To apply, complete the application form (DTE 105A, Homestead Exemption Application Form for Senior Citizens, Disabled Persons, and Surviving Spouses), then file it with your local county auditor. The form is available on the Department of Taxation's website and is also available from county auditors.
In 2024, the Homestead Exemption, which takes the form of a credit on property tax bills, allows qualifying homeowners a reduction that is equal to the taxes that would otherwise be charged on up to $28,000 of the market value of their home.
You may be eligible for the primary residential exemption if you occupy your home for 183 consecutive days or more in a calendar year. The exemption applies to your house and up to one acre of land. Apartments, condos and mobile homes also qualify.
A decedent's surviving spouse is entitled to a homestead allowance of $22,500. If there is no surviving spouse, each minor child and each dependent child of the decedent is entitled to a homestead allowance amounting to $22,500 divided by the number of minor and dependent children of the decedent.