Idaho Homestead Exemption: Amount, 2026 Deadline and How to Apply

Idaho's Homeowner's Exemption, Idaho Code 63-602G, takes the lesser of 50 percent of your home's market value for assessment purposes or $125,000 off the value that is taxed, covering the house and up to one acre of land. Every owner who lives in the home as a primary residence can claim it, but it is not automatic: you apply once with your county assessor. Under House Bill 843 (Laws 2026, ch. 236), retroactive to January 1, 2026, the filing deadline is the end of the county's normal business hours on the last business day of the year, and the exemption is no longer prorated by filing date. For other states, see our guide to homestead exemptions by state.

Information last verified on 2026-10-08. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Idaho's Homeowner's Exemption (Idaho Code 63-602G), the homeowner property tax relief credit (63-724), the Property Tax Reduction (63-701 to 63-710), the disabled veterans benefit (63-705A), the Property Tax Deferral (Idaho Code 63-712 to 63-721), the creditor homestead in Idaho Code 55-1001 to 55-1009, and a short note on the probate homestead allowance (15-2-402). It does not cover county-specific application forms, valuation or levy limits, agricultural, business or rental property, or any other state's law.

How much is the Idaho homestead exemption?

The exemption is the smaller of two numbers: 50 percent of the home's market value for assessment purposes, or $125,000. Idaho Code 63-602G(1) states:

"For each tax year, the first one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars ($125,000) of the market value for assessment purposes of the homestead as that term is defined in section 63-701, Idaho Code, or fifty percent (50%) of the market value for assessment purposes of the homestead as that term is defined in section 63-701, Idaho Code, whichever is the lesser, shall be exempt from property taxation."

So a home and up to one acre assessed at $250,000 or more gets the full $125,000, and a lower-valued home gets half its value. The Idaho State Tax Commission puts it this way: "The homeowner's exemption will exempt 50% of the value of your home and up to one acre of land (maximum: $125,000) from property tax."

The amount for 2026. The $125,000 maximum is in the statute as amended through 2026, and the Tax Commission's April 2026 guidance memo on House Bill 843 describes "the full exemption of 50% of the value up to a maximum exemption of $125,000." The Tax Commission's exemption web page shows a history table whose last row reads "2021-2025 $125,000" and has no 2026 row; the statute, not that table, sets the 2026 figure. In a Tax Commission example, a $175,000 house on a $125,000 half-acre lot receives the full $125,000 reduction.

The exemption comes off the value before any other relief is figured. Section 63-602G says the full exemption "shall be in effect as of January 1 of the tax year in which a complete application is submitted and approved, and shall be taken before the reductions in taxes provided in sections 63-701 through 63-710, Idaho Code, are applied." Because it lowers the taxable value, it reduces the tax from every levy on that value. The statute also conditions the exemption on the Tax Commission having certified the county as uniformly appraised.

Who is eligible for the Homeowner's Exemption?

The statute requires that "The homestead is owner-occupied and used as the primary dwelling place of the owner." Idaho Code 63-701 defines the homestead as the dwelling "owner-occupied by the claimant as described in this chapter and used as the primary dwelling place of the claimant and may be occupied by any members of the household as their home, and so much of the land surrounding it, not exceeding one (1) acre, as is reasonably necessary for the use of the dwelling as a home."

Some ownership arrangements count:

• Manufactured homes can qualify.
• Trusts and entities. A trust beneficiary, or a partner, member or shareholder owning at least 5 percent of a limited partnership, LLC or corporation that holds title, can be treated as the owner by filing the Tax Commission's Trust Affidavit or its "Affidavit Regarding Limited Partnership, Limited Liability Company, or Corporation."
• Life estates and land sale contracts. A life-estate holder counts as an owner, and the definition of owner "includes a vendee in possession under a land sale contract" (63-701).

You may hold the exemption on only one homestead. On the application you certify that the home is your primary dwelling place and that you are not claiming the exemption in any other county or on any other homestead in the same county.

How and when to apply

Where. The Tax Commission explains that you apply with your county assessor's office, which decides the application. There is no single statewide form: under 63-602G, "The county assessor of each county shall prescribe and make available forms to be used by a homeowner to apply for the homestead exemption provided in this section." The assessor asks for your full name, date of birth, current and previous address, and an Idaho driver's license or ID card number. Owners in active military service are excused from the ID number, and an owner domiciled in Idaho fewer than 90 days who has no Idaho license or ID card must supply the number within 90 days of the initial application. The Tax Commission keeps a directory of county assessors. To find your parcel record first, see Idaho property records.

