15-6-312. Time period for property tax assistance. (1) A person who qualifies for assistance under 15-6-305 or 15-6-311 is entitled to assistance as provided for in this section.

Terms Used In Montana Code 15-6-312

  • Person: includes a corporation or other entity as well as a natural person. See Montana Code 1-1-201
  • Property: means real and personal property. See Montana Code 1-1-205
  • Qualifying property: means a primary residence that a qualified applicant owned and occupied for at least 7 months during the tax year. See Montana Code 15-6-301
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.

(2)The property tax assistance is provided for the full tax year:

(a)in the first year in which the applicant qualifies for assistance if the applicant resides in the qualifying property for the remainder of the tax year;

(b)if the applicant resides in the qualifying property for the full tax year;

(c)for qualifying property owned by an applicant at the time the tax roll is provided to the county treasurer for billing if 15-6-301(4)(b) applies.

(3)If an applicant who qualifies for assistance sells the qualifying property and does not purchase a new residence during the tax year, the assistance is provided for the number of days the taxpayer owned the qualifying property during the tax year based on the date of sale.

(4)(a) Except as provided in subsection (4)(b), a person who purchases a qualifying property is not entitled to assistance for the partial tax year during which the person owns the property. The property must be assessed at the full tax rate for the portion of the year the person owns the property based on the date of sale.

(b)If the sale date is after the county treasurer sends the tax notice provided for in 15-16-101(2), the tax notice may not be revised based on the change in ownership.