PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

By MARTY KIAR

Broward County Property Appraiser

The Broward County Tax Collector’s Office mailed over 729,000 tax bills to property owners and their mortgage companies. As a result, our office has received many calls from homeowners who recently purchased their property, but do not see their Homestead Exemption or other exemptions listed on their tax bill. In order to benefit from Homestead Exemption for the 2017 tax year, Florida law requires the property owner to have purchased the home and made it their permanent residence on January 1, 2017. For example, if you purchased the property any time after January 1, 2017 – you must wait until 2018 to receive this valuable exemption.

While the timely filing period for Homestead Exemption and other exemptions is January 1 – March 1 of each year, my office allows property owners to pre-file for this valuable savings. If you purchased a new home in 2017, you can file for Homestead Exemption at any time. Homestead Exemption saves a homeowner approximately $600 – $1,000 in property taxes so it is important you receive this tax savings.

To file for 2018 Homestead Exemption, you can use our simple online application found on our website at www.bcpa.net or visit our main office located in the Governmental Center in downtown Fort Lauderdale. If it is difficult for you to travel to our office, we have many outreach events in communities across Broward County. For more information about this exemption and many others, please call our Customer Service Department at 954-357-6830.

Should you ever have any questions about property tax exemptions or assessments, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 954-357-6904 or by email at martykiar@bcpa.net.