When. House Bill 843 rewrote the deadline. The statute now reads:

"In order to receive the exemption for the current tax year, the homeowner shall make application on or before the end of the county's normal business hours on the last business day of the year. Approved applications received after the second Monday in July will be granted as tax cancellations based on the amount of the exemption for which the property qualified pursuant to subsection (1) of this section."

The Tax Commission's memo adds: "There is to be no proration of the exemption, regardless of when the application is filed during the calendar year." In practice, an application approved after the second Monday in July leaves the value on the assessment roll, and the tax is cancelled in the amount of the full exemption instead.

House Bill 843 was "Signed by Governor on March 31, 2026" as Session Law Chapter 236, "Effective: Retroactive to 01/01/2026." Before 2026 the statute prorated the exemption, so older county pages and guides may describe an earlier cut-off or a partial-year exemption. Those descriptions no longer apply to 2026 and later tax years.

Do you have to reapply every year?

No. Under 63-602G, "An owner need make application for the exemption described in subsection (1) of this section only once, as long as all of the following conditions are met:" the owner received the exemption the previous year, still occupies the same homestead, and it is still owner-occupied. The Tax Commission's memo says there is "no need to reapply annually (provided there is no evidence that the qualifying conditions for eligibility have changed)."

Two situations work differently:

• Military service. A home that qualified the year before does not lose the exemption because the owner is away on active military service, including when the home is leased during that absence, but such an owner must reapply every year by the deadline the county assessor sets; if the owner misses it, the county may discontinue the exemption for that year.
• Death of the owner. The exemption continues for the year of death and the next tax year while the home remains in the estate. "After such time, the new owner shall reapply to receive the exemption pursuant to this section."

The exemption does not move with you. The Tax Commission states: "Once approved, your exemption lasts until the home's ownership changes or you no longer use the home as your primary residence." A new home needs a new application.

The homeowner property tax relief credit (63-724)

Idaho adds a state-funded credit for homes that hold the exemption. Under Idaho Code 63-724, "The moneys shall be designated as a line item credit against the total of all eligible property taxes on the property tax bill for each property receiving the tax relief provided by this section." A property is included if it is receiving the 63-602G exemption "as of the second Monday in July each year." There is no separate application; the county assessor prepares a "homeowner property tax relief roll."

The credit applies to "all property tax levies on homes receiving the homestead property tax exemption pursuant to section 63-602G, Idaho Code, as of the second Monday in July each year, except for bonds, school district levies, plant facility levies, and any voter-approved temporary levy for a specific duration." The dollar amount per home is not fixed: it is a share of the money in the homeowner property tax relief account as of August 1 each year. This page does not state a per-home figure because no official per-home amount was found.

Property Tax Reduction (circuit breaker) for 2027

The Property Tax Reduction is a separate, income-limited program that you apply for every year. According to the Tax Commission, it "could reduce your property taxes by $250 to $1,500 on your home and up to one acre of land." It does not reduce "solid waste, irrigation, or other fees that government entities charge."

For the 2027 program, the Tax Commission's 2027 brochure and income table set these terms:

• Income. "Your total 2026 income, after deducting medical expenses, was $40,030 or less." The maximum $1,500 reduction (or the actual tax, if less) applies at household income of $0 to $16,110, and the smallest reduction, $250, applies at $39,331 to $40,030.
• Status as of January 1, 2027. "You were 65 or older, blind, widowed, disabled, a former POW or hostage, or a motherless or fatherless child under 18 years old." Disability must be recognized by an agency such as the Social Security Administration, and disabled veterans need a service-connected rating of 10 percent or more or a VA pension.
• The home. "The property must have a current homeowner's exemption," and you must own and live in it as your primary residence before April 15. Applicants must be lawfully present in the United States.
• Home value. Under Idaho Code 63-705, an applicant whose home is assessed above "the greater of four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) or two hundred percent (200%) of the median assessed valuation for all homes in the county receiving the homestead exemption" is pointed to the deferral program instead; veterans with a 100 percent service-connected disability are excepted.

"You must apply and qualify for this program every year. You must apply between January 1 and April 15, 2027, for a reduction to 2027 property taxes. If your application's approved, your benefit will appear on your December 2027 property tax bill." Apply through your county assessor; the Tax Commission's Property Tax Reduction page has the application, the medical expense statement and instructions, and its staff answer questions at (208) 334-7736.

Disabled veterans benefit (63-705A)

Veterans with a 100 percent service-connected disability get an extra reduction on top of the Property Tax Reduction. Under Idaho Code 63-705A, "The special tax reduction shall be in the amount of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) or for the amount of the veteran's actual property taxes or occupancy taxes, as applicable, whichever is less." The combined reductions cannot exceed the actual tax, and "The Disabled Veterans benefit doesn't have an income limit."

