56 articles in How-To Guides.
How-To Guides6 min read
How to calculate what an Indiana school referendum will cost you: net assessed value after the $40,000 and 46% homestead deductions, times the rate per $100. Why the caps and the $300 SB 1 credit do not shrink it, with DLGF-certified rates for 10 districts.
How-To Guides5 min read
How Indiana assessors measure and price land: front-foot vs. square-foot vs. acreage methods, influence factors for easements and wetlands, untaxed road right-of-way, and how to fix a wrong acreage on a Form 130.
How-To Guides5 min read
Indiana divorce and property taxes: who keeps the homestead deduction, why legally separated spouses still share one, how the departing spouse claims a new home, quitclaim sales disclosures, who owes the installments, and refunds.
How-To Guides5 min read
Who can claim the Indiana homestead deduction when the house is titled to a living trust, an LLC, a life tenant, a land contract buyer, or unmarried co-owners, what to file on Form HC10, and what losing homestead costs.
How-To Guides6 min read
Indiana property taxes compared with Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky: Tax Foundation effective rates, Census median bills for border counties, and the cap, rollback, and levy-limit rules behind them.
How-To Guides5 min read
Not everything on an Indianapolis property tax bill is property tax. What the stormwater user fee, $32 solid waste fee, and certified weed, sewer, and unsafe-building liens are, why the circuit breaker caps skip them, and where to dispute each one.
How-To Guides8 min read
Indiana property tax terms in plain English: assessed value (gross vs. net), true tax value, levy, certified rate, circuit breaker, homestead deductions, Form 130, PTABOA, IBTR, TIF, and more, each with its Indiana Code citation.
How-To Guides4 min read
Every deduction and credit statement for taxes payable 2027 must be completed, dated, and filed with your county auditor by January 15, 2027 — one unified deadline under current Indiana law. What still requires a filing after SB 1 and HEA 1210, and what applies automatically.
How-To Guides4 min read
Every Indiana taxing unit must post its Notice to Taxpayers (Budget Form 3) for the 2027 budget to Gateway by October 13, 2026. What each field means — proposed levy, current levy, percentage change, hearing details — and why the advertised number is a ceiling, not a forecast.
How-To Guides4 min read
How Indiana accounting firms manage client property tax obligations: PPOP-IN authorized-agent accounts for business personal property filing, the annual deadline calendar worth encoding, where to pull assessment data for client review, and screening a client book for appeal opportunities.
How-To Guides4 min read
MapIndy, Property Report Cards, the Treasurer's payment portal, the Indy Zoning Browser, and the Open Indy Data Portal — what each free official Marion County tool actually shows, and which one answers which property question.
How-To Guides3 min read
Gateway, PPOP-IN, the DLGF transparency portal, county GIS portals, SDF data, township lookup, memo library — the complete map of free government tools for Indiana property taxpayers, and what each one is actually for.
How-To Guides4 min read
Your TS-1 statement is the output of four systems handing off data: county CAMA, the auditor's deduction rolls, DLGF rate certification via Gateway, and the treasurer's billing system. Tracing the pipeline tells you exactly where any error was born.
How-To Guides3 min read
Every Indiana county takes property tax payments online — through its own portal, with its own fees (roughly $1–2 for e-check, ~2.5% for cards). How to find the official payment site, what it costs, and how to spot third-party lookalikes.
How-To Guides4 min read
Every layer of Indiana property tax software, mapped: state systems like Gateway and PPOP-IN, the CAMA platforms counties run, online payment portals, and the lookup, data, and appeal tools taxpayers actually use.
How-To Guides3 min read
Indiana's Personal Property Online Portal (PPOP-IN) handles Forms 102, 103, and 104 electronically — with roll-forward templates, agent access, and built-in assessor messaging. A filing walkthrough, plus how the $2M exemption changes what you file.
How-To Guides4 min read
Finished basements, additions, garages, and in-ground pools add assessed value in Indiana; a new roof or furnace generally doesn't. How assessors find out about your project, and what to check on the record card afterward.
