The State Department of Assessments and Taxation assesses each property once every three years. Here are some important points about the assessment process:

• The assessment office deals with assessments only, not taxes. Do not call them to get your taxes lowered; rather, call them to get your assessment lowered. This will usually result in lower taxes, but how much depends on the tax rates set by the State, County, and City.
• Your property is assessed triennially, every three years – that is, revalued in light of sales of like homes within the preceding year – and you receive an assessment notice.
• You have the right to appeal / challenge this assessment, but you must do so within 45 days; see the deadline on your notice. This is a hard deadline, so your letter must be postmarked by that date.
• You can ask for a reevaluation out of cycle, not just every third year, but when you do so out of cycle your request must be postmarked by January 1 to be considered for the coming year. This, again, is a hard deadline.
• The most successful line of reasoning you can use is that home values in your area are lower than the amount assessed on your property. Your chances are improved if you can support this argument with recent sales figures of similar homes.

To start an appeal or learn more about your property, contact the County SDAT office at 301-952-2500.

Homestead Tax Credit

You may be eligible for the Maryland Homestead Tax Credit if you meet the conditions listed on the Maryland Homestead Tax Credit web page. You must complete a one-time registration of your property, which can be done online. DO NOT FORGET TO DO THIS!

More information is available online:

• A HOMEOWNER’S GUIDE TO PROPERTY TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS
• Real Property Assessments and Taxes Information, includes online appeal process
• Maryland Homestead Tax Credit information