Tax Relief for Seniors, Disabled, and the Poor

NASHVLLE, TN- Tennessee has a tax relief program for the elderly and disabled. Davidson County triples the amount thanks to a Metro Council measure introduced by At Large Councilwoman Sharon Hurt. About 6,000 Davidson County homeowners get tax relief.

“Tax relief is a state program and they allow different cities and counties across the State of Tennessee to opt in. And we participate in that,” said Davidson County Trustee Erica Gilmore.

Gilmore used to be a popular and outspoken Metro councilwoman. She now has a new job. Gilmore collects property taxes. Gilmore’s office processes the tax relief applications and the state approves them. You have to be 65 years old and your income cannot exceed $30,700 to be eligible.

           (Note: There is no income limit for disabled vets or their widows.)

In addition, the Metro Action Commission helps residents 62 years of age or older who are delinquent on their taxes, for a household of two the income cannot exceed $34,840.

“We have a fantastic partnership with the Housing Fund,” Gilmore said.

Thanks to a $2.25 million donation from Amazon, the Housing Resiliency Fund protects existing homeowners who may be at risk of losing their home due to an increase in property taxes residing in the following seven zip codes: 37013, 37206, 37207, 37208, 37211, 37216, and 37218. No age restrictions apply.

The property must be the applicant’s primary residence to be eligible and they must own and have lived in the property as a homeowner prior to January 1, 2020. Households must make less than 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for their respected household size to qualify for participation. You can find more information at The Housing Resiliency Fund.

Alfred P, 82, lives in zip code 37208. He doesn’t have an Internet connection and doesn’t use a smart phone. He needed both of those things to get a new social security card and apply for tax relief. But he couldn’t get a replacement card last year. The office was closed to walk-ins due to the pandemic.

“A lot of people don’t have IPhones. They just don’t have emails. We noticed that a lot. Even for the Housing Fund, most of it is done online, so if you don’t have an email you are not able to do that and if you’re not computer savvy you don’t know to check your email to do a DocuSign,” Gilmore said.

Her office connected Alfred P. to the Metro Action Commission who helped him catch up with his delinquent taxes. Then Gilmore’s office helped him apply for the tax relief program. Finally, they connected him with The Housing Fund that reduced his tax bill by about $350. Those things together cut P’s taxes in half.

“He still had a little to pay but paying a little bit versus $2500 when your 82 years old makes a big difference,” Gilmore said.  Alfred P. said that because he was able to get that relief, he would do other things with his money instead of using it all for his taxes.

Gilmore said that her office would host a “Seniors and Technology” program in July for seniors who are on the Tax Relief Program or would like to enroll. Attendees will get assistance filling out the application, learn how to submit documents electronically, and have their questions answered. If you are interested or know someone who would be email trustee@nashville.gov or contact Nicholas Calvin at 615-862-6339. The date and place of the computer boot camp will be announced soon.