Washington Administrative Code
Title 458 - Revenue, Department of
Chapter 458-16A - Property tax-Exemptions-Homes for the aging, senior citizens and disabled persons
Section 458-16A-100 - Senior citizen, disabled person, and disabled veteran exemption-Definition
Current through Register Vol. 23-24, December 15, 2023
(1) Introduction. This rule contains definitions of the terms used for the senior citizen, disabled person, and disabled veteran property tax exemption described in RCW 84.36.381 through 84.36.389.
(2) Annuity. "Annuity" means a series of long-term periodic payments, under a contract or agreement. It does not include payments for the care of dependent children. For purposes of this subsection, "long-term" means a period of more than one full year from the annuity starting date.
Annuity distributions must be included in "disposable income," as that term is defined in subsection (13) of this rule, regardless of whether the distributions are taxable under federal law. A one-time, lump sum, total distribution is not an "annuity" for purposes of this rule, and only the taxable portion that would be included in federal adjusted gross income should be included in disposable income.
(3) Assessment year. "Assessment year" means the year the assessor lists and values the principal residence for property taxes. The assessment year is the calendar year prior to the year the taxes are due and payable. The assessment year is the year before the claimant receives the reduction in their property taxes because of the senior citizen, disabled person, and disabled veteran exemption.
(4) Capital gain. "Capital gain" means the amount the seller receives for property, other than inventory, over that seller's adjusted basis in the property. The seller's initial basis in the property is the property's cost plus taxes, freight charges, and installation fees. In determining the capital gain, the seller's costs of transferring the property to a new owner are also added onto the adjusted basis of the property. If the property is acquired in some other manner than by purchase, the seller's initial basis in the property is determined by the way the seller received the property (e.g., property exchange, payment for services, gift, or inheritance). The seller increases and decreases the initial basis of the property for events occurring between the time the property is acquired and when it is sold (e.g., increased by the cost of improvements made later to the property).
(5) Claimant. "Claimant" means a person claiming the senior citizen, disabled person, and disabled veteran exemption by filing an application with the assessor in the county where the property is located.
(6) Combined disposable income. "Combined disposable income" means the annual disposable income of the claimant, the claimant's spouse or domestic partner, and any cotenant occupying the residence for the assessment year, reduced by amounts paid by the claimant or the claimant's spouse or domestic partner for their:
Disposable income is not reduced by these amounts if payments are reimbursed by insurance or a government program (e.g., medicare or medicaid). When the application is made, the combined disposable income is calculated for the assessment year.
(7) Cotenant. "Cotenant" means a person who resides with the claimant and who has an ownership interest in the residence.
(8) County median household income. "County median household income" means the median household income estimates for the state of Washington by county of the legal address of the principal place of residence, as published by the office of financial management.
(9) Department. "Department" means the state department of revenue.
(10) Depreciation. "Depreciation" means the annual deduction allowed to recover the cost of business or investment property having a useful life of more than one year. In limited circumstances, this cost, or a part of this cost, may be taken as a section 179 expense on the federal income tax return in the year business property is purchased.
(11) Disability. "Disability" means the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve months. RCW 84.36.383; 42 U.S.C. Sec. 423 (d)(1) (A).
(12) Disabled veteran. "Disabled veteran" means a veteran of the armed forces of the United States entitled to and receiving compensation from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at:
(13) Disposable income. "Disposable income" means the adjusted gross income as defined in the Federal Internal Revenue Code of 2001, and as amended after that date, plus all the other items described below to the extent they are not included in or have been deducted from adjusted gross income:
(14) Domestic partner. "Domestic partner" means a person registered under chapter 26.60 RCW or a partner in a legal union of two persons, other than a marriage, that was validly formed in another jurisdiction, and that is substantially equivalent to a domestic partnership under chapter 26.60 RCW.
(15) Domestic partnership. "Domestic partnership" means a partnership registered under chapter 26.60 RCW or a legal union of two persons, other than a marriage, that was validly formed in another jurisdiction, and that is substantially equivalent to a domestic partnership under chapter 26.60 RCW.
(16) Excess levies. "Excess levies" has the same meaning as provided in WAC 458-19-005 for "excess property tax levy."