To be eligible for 2027: "You're recognized as a veteran with a 100% service-connected disability or receive 100% compensation due to individual unemployability by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as of January 1, 2027." You must own and live in the Idaho home as your primary residence before April 15 and hold the homeowner's exemption. Apply January 1 through April 15 with the Disabled Veteran Property Tax Benefit Application and a current VA letter. The Tax Commission's veteran benefit page adds: "If your disability is permanent and total, you don't need to reapply each year. The benefit will renew automatically."

A surviving spouse can continue the benefit: the statute says "the veteran's surviving spouse is entitled to receive the special tax reduction in that year and subsequent years, until such time as the surviving spouse remarries, dies, or no longer has property tax levied on the homestead." A veteran who moves after April 15 and before October 1 can transfer the benefit to the new home by notifying the Tax Commission before October 1 (63-702), but "the benefit isn't transferable to a new property after the death of the veteran."

Property Tax Deferral

The deferral postpones property tax on the home and up to one acre; it does not cancel it. The Tax Commission pays the county directly: "If your application's approved, we pay the county directly. You won't see the deferral on your property tax bill." Under Idaho Code 63-718, the deferral ends when the property is sold or otherwise transferred (except to the surviving spouse of a deceased qualified claimant), when the last surviving qualified claimant dies, or when the home no longer qualifies for the Homeowner's Exemption, and the deferred taxes plus interest are then due to the state within 180 days.

For the 2027 program, the Tax Commission's deferral brochure lists these requirements: "Your total 2026 income was $63,400 or less"; the home "Doesn't have a reverse mortgage or home equity line of credit"; you own and live in it as your primary residence before April 15, 2027; and as of January 1, 2027 you are 65 or older, a former POW or hostage, a motherless or fatherless child under 18, blind, widowed or disabled. "You must apply and qualify for this program every year."

Under Idaho Code 63-713, mortgages and other prior liens plus any taxes already deferred cannot exceed 80 percent of the home's current market value for assessment purposes. The brochure also says "Your fire and casualty insurance policy must show the Tax Commission as a loss payee, and you must provide the Tax Commission with a copy of this policy."

The Tax Commission's own materials give two descriptions of the deadline. Its deferral page says "You must apply between January 1 and September 7, 2027, for a deferral on your 2027 taxes," while its Homeowners Guide says "the first Monday in September." Idaho Code 63-715 sets the deadline as "the first Monday in September," which in 2027 is Labor Day, September 6, a likely reason the agency names September 7. Confirm the date with your county assessor.

Improper claims and penalties

If an exemption should not have been granted, Idaho Code 63-602G says "the county assessor shall decide whether the exemption claimed should have been allowed and, if not, notify the taxpayer in writing, assess a recovery of property tax and notify the county treasurer of this assessment." The recovery reaches back "up to a maximum of seven (7) years," with costs, late charges and interest, and unpaid recovery becomes a lien on the property.

Claiming more than one homestead exemption carries extra consequences. For a first instance, "the taxpayer shall be subject to a penalty, payable to the county treasurer, in an amount equal to the amount of property tax recovered." "Any subsequent violation within seven (7) years of an instance pursuant to subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph shall be a misdemeanor." A homeowner can appeal the assessor's decision to the county board of equalization within 30 days.

2026 bills that did not become law, and the ballot

Three other 2026 bills that would have changed the exemption did not become law, according to the Legislature's bill pages:

• House Bill 610 passed the House but failed in the Senate: "Read third time in full FAILED - 16-17-2" on March 10, 2026.
• House Bill 885: "U.C. to be returned to Revenue & Taxation Committee," with no further action shown.
• House Bill 961, which would have raised the exempt percentage from 50 to 100 percent while keeping the $125,000 cap (so the first $125,000 of a home's value would have been exempt) and raised the sales tax rate from 6 to 8 percent to replace the revenue, was introduced March 27, 2026 and referred to the Ways and Means Committee, with no further action shown.

The Legislature lists two constitutional amendments for the November 2026 ballot, HJR 4 (only the legislature may legalize marijuana, narcotics and other psychoactive substances) and HJR 6 (English as the official state language). "Both will appear on the November 2026 ballot for approval by the citizens of Idaho." Neither concerns property tax or the homestead exemption.

Idaho's creditor homestead exemption (a separate law)

The homestead in Idaho Code title 55 protects home equity from creditors; it has nothing to do with the property tax exemption above. Under 55-1003, "the homestead exemption amount shall not exceed the sum of one hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($175,000)." The protected amount is net value, meaning market value less liens and encumbrances (55-1001). Since a 2025 amendment, "Each spouse may separately claim a homestead exemption in the amount specified in section 55-1003, Idaho Code" (55-1002).

