Now is the time for those who own a home in Warren County and haven’t filed for homestead exemption to begin compiling necessary documents.

According to state law, residents can file for homestead exemption between January 1 and April 1, Warren County Tax Assessor Angela Brown said.

“Homestead exemption was designed by state legislature to encourage homeowners to receive an annual tax deduction at their primary residence,” she said. “Homestead is defined as the one primary residence of a person or family occupying that home.”

Brown said a recently passed law exempts all disabled veterans and unremarried surviving spouses from all ad valorem taxes on the assessed value of their residence.

Individuals over 65 are also exempt for $75,000 of the total assessed value, but disabled veterans over the age of 65 are only eligible for one of the two tax breaks.

“If a spouse passed last year, they would need to come in and refile their homestead,” she said. “We send out a friendly letter. My staff and I actually go through the newspapers to go through all the obituaries in The Vicksburg Post every day, and if they have a survivor we send a condolence letter. Then we send another reminder for them to come in and re-sign their homestead.”

For unmarried individuals who die, Brown said they send a letter to the heirs.

Anyone with aforementioned changes to their homestead exemption are required by law to refile for exemption. These changes also include selling part of the homestead track or purchasing additional property attached to their homestead track or any changes to a deed.

“It’s very important because a regular homeowner without homestead exemption, they’ll cut your taxes in half,” she said. “If you don’t file, your taxes will double. We have no way of knowing, so you have to physically come in and fill out an application.”

To file homestead, several documents are required: deeds to the property; car tag numbers for all vehicles in your possession; social security numbers for all owners; purchase price of the home; purchase price of the land if purchased separately from the home; a mobile home certificate if applicable; if over the age of 65, proof of age; and if 100 percent disabled, an award letter from the Social Security Administration.

“Homestead exemption is a great thing to have,” she said. “What I like about it is even if the person who owns land the passes, one of the children can still save it.”