FORSYTH COUNTY — The deadline to file a homestead exemption application is Tuesday. And for the first time, the Forsyth County Tax Assessor’s Office is also requiring identification with the application, said Chief Tax Appraiser Mary Kirkpatrick.“We went through the audit program and now we’re just trying to make a good effort to keep things clean,” she said. “We require that you have a driver’s license and that the driver’s license match the address that you file a homestead exemption on.” The tax assessor’s office worked with Tax Management Associates in 2012 and ’13 to find residents who may be claiming two homesteads, when just one is allowed. Applications for this year can still be mailed in, according to Kirkpatrick, they just need to include a copy of a driver’s license and a copy of the recorded warranty deed. Also, for those who moved from a different state or county and still own a previous home, a letter must be provided from that county or state declaring the previous exemption has been removed. Homestead exemptions can be filed on only the property in which an individual resides. For married couples, an exemption can be filed only on one home, even if two homes are in different names. Kirkpatrick said during the county’s high growth period, as many as 5,000 exemptions would be filed annually. Over the past few years, however, that has fallen to 2,000 or fewer.“This year, we’ve had quite a few,” she said. “We haven’t counted the number yet, but I would say we’re probably up to about 3,000 right now and we may be closer to the numbers we used to see.”
FORSYTH COUNTY — The deadline to file a homestead exemption application is Tuesday. And for the first time, the Forsyth County Tax Assessor’s Office is also requiring identification with the application, said Chief Tax Appraiser Mary Kirkpatrick.“We went through the audit program and now we’re just trying to make a good effort to keep things clean,” she said. “We require that you have a driver’s license and that the driver’s license match the address that you file a homestead exemption on.” The tax assessor’s office worked with Tax Management Associates in 2012 and ’13 to find residents who may be claiming two homesteads, when just one is allowed. Applications for this year can still be mailed in, according to Kirkpatrick, they just need to include a copy of a driver’s license and a copy of the recorded warranty deed. Also, for those who moved from a different state or county and still own a previous home, a letter must be provided from that county or state declaring the previous exemption has been removed. Homestead exemptions can be filed on only the property in which an individual resides. For married couples, an exemption can be filed only on one home, even if two homes are in different names. Kirkpatrick said during the county’s high growth period, as many as 5,000 exemptions would be filed annually. Over the past few years, however, that has fallen to 2,000 or fewer.“This year, we’ve had quite a few,” she said. “We haven’t counted the number yet, but I would say we’re probably up to about 3,000 right now and we may be closer to the numbers we used to see.”