COA Tax Work-Off Program Begins New Season November

The following provided by Susan Bernstein, Council on Aging.

Council on Aging Tax Work-Off Program Begins New Season November 2019

The ongoing Tax Work-Off Program administered by the Council on Aging will be accepting applications starting on October 1, 2019.

In order to give participants more time to complete the hours, we will have applications available on October 1, 2019 with the deadline for submission by October 31, 2019. If a lottery is necessary, names will be drawn at the COA board meeting on Wednesday, November 6th. Participants will be able to start their hours immediately. New this year: All participants will be required to attend a thirty minute informational meeting on Thursday 11/14 at 2:00 PM.

The town voted in 2018 to increase the benefit for Tax Work-off volunteers to allow persons over 60 to receive a reduction in their real estate tax obligation in the amount of $1000.00 per fiscal year in exchange for volunteering 78 hours in various town departments. Hours will need to be completed by October 18, 2020.

The exemption is taxable as Federal wages. The applicant will receive a W-2 for income earned less OBRA, Medicare and applicable taxes. However they will not receive a paycheck; the net amount earned will be credited to the applicant’s third and fourth quarter real estate tax bills, as a reduction in taxes.

The senior will need the W-2 to submit with their tax forms. The (OBRA) deduction is in lieu of a social security deduction and is mandatory. However, the applicant can file to get this money returned to them only if they do not intend to participate in the future.

If the applicant previously filled out the payroll tax forms, they 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 that the Town continues to support the program.

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 the following:

• Offering seniors the chance to reduce their tax obligation.
• 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

This is a reminder that the applications will be available beginning Tuesday, October 1, 2019 and should be returned to the COA by Thursday, October 31, 2019 . If applications exceed the 65 person limit, a lottery will be held on November 6, 2019 during the monthly COA meeting, 11:00 am, 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.