COA Tax Work-Off Program!

The following submitted by Roberta Lynch R.N., Director, Council on Aging.

Council on Aging Tax Work-Off Program Begins New Season November 2018

The ongoing Tax Work-off program administered by the Council on Aging has an exciting new change. In order to give participants more time to complete the hours, we will have applications available on October 1, 2018 with the deadline for submission by October 31, 2018. If a lottery is necessary, names will be drawn at the COA board meeting on Wednesday, November 7th. Participants will be able to start their hours immediately.

The town voted to increase the benefit for Tax Work-off volunteers to allow persons over 60 to receive a reduction in the real estate tax obligation in the amount of $1000.00 in a tax year in exchange for volunteering 91 hours in various town departments. Hours will need to be completed by October 18, 2019 subject to change.

Reimbursement will be the same as last year.

The senior will NOT receive a paycheck but WILL receive a W-2.

The so called paycheck will be made payable to the town and the senior’s real estate tax account will be credited for the $1000 less the OBRA (7.5% of gross wages) and the Medicare (1.45% of gross wages) tax.

The W-2 will show the $1000 in income and the OBRA and Medicare tax. You will need the W-2 to submit with your tax forms. The (OBRA) deduction is in lieu of a social security deduction and is mandatory. However, you can file to get this money returned to you only if you do not intend to participate again. This has created much more work for the town Treasurer who cannot establish and terminate OBRA accounts multiple times.

If you previously filled out the tax forms, you will not need to fill out the paperwork again. New applicants will be required to fill out the forms in order to participate in the program.

We are grateful the Town will continue with the program as they see the benefit for our seniors.

The Senior Tax Work-Off program has been successful in many ways, making it a win-win situation for the senior, the department and the town by:

• Offering seniors the chance to reduce their tax obligation in a time when taxes continue to go up.
• Workloads within many Town departments are reduced because they are staffed with skilled, dependable senior volunteers.
• Allows seniors the chance to put their skills to good use.
• Assists some seniors with opportunities for socialization and a sense of purpose.

As a reminder, applications will be available beginning Monday, October 1, 2018 and should be returned to the COA by Wednesday, October 31st. If applications exceed the 65 person limit, a lottery will be held during the November 7th, 2018 monthly COA meeting at 10:30 a.m., at The CENTER. This is an open meeting and all applicants are invited to attend. Any questions regarding this program can be directed to Susan Bernstein at 508-359-3665.