(17) Excluded military pay or benefits. "Excluded military pay or benefits" means military pay or benefits excluded from a person's federal gross income, other than those amounts excluded from that person's federal gross income for attendant-care and medical-aid payments. Members of the armed forces receive many different types of pay and allowances. Some payments or allowances are included in their gross income for federal income tax purposes while others are excluded. Excluded military pay or benefits include:
(18) Family dwelling unit. "Family dwelling unit" means the dwelling unit occupied by a single person, any number of related persons, or a group not exceeding a total of eight related and unrelated nontransient persons living as a single noncommercial housekeeping unit. The term does not include a boarding or rooming house.
(19) Home health care. "Home health care" means the treatment or care of either the claimant or the claimant's spouse or domestic partner received in the home. It must be similar to the type of care provided in the normal course of treatment or care in a nursing home, although the person providing the home health care services need not be specially licensed. The treatment and care must meet at least one of the following criteria. It must be for:
(20) Income threshold 1. "Income threshold 1" means:
(21) Income threshold 2. "Income threshold 2" means:
(22) Income threshold 3. "Income threshold 3" means:
(23) Lease for life. "Lease for life" means a lease that terminates upon the death of the lessee.
(24) Legally prescribed drugs. "Legally prescribed drugs" means drugs supplied by prescription of a medical practitioner authorized to issue prescriptions by the laws of this state or another jurisdiction.
(25) Life estate. "Life estate" means an estate whose duration is limited to the life of the party holding it or of some other person.
(26) Owned. "Owned" includes "contract purchase" as well as "in fee," a "life estate," and any "lease for life." A residence owned by a marital community or domestic partnership or owned by cotenants is deemed to be owned by each spouse or each domestic partner or each cotenant.
(27) Ownership by a marital community or domestic partnership. "Ownership by a marital community or domestic partnership" means property owned in common by both spouses or domestic partners. Property held in separate ownership by one spouse or domestic partner is not owned by the marital community or domestic partnership. The person claiming the exemption must own the property for which the exemption is claimed. For example, a person qualifying for the exemption by virtue of age, disability, or disabled veteran status may not claim this exemption on a residence owned by the person's spouse or domestic partner as a separate estate outside the marital community or domestic partnership unless the claimant has a life estate in that separate estate.
(28) Pension. "Pension" generally means an arrangement providing for payments, not wages, to a person or to that person's family, who has fulfilled certain conditions of service or reached a certain age. Pension distributions may be triggered by separation from service, attainment of a specific age, disability, death, or other events. A pension may allow payment of all or a part of the entire pension benefit, in lieu of regular periodic payments.
(29) Principal residence. "Principal residence" means the claimant owns and occupies the residence as their principal or main residence. It does not include a residence used merely as a vacation home. For purposes of this exemption:
(30) Regular gainful employment. "Regular gainful employment" means consistent or habitual labor or service which results in an increase in wealth or earnings.
(31) Regular property tax levies. "Regular property tax levies" has the same meaning as provided in WAC 458-19-005 for "regular property tax levy."
(32) Replacement residence. "Replacement residence" means a residence that qualifies for the senior citizen, disabled person, and disabled veteran exemption and replaces the prior residence of the person receiving the exemption.
(33) Residence. "Residence" means a single-family dwelling unit whether the unit is separate or part of a multi-unit dwelling and includes up to one acre of the parcel of land on which the dwelling stands. A residence also includes any additional property up to a total of five acres that comprises the residential parcel if land use regulations require this larger parcel size. The term also includes:
(34) Veteran. "Veteran" means a veteran of the armed forces of the United States.
(35) Veterans benefits. "Veterans benefits" means benefits paid or provided under any law, regulation, or administrative practice administered by the VA. Federal law excludes from gross income any veterans' benefits payments, paid under any law, regulation, or administrative practice administered by the VA.
Amended by WSR 16-11-032, Filed 5/10/2016, effective 6/10/2016
Amended by WSR 18-04-007, Filed 1/25/2018, effective 2/25/2018
Amended by WSR 20-04-017, Filed 1/24/2020, effective 2/24/2020
Amended by WSR 20-24-066, Filed 11/24/2020, effective 12/25/2020
Statutory Authority: RCW 84.36.389 and 84.36.865. 13-08-028, § 458-16A-100, filed 3/27/13, effective 4/27/13. Statutory Authority: RCW 84.36.383, 84.36.389, and 84.36.865. 08-16-075, § 458-16A-100, filed 7/31/08, effective 8/31/08; 03-09-002, § 458-16A-100, filed 4/2/03, effective 5/3/03.