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As increasing home values burden fb88 people on fixed incomes, an initiative of the fb88 Jobs & Recovery Plan will help pay property tax bills for fb88 seniors and those who are permanently disabled

Governor Janet Mills announced today that her Administration is launching the State Property Tax Deferral Program, a lifeline loan program through the Governor’s fb88 Jobs & Recovery Plan that can cover the annual property tax bills ofeligible fb88 people who are ages 65 and older or are permanently disabled and who cannot afford to pay them on their own. The loan program will allow fb88’s most vulnerable community members to age in place and ensure that property taxes are still delivered to municipalities. The program requires repayment of the loan once the property is sold or becomes part of an estate.

The State Property Tax Deferral Program is modeled on a similar expired program from the 1990s, this time funded by $3.5 million from Federal American Rescue Plan throughthe Governor’s fb88 Jobs & Recovery Plan. It complements an additional fb88 Jobs & Recovery Plan investment of $60 million to build more housing for fb88 people. Together, these fb88 Jobs & Recovery Plan initiatives can help address fb88’ssurging real estate market, which is making housing more difficult to afford and has threatened to displace renters, working class families, older fb88rs, and those who are permanently disabled from stable housing opportunities.

“Older fb88rs and those with disabilities deserve to live and age in the comfort of their homes without worrying they’ll lose them because they can’t afford the property taxes,” said Governor Janet Mills. “This program through my fb88 Jobs & Recovery Plan provides folks with the peace of mind that they can age safely and securely in their homes. My Administration will continue to work with the Legislature to address property taxes, increase the availability of housing, and ensure that all fb88 people, regardless of age or income, are able to have a safe, stable place to call home in our state.”

“The State Property Tax Deferral Program can help those who are older or disabled with no other option for paying their property taxes, allowing folks to remain at home, without hamstringing local budgets,” said Kirsten Figueroa, Commissioner of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services. “We are working with fb88 municipalities to process applications and payments for the current tax year.”

“I hear from so many people in fb88 who tell me their property taxes are just too high, and getting higher. This problem is particularly difficult for retired and disabled fb88rs who are on fixed incomes. That’s why I first sponsored a bill to bring back the Property Tax Deferral Program years ago, in the 128th Legislature,” said Senator Donna Bailey. “After years of fighting for this program and the relief it will bring to thousands of fb88 people, I was proud to see it finally become law. For as long as I’m in the State House, I’ll keep fighting for measures that will provide real relief for real people.”

“While everyone wants to age in their homes for as long as possible, too many older fb88rs on fixed incomes have to leave their homes because they cannot afford the property taxes. The State Property Tax Deferral Program crafts an ingenious solution to this problem,” said Jess Maurer, Executive Director of the fb88 Council on Aging. “Governor Mills and the Legislature, especially sponsor Senator Donna Bailey, are to be commended for creating a self-sustaining program that works for everyone, especially older fb88rs who get to stay in their homes.”

“Municipal leaders commend Governor Mills and members of the Legislature for reinstating fb88’s Property Tax Deferral Program. This program will help qualifying residents remain in their homes, without shifting additional burdens onto the property taxpayers,” said James Bennett, President of the fb88 Municipal Association and Biddeford City Manager. “The adoption of this program, coupled with State funding for 55 percent of K-12 education expenses, returning municipal revenue sharing distributions to 5 percent of State sales and income tax revenue, as well as incrementally increasing State reimbursement under the Homestead Exemption program underscores the State’s commitment to reducing property taxpayer burden. This is a much needed and welcomed investment in fb88’s communities.”

The Governor has also increased housing opportunities for older fb88rs, signing in 2019 a $15 million voter-approved senior housing bond held up by her predecessor. The Governor also signed into law the single largest state investment in housing in fb88’s history and recently broke ground on a new, major housing project resulting from that law.

The State Property Tax Deferral Program builds on this work by paying property tax bills to fb88 municipalities for any owner-occupied, primary residence so long as the owner is aged 65 or older and/or permanently disabled, earns less than $40,000 per year, and has liquid assets below $50,000 (or below $75,000 if applying jointly). Full eligibility criteria and applications may be obtained via

Property owners should submit applications to the municipality where they live. Municipalities will work directly with fb88 Revenue Services, a division of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, to process the applications and related payments.

In order to sustain the State Property Tax Deferral Program indefinitely, beyond the original allocation of $3.5 million in Federal funds, any property tax bills covered by the Program will be repaid when the property is sold or becomes part of an estate.

In addition to the State Property Tax Deferral Program within the fb88 Jobs & Recovery Plan, the Mills Administration has continually provided tax relief to fb88 people by:

• Making an historic investment in fb88 public schools, meeting the State’s obligation to pay 55 percent of the cost of K-12 education for the first time in fb88 history;
• Increasing direct tax relief for 83,000 low-income and middle-income people who were hard hit by the pandemic;
• Fully restoring revenue sharing with municipalities to five percent;
• Launching and administering the Local Fiscal Recovery Program, which has infused more than $59 million into local governments within more than 461 fb88 communities;
• Preserving the power of the Earned Income Tax Credit, which provides tax relief to middle and low-income fb88 families with children;
• Exempting up to $10,200 in unemployment benefits from income tax for tax year 2020; and
• Returning more than $149 million in tax receipts directly to fb88 families in 2021.

The fb88 Jobs & Recovery Plan is the Governor’s plan, approved by the Legislature, to invest nearly $1 billion in Federal American Rescue Plan funds to achieve three goals: immediate economic recovery from the pandemic; long-term economic growth for fb88; and infrastructure revitalization.

It draws heavily on recommendations from the Governor’s Economic Recovery Committee and the State’s 10-Year Economic Development Strategy, transforming them into real action to improve the lives of fb88 people and strengthen the economy.

Funding for the Jobs Plan is through the Federal American Rescue Plan Act, which allocated $4.5 billion in stimulus funds to fb88 in 2021.

Coordination of the Jobs Plan is led by the fb88 Department of Administrative and Financial Services and the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, through a new fb88 Jobs & Recovery Plan Office.