There is no acreage limit: "A homestead may consist of lands, as described in section 55-1001, Idaho Code, regardless of area." Protection is automatic for an occupied home. Under 55-1004, the property "constitutes a homestead and is automatically protected by the exemption described in section 55-1003, Idaho Code, from and after the time the property is occupied as a principal residence by the owner." Only "An owner who selects a homestead from unimproved or improved land that is not yet occupied as a homestead must execute a declaration of homestead and file the same for record."

Two rules can end or limit the protection. "A homestead is presumed abandoned if the owner vacates the property for a continuous period of at least six (6) months" (55-1006), unless the owner records a declaration of nonabandonment. And "A judgment against the owner of a homestead shall become a lien on the value of the homestead property in excess of the homestead exemption" (55-1009) once the judgment is recorded.

Under 55-1005, the homestead is not protected against judgments that were liens or attachments before the homestead took effect; "On debts secured by mechanic's, laborer's or vendor's lien upon the premises"; or "On debts secured by mortgages, deeds of trust or other consensual liens upon the premises, executed and acknowledged by the husband and wife or by an unmarried claimant," along with consensual liens recorded before the homestead took effect. Proceeds of a voluntary sale or of insurance, up to the cap, "shall likewise be exempt for one (1) year from receipt" (55-1008). This page does not cover other liens, such as tax liens or support obligations.

In bankruptcy, Idaho Code 11-609 provides: "In any federal bankruptcy proceeding, an individual debtor may exempt from property of the estate only such property as is specified under the laws of this state." For how the homestead fits into a case, see Idaho bankruptcy.

The probate homestead allowance

When an Idaho resident dies, Idaho Code 15-2-402 gives the surviving spouse a homestead allowance: "The amount of the homestead allowance shall be fifty thousand dollars ($50,000)." If there is no surviving spouse, it is divided among the decedent's minor (under 21) or disabled supported children. It is a right to a sum of money, not a right to the house. See Idaho probate.

Related

• Homestead exemptions by state
• Idaho bankruptcy
• Idaho probate
• Idaho property records

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about Idaho law, including Idaho Code 63-602G, 63-701 to 63-710, 63-705A, 63-724, 55-1001 to 55-1009, 11-609 and 15-2-402, as verified on 2026-10-08. It is not tax or legal advice. For your specific situation, contact your county assessor, the Idaho State Tax Commission, or a lawyer licensed in Idaho.

Last updated: 2026-10-08.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the homestead exemption in Idaho?

The Homeowner's Exemption under Idaho Code 63-602G is the lesser of 50 percent of the market value for assessment purposes of the home and up to one acre, or $125,000, which is the amount in the statute as amended through 2026. A home valued under $250,000 receives half its value.

When is the deadline to apply for the homeowner's exemption in Idaho?

Since House Bill 843 (Laws 2026, ch. 236, retroactive to January 1, 2026), you apply with your county assessor by the end of the county's normal business hours on the last business day of the year. Approved applications received after the second Monday in July are granted as tax cancellations for the full exemption.

Is the Idaho homeowner's exemption prorated if I apply late in the year?

No, not for 2026 and later. The Tax Commission's April 2026 memo on House Bill 843 says there is no proration regardless of when the application is filed during the calendar year.

Do I have to reapply for homestead exemption every year in Idaho?

No. Under Idaho Code 63-602G you apply once, and the exemption continues while you own and occupy the same home as your primary residence. A new owner must apply, and an owner away on active military service must reapply each year by the county's deadline.

Is the Idaho homeowner's exemption automatic?

No. You must apply with your county assessor, who decides the application. The separate 63-724 relief credit, by contrast, needs no application once your home holds the exemption on the second Monday in July.

What property tax relief is there for seniors in Idaho?

For 2027, the Property Tax Reduction can cut taxes by $250 to $1,500 for owners 65 or older (and other listed groups) with 2026 income, after medical expenses, of $40,030 or less; apply January 1 through April 15, 2027. The Property Tax Deferral is available with 2026 income of $63,400 or less.

Do disabled veterans pay property tax in Idaho?

Veterans with a 100 percent service-connected disability, or 100 percent compensation for individual unemployability, can receive a reduction of $1,500 or the actual tax, whichever is less, under Idaho Code 63-705A, with no income limit. They must also hold the homeowner's exemption.

Does the Idaho homestead exemption protect my house from creditors?

The property tax exemption does not. A separate law, Idaho Code 55-1003, protects up to $175,000 of home equity, automatically once you occupy the home as your principal residence, but not against mortgages or deeds of trust you signed or mechanic's, laborer's or vendor's liens (55-1005).