Montana homeowners have through this coming Monday, Oct. 2, to apply for rebates on their 2022 property taxes being offered through the Montana Department of Revenue, closing an application period that has been open since mid-August.
According to the department, claims made electronically through its website must be filed by 11:59 p.m., Monday. Claims made with hardcopy forms must be postmarked by Oct. 2.
The rebates, as much as $675, were authorized by the Legislature this year as it sought to spend a major budget surplus and ward off angst over rising tax bills. Homeowners who owned, lived in and paid property taxes for their residence for at least seven months in 2022 are generally eligible.
Many Montana property owners saw dramatic increases in their property values in this year’s reappraisal, with the median residential property increasing in value by 46% over the two-year cycle. While the department’s reappraisal notices indicated property tax bills would rise proportionately, most tax experts — the department’s director included — have since said those estimates likely overstate how much most property tax owners will pay.
Official tax bills, which will factor in local government tax rates that generally scale down with higher property values, will be mailed by county treasurers in October.
The Legislature also authorized separate rebates on income taxes paid in 2021. Those rebates, of up to $1,250 for individual taxpayers or $2,500 for married couples, were paid out without an application this summer.
More information on the income tax rebates is available on the Montana Department of Revenue’s website. You can also call the department with questions at 406-444-6900.
This story originally appeared in the Montana Free Press, which can be found online at montanafreepress.org.