By Steven Klitgord
Wayland’s Senior Tax Relief Committee, which reports to the Select Board, was formed about 25 years ago. Its directive is to propose tax relief programs to make it easier for Wayland’s senior citizens who have contributed to the town for many years but now live on fixed incomes.
Thanks to the committee’s efforts, the town now has several tax relief programs. While some of these programs are income restricted, others are open to any resident at least 60 years old.
Most of the financial relief is offered by the Circuit Breaker program. Wayland matches a state tax credit that has been in effect for almost 20 years. While the Circuit Breaker program has an income and property assessment value limit, residents who qualify received up to a $2,500 state income tax credit per household. This amount was matched a year later by the Town of Wayland via a credit to their quarterly property tax bill. In the most recent year, the 65 senior residents who applied and qualified for this program received a combined total of almost $5,000 or an average of 45% off the property tax bill. The Senior Tax Relief Committee believes more residents could qualify for this program and encourages all seniors who own a residence in Wayland to apply.
Another popular program is a Senior Tax Work-off Program. It permits a senior resident who is 60 years old or older to work for up to 125 hours per year in one of the town’s departments. The resident is ‘paid’ at the state’s minimum wage and any amount earned is credited to the resident’s property tax bill. Seniors who participate in this program appreciate the double benefit of the tax credit and the opportunity to interact with others.
Other Massachusetts state programs that benefit senior residents include a Community Preservation Act (CPA) Exemption, a Property Tax Deferral option, an Elderly Exemption for low-income residents, and a Surviving Spouse Exemption.
Wayland’s Assessors Office maintains a list of all property tax relief programs available to Wayland’s residents along with any current qualification requirements and copies of the forms that must be used to apply. The Council on Aging administers several of these programs and offers professional tax preparation assistance annually.
