Verification of applications for Senior Citizens Tax Credit begins

Older homeowners have been streaming into the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage this week to verify they are eligible for the Senior Citizen Tax Credit.

The Jasper County Collector’s Office has mailed applications to taxpayers who indicated they want to take part in the program. If you didn’t get one, you can also fill one out at the time of verification or download it here.

What you need to know about the Senior Citizens Tax Credit

• You are applying to lock in the assessed value of the house you live in – unless you make major improvements.
• The tax credit does not apply to properties (rental property, agricultural property) you own that don’t include the house you live in.
• As the assessed value of your house (at its current state) increases, you will pay your taxes according to that amount. But the difference between that amount and what it would have been if calculated at under the initial assessed value will be reimbursed to you.
• Your real estate tax will still go up as school and county taxes are increased – but calculated at the value of your house in the initial credit year.
• You must be at least 62 years of age.
• You must apply in person for the credit at the collector’s office in Carthage.
• In case of a couple owning a house, only one person needs to apply in person.
• Have at hand: 
  – Driver’s license or other form of identification to prove age
  – Voter registration card or utility bill to prove address
  – Deed to prove ownership (doesn’t have to be paid off)
  – Paid receipt for 2024 real estate tax.
• There’s no hurry. The deadline to apply is May 31, 2025.
• The Jasper County Commission will officially approve or deny your application.
• You have to apply every year.

You can watch Jasper County Collector Steve McIntosh discuss the Senior Citizen Tax Credit during a KGCS-TV Newsmakers interview.

Below is the ordinance passed on Oct. 1, 2024, by the Jasper County Commission to implement the state law.