HB 6497 Summary

• Amends the General Property Tax Act to expand eligibility for poverty-based property tax exemptions by allowing boards of review to grant exemptions for either the current tax year or the immediately preceding tax year if the claimant qualified under income requirements for either year.

• Requires local assessing units to establish and publicly make available their policies and guidelines for granting poverty exemptions, including specific income and asset level thresholds.

• Mandates local government web platforms post exemption policies, application materials, and submission deadline information for the section 7u poverty exemption.

• Requires the Department of Treasury to provide taxpayer information about the exemption application process and educational resources for local treasurers and assessors on their website.

• Mandates assessment notices sent to residential property owners include notification of the annual application requirement for the poverty exemption, explaining the grounds, due date, and how to obtain application materials.