How-To Guides5 min read
Indiana has no inheritance tax, but property taxes don't pause for probate. Here's what happens to the homestead deduction after a death, what surviving spouses and heirs need to file, and the traps that lead inherited homes to tax sale.
How-To Guides4 min read
Indiana lets renters deduct up to $3,000 of rent and homeowners deduct up to $2,500 of property taxes on the state income tax return. Small, simple, and skipped by thousands of filers every year.
How-To Guides4 min read
Drainage assessments appear on Indiana property tax statements but aren't property taxes — they're user charges under IC 36-9-27, set by the county drainage board, uncapped by circuit breakers, and contested through a different process.
How-To Guides4 min read
On an Indiana land contract the buyer typically pays the property taxes — but gets the homestead deduction only if the contract is recorded and meets statutory requirements. Here's how to avoid paying double.
How-To Guides4 min read
Every Indiana property conveyance requires a sales disclosure form (SDF). Here's what it is, the $20 fee, which transfers are exempt, how it doubles as your homestead application, and why its data drives assessments.
How-To Guides6 min read
Every Marion County property tax date from the October 2026 tax sale through the November 2027 installment — due dates, deadlines, and what is fixed vs. expected.
How-To Guides7 min read
Where Indianapolis homeowners can get real help with property taxes: township trustee assistance, the Treasurer's Flex Pay plan, deductions, and tax-sale prevention.
How-To Guides6 min read
Which property tax deductions Indiana veterans can claim in Marion County, the forms and documents the auditor requires, and the 2026 deadlines that shape your 2027 bill.
How-To Guides8 min read
Selling a home with a Form 130 appeal pending: whether the appeal survives closing, who receives the refund, purchase agreement language, and what buyers should verify.
How-To Guides6 min read
How to pull your Marion County property record card, read every field — grade, condition, square footage, effective age — and match each error to the right fix.
How-To Guides6 min read
How Indiana assesses an accessory dwelling unit: the permit-to-assessor pipeline, homestead treatment, and the 1% vs 2% cap split when you rent the ADU out.
How-To Guides7 min read
Indiana taxes mobile homes on two tracks: annually assessed personal property on rented land or real property on owned land. Due dates, moving permits, deductions.
How-To Guides6 min read
How Indiana's correction-of-error appeal works under IC 6-1.1-15-1.1: which errors qualify, the three-year window, the form to file, and what never qualifies.
How-To Guides6 min read
Missed the June 15, 2026 Form 130 deadline in Marion County? What is closed for 2026, what the correction-of-error path can still fix, and how to set up 2027.
How-To Guides6 min read
Moving to Indiana? How the 1%/2%/3% property tax caps compare to Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan, the homestead filing deadline, and the escrow gotcha.
How-To Guides5 min read
A step-by-step walkthrough to estimate your 2026 Indiana property tax bill under SB 1: gross AV, deductions, net AV, district rate, circuit-breaker cap, and the $300 credit.
How-To Guides5 min read
Indiana's fall property tax installment is due November 10, 2026. Here are the penalties, partial-payment options, escrow handling, and what leads to a tax sale.
How-To Guides8 min read
SEA 1 lowered many Indiana homeowners' 2026 tax bills, but escrow accounts adjust on a lag. How escrow analysis works, when the surplus check arrives, and what to verify on your statement.
How-To Guides8 min read
Classification decides whether your post-frame building is capped at 1%, 2%, or 3% — and the cost-schedule math behind the assessed value is full of correctable errors. A property-owner's guide for 2026.
How-To Guides8 min read
A final PTABOA, IBTR, or Tax Court reduction doesn't put money in your pocket by itself. How Indiana counties apply corrections, calculate interest, and issue refunds — plus the separate refund claim route if you never appealed.
How-To Guides7 min read
Indiana law lets owners of property damaged or destroyed by disaster petition for reassessment using Form 137R. How the process works, the deadline that controls it, and the documentation that makes it stick.
