Property Tax Abatements Due on February 3rd – Some reminders from our local elected officials

Homeowners are Asked to File for Property Tax Abatements by Feb. 3rd

Senator Nick Collins recently wrote an op-ed re: Rebates, Increased Exemptions are Real Residential Tax Relief, which you can read here.  

You can also read below – some things you should know about this process below via Collins too. 

Sen Collins -- Taxpayer Letter RE Valuation & Abatement -- 1-28-25

Also, here’s a message from City Councilor Ed Flynn about the property tax abatements below:

BOSTON – With the February 3rd deadline rapidly approaching, and serious financial concerns from many residents on residential property taxes, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn is reminding homeowners to apply for property tax abatements. Property owners can file an abatement application if they believe their property is overvalued, disproportionately assessed, improperly classified, or eligible for a statutory exemption. For general questions on Tax Exemptions and Abatements, please call the Assessing Department at 617-635-4288 or email [email protected].

Residents have two options to file for abatement in the City of Boston. Please note that residents can only file abatements for the current fiscal year and not for previous years. The Assessing Department has three months to review your application. To file for abatement by mail, residents can download the Personal Property Abatement application form and mail the completed version to Assessing Department, Room 301, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201. Similarly, if residents would like to apply in person, visit the Assessing Department in room 301 at City Hall to fill out the application. Please note that residents must fill out the Asset Listing form if you did not file a State Tax Form 2/Form of List for Fiscal Year 2025, or you filed an incomplete State Tax Form 2/Form of List.

Councilor Flynn continues to advocate for additional property tax relief. He recently voted for a Home Rule petition offered by Councilor Brian Worrell to expand the elderly exemption, and expressed support for a proposal from Councilor At-Large Erin Murphy to increase the residential exemption. Moreover, he continues to advocate for tax relief or an additional exemption aimed at longtime residents that have owned for a considerable time in the city.

Unfortunately, instead of compromises, the City of Boston spent the better part of last year debating the administration’s plan and did not entertain any of the alternative proposals that many fiscal watchdogs and Councilor Flynn encouraged- cutting the City’s spending with an 8% budget increase after hiring of over 300 employees, implementing a hiring freeze, tapping our surplus budget and rainy day funds of $1.3 billion, and reviewing over 70% dependence on property taxes long-term.

With falling commercial property values, over 70% dependence on property taxes, and over 50% of our land absorbed by large, nonprofit organizations in the PILOT program- Councilor Flynn continues to emphasize that we have long-term fiscal issues to address in our city. For these reasons, Councilor Flynn continues to advocate for a Blue Ribbon Commission on both Downtown office vacancies and our heavy reliance on property taxes.

“In my opinion, we should not be raising everyone’s property taxes, especially while we did nothing to cut city spending,” said Councilor Flynn. “I will continue to advocate for residential property tax relief.”

Additionally, the city provides nine different types of property tax exemptions. The filing deadline for these exemptions is April 1, 2025. Seniors 65 years or older who are not able to pay their property taxes may be eligible to defer their taxes to help them stay in their homes. The filing deadline for senior tax deferral is also April 1, 2025.

On tax exemptions, please note that the nine exemptions include criteria for eligibility. The city offers nine exemptions, including the blind exemption, co-op housing exemption, elderly exemption, hardship exemption, National Guard exemption, residential exemption, statutory exemption, surviving spouse, minor child of deceased parent, elderly exemption, and veterans exemption. To view the complete list of criteria for these exemptions, please visit www.boston.gov/assessing and click on the “property exemptions and abatements” icon.

For more information, please contact Councilor Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 or [email protected].

4 Comments

  1. Even If You Don’t… January 30, 2025 at 2:24 pm - Reply

    …file an Abatement Application, ask them for the “comparable sales” that they used in arriving at YOUR valuation. These sales should consist ONLY of “like properties” (as in 1-family sales for 1-family homes, 2-family sales for…etc…not that there’s many left, but I digress).
    THEN…research the “comp sales” properties to see if there was any change after the sale (read: “condos”). If they were converted after the sale then there’s pretty much a 100% chance that the original sale was inflated and therefore should NOT have been used to subsequently inflate YOUR home’s value.
    Tell them you want the “comparable sales”.

  2. Linda Lyncg January 30, 2025 at 2:32 pm - Reply

    Hmmm, why not all of Boston to get hit with the higher tax? Only portions.

    • I’m Thinking… January 30, 2025 at 4:48 pm - Reply

      …that the hardest hit neighborhoods are the ones she considers her “problem” areas , not-so-subtly alluded to in her hate-speech at the St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast a couple years back.
      She insulted an entire room full of majority-Irish Americans. To their faces.

      The silence was deafening. And pathetic.

  3. Lovingly Sharing January 31, 2025 at 3:28 pm - Reply

    How nice of politicians PR to inform the millions of tenants, property-owners, indentured servants, serfs, chattel slaves to file tax ‘abatement’ with politician’s bureaucrats staffs in hope of alleviating /lessening being the mentioned.
    Instead of politicians, bureaucrats, …. actually helping he above mentioned, nurturing humanity for the better by reducing, eliminating property and numerous other taxes, all compounded by fees, levies, etc and interest – usury.
    In conjunction with eliminating dysfunctions, squandering, wastes, ….

    — Indirectly related are the urging, pushing forcing everyone into debts flavors A-Z all plus usury. —

    Thus rigorously and tangibly helping prevent poverty, destitution, landless-ness, homeless of all ages including veterans.

Leave A Comment