NH Property Tax Exemption for Seniors: Limits and How to Apply

New Hampshire’s property tax exemption for seniors lowers your tax bill by subtracting a set dollar amount from your home’s assessed value before the tax rate is applied. To qualify, you must be at least 65 on April 1 of the tax year, have lived in the state for three consecutive years, own the home, and fall within income and asset limits that your town sets locally. The exemption is established under RSA 72:39-a and RSA 72:39-b, and because each municipality votes on its own dollar figures, the savings vary widely from one town to the next.

Who Qualifies

RSA 72:39-a sets three baseline requirements that apply statewide before any local income or asset test comes into play.¹

Age 65 or older on or before April 1 of the tax year you’re applying for.
At least three consecutive years of New Hampshire residency immediately before that April 1 date.
Ownership of the property, individually or jointly. If the home is in your spouse’s name alone, you and your spouse must have been married for at least five consecutive years.

The statute does not require that you personally have owned the home for any set number of years. You simply need to be the owner of record. The five-year rule applies only to the marriage when the property sits solely in a spouse’s name.

If your home is held in a revocable trust, you need to show you’re the equitable owner or hold a life estate. That means filing Form PA-33 along with the standard application, plus a copy of the trust instrument, a certification of trust under RSA 564-B:10-1013, or a deed showing your ownership interest.²

Own a multi-unit property? The exemption attaches only to the unit you live in. Any other units count as assets when the town checks your net worth.³

How Much the Exemption Is Worth

The exemption subtracts a dollar amount from your property’s assessed value. New Hampshire uses three age tiers, and the reduction grows as you get older. Each town votes on the specific amounts, so the savings depend entirely on where you live.

Two actual examples show the range:

Concord: $80,000 reduction at ages 65–74, $131,000 at 75–79, and $223,000 at 80 and older.³
Exeter: $152,251 at ages 65–74, $183,751 at 75–79, and $236,251 at 80 and older.⁴

What that converts to in dollars depends on your town’s tax rate. A town charging $25 per $1,000 of assessed value turns an $80,000 reduction into $2,000 off your bill. A town at $15 per $1,000 turns the same reduction into $1,200. Call your municipal assessor’s office for the current figures, since towns can change them at town meeting.

Income and Asset Limits

Even if you meet the age, residency, and ownership tests, you still have to fall within your town’s income and asset ceilings. The state sets floors; most towns adopt caps well above them.

Income

Net income from all sources during the prior calendar year decides eligibility. That includes wages, pensions, Social Security, interest, and dividends. The statutory minimums are $13,400 for a single person and $20,400 for a married couple, but no town would realistically set the bar that low today.¹ In practice, single-applicant ceilings commonly land in the $40,000–$50,000 range and married-couple ceilings in the $60,000–$80,000 range, though your town may differ.

When calculating net income, you can deduct business expenses, proceeds from selling assets, and life insurance death benefits.¹ Those deductions sometimes decide the case for an applicant who had a one-time income event like selling a car or cashing out a small investment.

Assets

Your total net assets, meaning everything you own minus good-faith debts, must also stay below the local cap. The state minimum is $35,000, but towns usually set it much higher, often in the $100,000–$200,000 range.¹

Your residence and the land immediately around it are excluded from the asset calculation. The excluded land is the greater of two acres or the minimum residential lot size in your zoning district. Anything beyond that counts at fair market value, not assessed value.⁵ Vehicles, second properties, savings, retirement accounts, stocks, and bonds all count. If you own a multi-unit home, the rental units count too.

Because towns vote these limits locally and can change them year to year, verifying the current numbers with your assessor before you apply is not optional. A neighbor’s experience from two years ago may no longer reflect the current thresholds.

How to Apply

The core application is Form PA-29, “Permanent Application for Property Tax Credits/Exemptions,” published by the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration.⁶ Add Form PA-33 if your home sits in a trust. Both forms are available at your town hall or on the Department of Revenue Administration website.

Expect to supply your federal income tax return and a list of all assets with values and any encumbrances.⁶ Many towns also ask for bank statements, Social Security benefit statements, and proof of age such as a birth certificate or driver’s license. Specific documentation requirements vary, so ask your assessor’s office for their checklist and pull everything together early in the year.

File with your local selectmen or assessors by April 15 preceding the setting of the tax rate.⁷ Hand delivery or certified mail gives you a record of the filing date if a question ever comes up about timeliness.

Missing April 15 doesn’t automatically end things. Selectmen or assessors can accept a late application if you show that accident, mistake, or misfortune prevented timely filing. The window closes once the local tax rate for that year has been approved, so there’s not much room.⁷

If approved, the reduction shows up on your final tax bill, usually mailed in late fall, as a lower assessed value.

If Your Application Is Denied

A denial can be appealed to either the New Hampshire Board of Tax and Land Appeals or the superior court. Either appeal must be filed by September 1 following the notice of your final tax bill for that year.⁸ Before filing, confirm you’ve met every application requirement under RSA Chapter 72, because the appeal board checks procedural compliance before reaching the merits.

Keeping the Exemption Year to Year

Approval once isn’t approval forever. Your selectmen or assessing officials can require you to re-file income and asset information periodically, though not more than once a year. If you don’t send the updated information when asked, you can lose the exemption for that year.⁷ Keep copies of your prior submissions so you can respond quickly when a recertification notice arrives.

If a qualifying homeowner dies, the surviving spouse keeps the exemption under the combined married-couple asset limit until the surviving spouse sells or transfers the property or remarries.⁹ The single-person asset cap is often lower than the married-couple limit, so this protection keeps a widow or widower from losing the benefit at the worst possible time.

Other Senior Relief Worth Checking

The elderly exemption isn’t the only option. Two other programs can help, and you may qualify for more than one at a time.

Under RSA 72:38-a, owners aged 65 and older can apply to defer all or part of their property taxes if paying the full amount would cause undue hardship or possible loss of the property. Deferred taxes accrue 5 percent annual interest, and the total deferred cannot exceed 85 percent of the property’s equity. The deferred balance becomes a lien and must be paid when the home is sold or transferred.¹⁰ The filing deadline is March 1 following issuance of the final tax bill.¹¹

The state’s Low and Moderate Income Homeowners Property Tax Relief program sends a direct payment rather than reducing your assessed value. Household income must be $37,000 or less if single, or $47,000 or less if married or head of household. You file this one with the state, not your town, between May 1 and June 30 following the due date of your final state education property tax bill. Late applications may be accepted through November 1 for accident, mistake, or misfortune. There’s no age requirement, so this is worth a look even before you reach 65.¹²

1
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 72:39-a – Conditions for Elderly Exemption
2
New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. Statement of Qualification for Property Tax Credit, Exemption or Tax Deferral
3
Concord, NH – Official Website. Elderly Exemption
4
Town of Exeter New Hampshire. Elderly Exemption Qualifications
5
City of Lebanon, New Hampshire. Elderly Exemption Program
6
New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. Permanent Application for Property Tax Credits/Exemptions
7
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 72:33 – Application for Exemption or Tax Credit
8
New Hampshire Board of Tax and Land Appeals. Taxpayer’s RSA 72:34-a Exemption, Deferral or Tax Credit Appeal
9
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 72:39-b
10
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 72:38-a – Tax Deferral
11
Concord, NH – Official Website. Elderly and Disabled Deferral
12
NH Department of Revenue Administration. Low and Moderate Property Tax Relief