How-To Guides9 min read
Marion County added roughly $2B of assessed value to apartment complexes for 2026. Here's how to build an income-approach rebuttal — rent roll, NOI, cap rate selection — and present it on Form 130 and at PTABOA.
How-To Guides7 min read
The informal conference, the Form 134 stipulation, the 180-day PTABOA hearing clock, the written determination, and the 45-day IBTR window — what actually happens after you file a Marion County appeal.
How-To Guides7 min read
Penalties, the 30-day 5% window, payment options through the Marion County Treasurer, and how far you actually are from tax-sale risk. A practical guide for Indianapolis owners who missed the spring installment.
How-To Guides7 min read
The Marion County Treasurer launched paperless property tax billing with the spring 2026 invoice. How to enroll at invoicecloud.com/indy, who qualifies, and the pitfalls that can still cost you penalties.
How-To Guides6 min read
How Indiana prorates property taxes at closing, why arrears billing matters, how the settlement statement credits the buyer, and the homestead refile buyers miss.
How-To Guides6 min read
What Indiana TIF districts do, how base vs incremental assessed value works, what TIF revenue funds, the effect on schools and county budgets, and when districts expire.
How-To Guides9 min read
Marion County Form 130 appeals must be filed by June 15, 2026. A step-by-step checklist for Indianapolis owners — evidence to gather, who to file with, and the mistakes that get appeals tossed.
How-To Guides8 min read
Marion County PTABOA hearings are short — 20 to 45 minutes. The board accepts narrow categories of evidence and rejects the rest. Here's exactly what to bring, in what form, and the most common reasons appeals get dismissed.
How-To Guides8 min read
The Over-65 deduction reduces Marion County property tax bills meaningfully for qualifying seniors. SB 1 expanded the credit alongside the homestead deduction. Here's eligibility, filing, and the math for a typical Indianapolis senior household.
How-To Guides7 min read
Indiana counties go through cyclical reassessment on a rotating 4-year schedule. Roughly 23 counties cycle in 2027. If yours is one, here's what to expect and how to prepare your parcel record now.
How-To Guides8 min read
Comparable sales evidence wins or loses most Indiana property tax appeals. PTABOA hearing officers apply specific rules on recency, comparability, and adjustment methodology. Here's what they accept and what they reject.
How-To Guides5 min read
Your 2026 Indiana property tax bill is due May 10, but the appeal deadline is June 15. File Form 130 on time and Indiana Code 6-1.1-15-10 lets you pay on the prior year's assessment while your appeal is pending. Here's exactly how to trigger the protection.
How-To Guides5 min read
Your county PTABOA denied your property tax appeal, or hasn't ruled after 180 days. The Indiana Board of Tax Review takes the case from here. A guide to IBTR jurisdiction, the POPLAR filing system, hearing formats, and what February 2026 decisions reveal about what's winning this cycle.
How-To Guides8 min read
Indiana's constitutional property tax caps limit your bill to 1%, 2%, or 3% of gross AV depending on property type. Here's how each tier works and when the cap binds.
How-To Guides8 min read
Your Indiana property tax bill contains more than just the amount due. Learn what every line means — gross assessed value, deductions, net assessed value, tax rate, credits, and circuit breaker caps — so you can verify you're paying the right amount.
How-To Guides6 min read
Indiana's new DLGF-run property tax transparency portal, mandated by SB 1 and live since January 1, 2026, lets any homeowner inspect the rate, levy components, and circuit-breaker credits behind their bill. A 4-step audit walkthrough — and what the portal doesn't tell you.
How-To Guides7 min read
Marion County's nine townships — Center, Lawrence, Pike, Wayne and the rest — no longer have their own assessors, but township lines still drive your tax rate, school district, and comparable sales. Here's how township affects your tax bill.
How-To Guides7 min read
Most Indianapolis homestead parcels are bound by the 1% circuit breaker cap rather than their gross tax. Here's the math, why it matters for appeals, and what it means for your bill.