Maine · Property tax exemptions for surviving spouses · Updated Oct 2026

Maine property tax exemptions for surviving spouses (2026)

Every statewide property tax break in Maine that our guide lists for surviving spouses: breaks made for them, and breaks a surviving spouse can keep or claim. What each is worth, who qualifies, the deadline and how to apply.

Short answer

The main property tax break for surviving spouses in Maine is the Veteran Exemption. Up to $6,000 off the just value of your property, adjusted by your town's certified ratio.

Worth
$6,000
Income limit
None listed in our sources
Deadline
April 1

Some amounts depend on where you live. In Maine, some of these breaks or their amounts are set or adjusted by your county, city or town, as each exemption below explains. Ask your local assessor for the figure that applies to your home.

Property tax breaks for surviving spouses in Maine

Veterans

Veteran Exemption

Up to $6,000 off the just value of your property, adjusted by your town's certified ratio. A totally and permanently disabled veteran who received a federal specially adapted housing grant gets up to $50,000 off the just value of that home instead.

For surviving spouses: A widowed spouse who has not remarried and gets a federal pension or compensation as the veteran's widowed spouse also qualifies ($7,000 for the widowed spouse of a World War I veteran), as can certain minor children and widowed parents (62+) of a deceased veteran.

Who qualifies
A Maine permanent resident who was on active duty and was discharged under other than dishonorable conditions, who served in a federally recognized war period, earned an expeditionary medal, or became totally disabled from a service-connected injury and gets federal compensation for it, AND who is 62 or older by April 1 or gets a federal pension or compensation for total disability. A widowed spouse who has not remarried and gets a federal pension or compensation as the veteran's widowed spouse also qualifies ($7,000 for the widowed spouse of a World War I veteran), as can certain minor children and widowed parents (62+) of a deceased veteran.
How to apply
File the Veteran's Exemption Application with the assessor of the town where you live (widowed spouses, parents and minor children use the separate 'Spouse, Parent, or Minor Child' application on the MRS Property Tax Forms page). Bring your DD-214, proof of age (birth certificate, driver's license or state ID) if you claim by age, and a VA or federal letter showing your disability compensation or pension (or the widowed spouse's pension letter).
Deadline
By April 1 of the first year you ask for it. An assessor may abate taxes for a surviving spouse or child who misses April 1 if the veteran died in the prior 12 months and they apply within one year of commitment.
Renewal
One-time, unless the assessor asks you to reapply.
Law
36 M.R.S. § 653

Source: official page

How to apply, step by step

Veteran Exemption

  1. File the Veteran's Exemption Application with the assessor of the town where you live (widowed spouses, parents and minor children use the separate 'Spouse, Parent, or Minor Child' application on the MRS Property Tax Forms page).
  2. Bring your DD-214, proof of age (birth certificate, driver's license or state ID) if you claim by age, and a VA or federal letter showing your disability compensation or pension (or the widowed spouse's pension letter).

Form: Veteran Exemption Application

Deadline: By April 1 of the first year you ask for it. An assessor may abate taxes for a surviving spouse or child who misses April 1 if the veteran died in the prior 12 months and they apply within one year of commitment.

Renewal: One-time, unless the assessor asks you to reapply.

Savings estimate for Maine

Roughly what an exemption could save you a year: the value it takes off, times your tax rate.

Filled in when the exemption is a fixed dollar amount. You can change it.

Maine median effective rate: 1.02% (taxes paid as a share of home value). Use your own rate if you know it.

Enter a value and a tax rateChoose an exemption or type the value it takes off.

Median effective rate: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024 5-year estimates, tables B25103 (median real estate taxes paid, owner-occupied homes) and B25077 (median value, owner-occupied homes). It is a statewide middle value; local rates differ a lot.

An estimate, not a bill. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Eligibility finder for Maine

Answer a few questions to see which property tax breaks may fit you. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Pre-set for surviving spouses: you own and live in the home and are a surviving spouse. Change any answer.

Leave empty if you'd rather not say.

Everyone in the home, before taxes. Optional: used only to compare with income limits.

Do you own and live in the home?Answer the first question to see results.

A first check, not a decision: only your county, city or town assessor decides. We read ages, ratings and income limits only where the official rule states them plainly; otherwise we show the rule for you to check.

Document checklist for Maine

Pick the breaks you plan to apply for. You get a checklist of forms, documents, steps and deadlines to print or keep on your phone.

The checklist asks for no personal details and nothing is sent to our server: the files are made on your device.

Exemptions to include

Questions about surviving spouses property tax breaks in Maine

Who qualifies for property tax breaks for surviving spouses in Maine?

Veteran Exemption: A Maine permanent resident who was on active duty and was discharged under other than dishonorable conditions, who served in a federally recognized war period, earned an expeditionary medal, or became totally disabled from a service-connected injury and gets federal compensation for it, AND who is 62 or older by April 1 or gets a federal pension or compensation for total disability. A widowed spouse who has not remarried and gets a federal pension or compensation as the veteran's widowed spouse also qualifies ($7,000 for the widowed spouse of a World War I veteran), as can certain minor children and widowed parents (62+) of a deceased veteran.

Is there an income limit for surviving spouses' property tax breaks in Maine?

Our sources list no income limit for any of these breaks.

When is the deadline for surviving spouses to apply in Maine?

Veteran Exemption: By April 1 of the first year you ask for it. An assessor may abate taxes for a surviving spouse or child who misses April 1 if the veteran died in the prior 12 months and they apply within one year of commitment.

Do surviving spouses have to reapply every year in Maine?

Veteran Exemption: One-time, unless the assessor asks you to reapply.

Where do surviving spouses apply for property tax breaks in Maine?

Your city or town assessor decides homestead, veteran and blind exemptions and takes applications for the state deferral program. If you live in the unorganized territory, you apply to Maine Revenue Services' Property Tax Division instead. For the Veteran Exemption: File the Veteran's Exemption Application with the assessor of the town where you live (widowed spouses, parents and minor children use the separate 'Spouse, Parent, or Minor Child' application on the MRS Property Tax Forms page).

More for Maine homeowners

Surviving spouses in nearby states

Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.