Work Off Tax Levies

A range of work

Dorchester County officials in South Carolina modeled their program on one in Colorado. JoAnn Groff, Colorado’s property tax administrator, says only a few municipalities offer the program.

“It’s totally voluntary for citizens and for the tax district,” she says.

Maine launched its program in 2007, and the maximum that older homeowners can work off ­— which is tied to the minimum wage — has steadily gone up. In 2022, the maximum benefit was $1,380, and 220 Mainers from two participating communities saved $105,427, says Sharon Huntley, director of communications for the state’s Department of Administrative and Financial Services.

The programs share some traits. The tasks completed by volunteers must be approved by participating districts and can vary widely — from performing data entry to landscaping — based on participants’ skills and interests. In addition to limits on how much a person can earn, entities may limit the amount available among all participants. (If volunteers have any questions about the income tax implications from receiving the property tax benefit, they can consult with a tax professional.)

In Texas, San Antonio officials in September approved a pilot of the SAVES program, which will enable up to 300 older homeowners to each offset up to $400 on their property tax bills. AARP in San Antonio offered input in the early stages of the program’s design, seeing it as a way to let people age in place while also addressing housing affordability and social isolation.

“Many people are already volunteering at senior centers and community centers, and they could get an incentive for that,” says Teri Castillo, a member of the San Antonio City Council.

The possibility of earning a few hundred dollars to mitigate rising taxes goes to the heart of many families’ hopes of passing their houses to the next generation, she adds. And because many San Antonio households include multiple generations of the same family, the program Castillo is pushing includes an option for a physically frail older homeowner to delegate volunteer work to another family member.

The Avon Grove School District in southeastern Pennsylvania rekindled a dormant work-off program in 2016. But more than money was at stake: Superintendent of Schools M. Christopher Marchese says the program lets older residents “find out what’s happening in the schools” even if their own kids have long since graduated.

Participants help in school front offices, assist teachers and serve as the grown-up in cafeterias, among other tasks. Avon Grove lets both partners in a couple participate. About 100 to 130 participants take part annually, with a budget of approximately $100,000 allotted for the plan.

“It has rallied the senior citizen community because they see what we do,” Marchese says, “and what their tax dollars are doing.”

Looking to join in?

Scan your latest property tax bill to see which categories claim the largest slices of revenue. Then, go to the appropriate website — often the county, school district, town or city — and search for programs designed to ease the property tax burden of older adults. If all else fails, contact the entity’s administrative office and ask whether it offers a work-off program.

You can find other resources at AARP Foundation’s Property Tax-Aide site.