Indiana Coronavirus Property Tax Relief

On March 19, 2020, Governor Eric Holcomb issued Indiana Executive Order 20-05 (EO 20-05), which extends several Indiana property tax deadlines. Implementation of EO 20-05 has been clarified by additional executive orders as detailed below.

Indiana Spring Installment Property Tax Payment Automatic Extension

The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) issued an executive order on March 20, 2020, which provides an automatic payment extension without penalty for spring 2020 real and personal property tax payment installments that are normally due on or before May 11, 2020. The extension is for 60 days to July 10, 2020. Payments made by escrow accounts or mortgage companies are excluded from the extension.

Indiana Spring Property Tax Filing Deadline Extension Allowed on Request (Caution)

Unlike the payment extension, the DLGF order does not provide an automatic extension of the May 15 business personal property tax filing deadline. A request must still be made by May 15 for a 30-day filing extension, from May 15 to June 14. While the filing extension is not automatic, the order encourages the assessor to grant timely requested extensions. Personal property tax returns filed after the normal due date without an advance approved extension will be considered to have been filed late and will incur late penalties. Indiana personal property tax returns that are filed late may not be amended.

Indiana County Property Tax Bills to Be Mailed on Schedule

The normal deadline for mailing spring property tax statements remains in place. County Treasurers are still required to mail statements by April 15, 2020.

Indiana Property Tax Exemption Filings Extended to June 30, 2020

Indiana Executive Order 20-12 issued by Governor Eric Holcomb on March 26, 2020, extends to June 30, 2020, the deadline for submitting property tax exemption claims for educational, religious, or charitable purposes normally due by April 1, 2020. By statute, to obtain a new exemption for the tax year, Indiana Form 136 must be filed with the applicable county assessor.

PDF Signature for Form 136 Filings

Since IC 6-1.1-10 and IC 6-1.1-11 do not specify that exemption applications must be submitted with an original signature, counties can accept scanned copies of signed exemption applications or copies of the exemption application with electronic signatures.

Form 11 – Notice of Assessment Mailings and Appeal Deadlines

Under IC 6-1.1-15-1.1(b)(2), the last day for counties to mail the Notice of Assessment (Form 11) is April 30 for an appeal deadline of June 15 of the assessment year. If the Notice of Assessment is mailed by the county on or after May 1 of the assessment year, the appeal filing deadline is June 15 of the year in which the tax bill is mailed by the county treasurer. In other words, if the Notice of Assessment is mailed on or by May 1, 2020, the appeal filing deadline would be June 15, 2021.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Shawn King
Principal
Ryan
312.980.1127
shawn.king@ryan.com

Henry Hamilton
Director
Ryan
317.917.3282
henry.hamilton@ryan.com

The material presented in this communication is intended to provide general information only and should solely be seen as broad guidance and not directed to the particular facts or circumstances of any individual who may read this publication. No liability is accepted for acts or omissions taken in reliance upon the content of this piece. Before taking (or not taking) any action, readers should seek professional advice specific to their situation from Ryan, LLC or other tax professionals. For additional information about this topic, please contact us at info@ryan.com.