How To Opt In For Mashpee's Residential Tax Exemption - Editorial
Earlier this week we were surprised to see that one of our articles from November was currently trending on our website. We have a monitor in the newsroom that shows which articles on our site are getting lots of attention, and this one caught ours.
Soon enough, we learned why. A resident-reader from Mashpee alerted us to the fact that they and some of their fellow homeowners were shocked by their real estate tax bills this year. The sentiment was shared online in a community Facebook group, and many agreed.
That, to us, is a sign—a sign that there is room here for us to do a better job getting the word out about the residential tax exemption option for homeowners. We wrote an article in November when the change went into effect but, now that people are getting their bills, it seemed like a good time to revisit the topic.
The select board approved an increase to the town’s residential tax exemption at a tax classification hearing in early November, bumping it from 5 percent to a whopping 20 percent. That is a significant amount of money, and is something we think all of Mashpee’s year-round homeowners should opt in for.
That is the key, though—homeowners need to opt in to receive this benefit by declaring Mashpee as their primary residence. Luckily this process is fairly simple, but you will need your federal tax return to prove that Mashpee is your primary residence for the current fiscal year.
More details on what you need to opt-in are available on the assessor’s department page at the Town of Mashpee website, as is the actual form that you need to do so—so head there or to the assessor’s office at town hall once you have your 1040 in hand. Residents have three months from the mailing of the actual tax bill to submit for the residential exemption, which gives you until April 1 to get it done. It is certainly worth the time, equaling out to a roughly $1,000 decrease in your annual tax bill.
If there are still questions or confusion about your tax bill, we suggest checking in with the assessor’s department; they can check your tax classification if you are questioning the tax bill you just got. And if you want the nuts and bolts of it all, we recommend checking out the Mashpee Select Board’s meeting packet from November 6, 2024. It is full of documents and charts that outline all the definitions and numbers involved in the tax classification hearing that was held.
We hope that our readers will help spread the word about this opt-in program that Mashpee has for its homeowners. Tell your neighbor, remind your aunt and, sure, share this editorial with your coworker, your book club members and even with Facebook users in resident groups. If it helps Mashpee’s residents stay informed and take advantage of these kinds of beneficial opportunities, that will always be something we can get behind.