Tax Planning · The Lithos Blog
No theory, no legislative history — just the five moves that decide whether Indiana's new property tax law actually shows up as savings on your bill. Tap the checklist, work the timeline, done.
How to Use This Guide
Indiana's SB 1 gives every homestead a new annual credit — 10% of your bill, up to $300, plus an extra $150 if you are 65 or older and $125 if you are blind or disabled — and county auditors apply those credits automatically. So the question is not "how do I claim the credit?" The question is whether the foundations underneath the credit are solid: your homestead status, your assessed value, your title, and your family's cash flow.
That is what this checklist protects. If you want the full explanation of the law — the credit math, the deduction phase-down through 2031, the myth-vs-math breakdown — read the companion deep dive: Indiana's New Property Tax Law, Decoded for Hamilton County. This page is the part you actually do.
The Map
The switch that turns every SB 1 benefit on — or silently off.
Credits reduce the bill; only an appeal fixes the number the bill is built on.
Form 130, the June 15 anchor, and the three-year error window.
Probate can disrupt homestead status at the worst possible time.
Tax bills do not pause for illness, disability, or loss.
Assessments move annually. Fifteen minutes each spring keeps you covered.
Tap As You Go
0 of 6 done
Search your address and confirm the homestead deduction is listed and current. In Hamilton County that takes about five minutes online.
Refinance into a different name, trust transfer, marriage, divorce, or a move — any of these can quietly disrupt homestead status. The refile is short; the benefits it protects can exceed the credit itself.
Check the mailing date on your Notice of Assessment. Mailed before May 1? Your appeal deadline was June 15 of that year. Mailed later — or never received? Your deadline is June 15 of the year your tax bill goes out.
Same neighborhood, similar size and condition. If your assessed value sits meaningfully above what those homes actually sold for, you have grounds to talk to the assessor — and Indiana allows an informal review before anything formal.
One petition per parcel, filed with your assessing official. It is free to file yourself, and if your assessment jumped more than 5% year over year, the burden of proof shifts to the assessor.
Fifteen minutes with an Indiana estate attorney on how the home is titled, and a review of the term life and disability coverage that would keep the tax bill paid if life changed. Details in Moves 4 and 5 below.
Move 3, Expanded
Your county mails the Notice of Assessment. The postmark date decides your deadline — keep the envelope.
June 15 of the assessment year when Form 11 went out before May 1; otherwise June 15 of the year the tax bill is mailed.
Many appeals resolve in an informal conversation with the assessor. If not, the county Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals hears your case — no attorney or appraisal required, though evidence helps.
Disagree with the PTABOA? You can petition the IBTR for further review.
Wrong square footage, a denied deduction, a clerical mistake — certain specific errors can be corrected up to three years after the taxes were first due, even outside appeal season.
The same law raised Indiana's business personal property exemption from $80,000 to $2 million in taxable cost per county starting with the 2026 assessment — if your business files a personal property return, this likely changes it. Worth one conversation with your CPA.
The Questions We Hear Most
No. County auditors apply the 10%/$300 homestead credit — and the senior and disability credits — automatically. Your job is making sure the homestead status behind them is active.
The state projects roughly two-thirds of homeowners will see a lower 2026 bill than 2025. But assessments still track the market, and local governments adjusting to the law may lean on other revenue levers — so treat "lower" as likely, not guaranteed.
You may qualify for an additional $150 credit on top of the base credit — and under the new law these targeted credits deliver savings even if your bill already sits at Indiana's constitutional caps.
Usually, if the paperwork was done correctly — but "usually" is not a plan. A trust transfer is one of the classic events that disrupts homestead status. Confirm with the auditor, and have your estate attorney verify the deed and deduction line up.
Moves 4 & 5
Title. A home held in an individual name alone generally passes through probate — and homestead status can be disrupted during that process, raising the tax bill during the hardest year of a family's life. Structures like a living trust with a transfer-on-death deed, joint tenancy with right of survivorship, or a TOD designation each solve it differently; a licensed Indiana estate attorney can match the structure to your family.
Cash flow. Property taxes continue through a disability, a long illness, or a death in the family. A right-sized term life policy and disability income protection exist to keep the mortgage and the tax bill paid — and homestead status intact — while your family finds its footing. The premium for that certainty is usually far smaller than people expect, and we are glad to walk through the options without any pressure to act.
These resources support the facts and research referenced throughout this article.
The state's official appeal guide: Form 130, the June 15 deadline rules, PTABOA hearings, and the Indiana Board of Tax Review.
Open the fact sheetThe official DLGF appeal form, with the filing deadlines and the assessor's burden-of-proof rules printed right on it.
Download Form 130A plain-English walkthrough of the homestead deduction schedule from 2025 through the phase-out.
Read the explainerMunicipal-association quick reference confirming the new credits stack and are applied after all other credits and deductions.
Open the quick guide
Dr. Saha works with families, business owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs on financial education, wealth strategy, real estate, and entrepreneurship — helping people build stronger foundations and make confident decisions. Meet the author →
Next step
Bring your tax statement and your questions. We will walk through your homestead status, your assessment, and the protection layer behind them — education first, always.
