of the exclusion.

Tax Deferment

Also called the Circuit Breaker Program
Applicants must be 65 years of age or 100% totally and permanently disabled as of January 1
Gross income for 2023 for both an applicant and spouse cannot exceed $55,050
For unmarried joint property owners, each owner must apply and qualify separately
All owners must have owned and occupied the residence for the previous five years
Homeowners must apply every year for this program

Under the Circuit Breaker tax deferment program, property taxes for each year are limited to a percentage of the owner’s income. Taxes above the limitation amount are deferred, which means they are delayed until a future date. If a disqualifying event occurs, the last three years of deferred taxes become payable with interest. Disqualifying events include death of the owner or transfer of the property where the owner’s share is not passed to another qualifying owner, and failure to use the property as the owner’s permanent residence.

For an owner whose income amount for the previous year does not exceed the income eligibility limit for the current year, which for the 2023 tax year is $36,700, the owner’s taxes will be limited to four percent (4%) of the owner’s income. For an owner whose income exceeds the income eligibility limit ($36,700) but does not exceed 150% of the income eligibility limit, which for the 2022 tax year is $55,050, the owner’s taxes will be limited to five percent (5%) of the owner’s income. Participation in this program requires all owners to apply and qualify.

However, the taxes over the limitation amount are deferred and remain a lien on the property. The last three years of deferred taxes prior to a disqualifying event will become due and payable, with interest, on the date of the disqualifying event. Interest accrues on the deferred taxes as if they had been payable on the dates on which they would have originally become due. Disqualifying events are death of the owner, transfer of the property, and failure to use the property as the owner’s permanent residence. Exceptions and special provisions apply. See G.S. 105-277.1B for the full text of the statute.

Remember: You must file an application for the Circuit Breaker Tax Deferment Program each year!

Multiple Owners: Each owner (other than husband and wife as tenants by the entirety) must file a separate application. All owners must qualify and elect to defer taxes under this program or no benefit is allowed under this program. The Circuit Breaker Property Tax Deferment cannot be combined with either the Elderly or Disabled Exclusion or the Disabled Veteran Exclusion.

Disabled Veteran Program

Also known as Disabled Veterans Exclusion
Veterans discharged under honorable conditions and 100% total and permanent service connected disability or their unmarried surviving spouse may be eligible for a reduction in property tax
There is no age or income limitation
This is a one-time application

The Disabled Veteran Program excludes up to the first $45,000 of the appraised value of the permanent residence of qualifying individuals. To qualify, veterans must be discharged under honorable conditions who have a total and permanent disability that is service-connected or receive benefits for specially adapted housing under 38 U.S.C. 2101. Unmarried joint property owners must apply separately, and benefit limitations may apply based on the percent of ownership. If eligible, a owner may receive benefits under either the Elderly or Disabled Exclusion or the Disabled Veteran Exclusion. Once approved for the Disabled Veteran Exclusion, you do not need to reapply unless your disability or benefit status has changed.

How to Apply

The deadline to apply each year is June 1.

If a person is the sole owner of a primary residence, an application is required. If a married couple is the sole owner of a primary residence, only one application is required. If multiple, unmarried owners are seeking tax relief for the same property, separate applications are required for each owner. Benefit limitations may apply.

Can I still apply after June 1?

After June 1, and up to one week prior to the last Board of Equalization meeting in December, any property tax relief application and supporting documentation received will be evaluated by the Tax Department to determine if the application meets the criteria. The Tax Department will work with the applicant if any material is missing from the application. If the applicant meets the criteria, the application will be sent to the Board of Equalization and Review for approval. All applications and supporting documentation must be submitted to the Tax Department no later than one week prior to the meeting.

Please note: Even though you may qualify for more than one program, you may only receive one program. Scroll down for more details on each program to help with your selection.

If you’re still unsure, please call us at (336) 641-3320 or (336) 641-7911.

Step 1:

Download and complete the Application and Disability Certification.

To request an application to be mailed to you, please call our office at (336) 641-3320 or 336-641-7911. You may also request an application by emailing our office at indtax@guilfordcountync.gov.

Step 2:

Return your application by mail to: Guilford County Tax Department, PO Box 3138, Greensboro, NC 27402

Hand-deliver your application to 400 West Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401 or 325 East Russell Avenue, High Point, NC 27260.

Comparing the Tax Relief Programs

Below is a comparison of the Senior & Disabled Program (Homestead) Exclusion and the Circuit Breaker Tax Deferment Program.

The comparison situations below are for a married couple, both over 65 years old, and their home is their primary residence for Homestead Exclusion, and for Circuit Breaker, who have owned and lived in their residence for at least five full years. The income stated is the combined total for both applicant and spouse. The home is located in unincorporated Guilford County with a tax rate of $0.7305 per each $100 of assessed value.

The examples provide results for incomes of both $24,000 and $35,000 with home values of both $175,000 and $375,000.

Income $24,000
Home Value $150,000

	Exclusion	Circuit Breaker	Disabled Veterans Exclusion
Initial Value	$150,000	$150,000	$150,000
Discount	(75,000)	-	($45,000)
Taxable Value	$75,000	$150,000	$105,000

Initial Tax Bill	$1,096	$1,096	$1,096
Tax Savings/Deferred	($548)	($136)	($328)
Final GC Tax Bill	$548	$960*	$767

Income $24,000
Home Value $241,750

	Exclusion	Circuit Breaker	Disabled Veterans Exclusion
Initial Value	$241,750	$241,750	$241,750
Discount	$(120,875)	-	($45,000)
Taxable Value	$120,875	$241,750	$196,750

Initial Tax Bill	$1,766	$1,766	$1,766
Tax Savings/Deferred	($883)	($806)*	($329)
Final GC Tax Bill	$883	$960*	$1,437

Income $35,000
Home Value $150,000

	Exclusion	Circuit Breaker	Disabled Veterans Exclusion
Initial Value	Not Qualified	$150,000	$150,000
Discount	Income exceeds program limit	-	($45,000)
Taxable Value		$150,000	$105,000

Initial Tax Bill		$1,096	$1,096
Tax Savings/Deferred		($654)	($328)
Final GC Tax Bill		$1,096*	$767

Income $35,000
Home Value $241,750

	Exclusion	Circuit Breaker	Disabled Veterans Exclusion
Initial Value	Not Qualified	$241,750	$241,750
Discount	Income exceeds program limit	-	($45,000)
Taxable Value		$241,750	$196,750

Initial Tax Bill		$1,766	$1,766
Tax Savings/Deferred		($16)*	($329)
Final GC Tax Bill		$1,750*	$1,437

* Tax limit for deferment is based on 4% of income.
** Tax limit for deferment is based on 5% of income.

The figures shown above are for comparison purposes only. Your individual property value and jurisdictional tax rates will apply.

FAQ

What is home value?

Who is a qualifying owner for the Senior & Disabled and the Tax Deferment Program?

What is gross income?

Gross income is all money or income received BEFORE taxes or other deductions are taken out. It is NOT Adjusted Gross Income or AGI which is often used in IRS documents.

Gross income includes money from Social Security, salaries, wages, tips, commissions, bonuses, dividends, disability, severance pay, retirement, pensions, owning or operating a business, renting property, trusts, annuities, bank interest, and gifts, prizes or inheritance received from anyone other than your spouse or direct relatives.