(1)Introduction. This section
explains the initial application process that must be followed when a home for
the aging wishes to obtain a property tax exemption under
RCW
84.36.041. This section also describes the
annual renewal requirements that a home must follow to retain its tax exempt
status, as well as the role of the assessor's office and the department of
revenue in administering this exemption. Throughout this section, all
requirements will pertain to all types of homes for the aging including, but
not limited to, adult care homes, assisted living facilities, continuing care
retirement communities (CCRC), and independent housing.
(2)
Definitions. For purposes of
this section, the following definitions apply:
(a)"Assessor" means the county assessor or
any agency or person who is duly authorized to act on behalf of the
assessor.
(b)"Combined disposable
income" means the disposable income of the person submitting the income
verification form, plus the disposable income of the person's spouse or
domestic partner, and the disposable income of each cotenant occupying the
dwelling unit for the preceding calendar year, less amounts paid by the person
submitting the income verification form, the person's spouse or domestic
partner, or any cotenant during the previous year for the treatment or care of
any of them received in the dwelling unit or in a nursing home.
(i) If the person submitting the income
verification form was retired for two months or more of the preceding calendar
year, the combined disposable income of the person will be calculated by
multiplying the average monthly combined disposable income of the person during
the months the person was retired by twelve.
(ii) If the income of the person submitting
the income verification form is reduced for two or more months of the preceding
calendar year by reason of the death of the person's spouse or domestic
partner, the combined disposable income of the person will be calculated by
multiplying the average monthly combined disposable income of the person after
the death of the spouse or domestic partner by twelve.
(c)"Continuing care retirement community" or
"CCRC" means an entity that provides shelter and services under continuing care
contracts with its residents or includes a health care facility or health
service.
(d)"Continuing care
contract" means a contract to provide a person, for the duration of that
person's life or for a term in excess of one year, shelter along with nursing,
medical, health-related or personal care services, that is conditioned upon the
transfer of property, the payment of an entrance fee to the provider of the
services, and/or the payment of periodic charges in consideration for the care
and services provided. A continuing care contract is not excluded from this
definition because the contract is mutually terminable or because shelter and
services are not provided at the same location.
(e)"Cotenant" means a person who resides with
an eligible resident and who shares personal financial resources with the
eligible resident.
(f)"Department"
means the department of revenue.
(g)"Domestic partner" means a partner
registered under
chapter
26.60 RCW or a partner in
a legal union of two persons of the same sex, 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.
(h) "Domestic partnership" means a
partnership registered under
chapter
26.60 RCW or a legal union
of two persons of the same sex, 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.
(i) "Eligible resident" means a person who:
(i) Occupied the dwelling unit as their
principal place of residence as of December 31st of the assessment year the
home first became operational or in each subsequent year, occupied the dwelling
unit as their principal place of residence as of January 1st of the assessment
year. If an eligible resident is confined to a hospital or nursing home and the
dwelling unit is temporarily unoccupied or occupied by a spouse or domestic
partner, a person financially dependent on the claimant for support, or both,
the dwelling will still be considered occupied by the eligible
resident;
(ii) Is sixty-one years
of age or older on December 31st of the year in which the claim for exemption
is filed, or is, at the time of filing, retired from regular gainful employment
by reason of disability. A surviving spouse or domestic partner of a person who
was receiving an exemption at the time of the person's death will qualify for
this exemption if the surviving spouse or domestic partner is fifty-seven years
of age or older and otherwise meets the requirements of this subsection;
and
(iii) Has a combined disposable
income that is no more than the greater of twenty-two thousand dollars or
eighty percent of the median income adjusted for family size as determined by
federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the county in
which the person resides.
(j) "First assessment year the home becomes
operational" or "the assessment year the home first became operational" means
the first year the home becomes occupied by and provides services to eligible
residents. Depending upon the facts, this year will be the year during which
construction of the home is completed or the year during which a nonprofit
organization purchases or acquires an existing home and begins to operate it as
a nonprofit home for the aging.
(k)
"Homes for the aging" or "home(s)" means a residential housing facility that:
(i) Provides a housing arrangement chosen
voluntarily by the resident, the resident's guardian or conservator, or another
responsible person;
(ii) Has only
residents who are at least sixty-one years of age or who have needs for care
generally compatible with persons who are at least sixty-one years of age;
and
(iii) Provides varying levels
of care and supervision, as agreed to at the time of admission or as determined
necessary at subsequent times of reappraisal.
(l) "HUD" means the federal Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
(m)
"Occupied dwelling unit" means a living unit that is occupied either on January
1st of the year in which the claim for exemption is filed or on December 31st
of the first assessment year the home becomes operational and in which the
claim for exemption is filed.
(n)
"Property that is reasonably necessary" means all property that is:
(i) Operated and used by a home;
and
(ii) The use of which is
restricted to residents, guests, or employees of a home.
(3)
Application for
exemption. The tax exemption authorized by
RCW
84.36.041 is claimed by and benefits a
nonprofit home for the aging, not the residents of the home. Therefore, the
claim for this exemption is submitted by a home to the department.
(a)If a claim for exemption is filed on
behalf of a home under
RCW
84.36.041 and the exemption is granted, no
resident of that home may receive a personal exemption under
RCW
84.36.381.
(b)A listing of the varying levels of care
and supervision provided or coordinated by the home must accompany all initial
applications submitted for exemption. Examples of the varying levels of care
and supervision include, but are not limited to, the following:
(i) Conducting routine room checks;
(ii) Arranging for or providing
transportation;
(iii) Arranging for
or providing meals;
(iv) On-site
medical personnel;
(v) Monitoring
of medication; or
(vi) Housekeeping
services.
(c)Homes
having real property that is used for purposes other than as a home (for
example, property used for a barber shop) must provide the department with a
floor plan identifying the square footage devoted to each exempt and nonexempt
use.
(d)At the time an application
for exemption is submitted, the home must submit proof that it is recognized by
the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c) organization.
(e)Homes that apply for a total exemption
because of tax exempt bond financing must submit a copy of the regulatory
agreement between the home and the entity that issues the bonds. When only a
portion of the home is financed by a program using tax exempt bonds, the home
must submit a site plan of the home indicating the areas so financed.
(4)Segregation. A
nonprofit organization that provides shelter and services to elderly and
disabled individuals may use the facility for more than one purpose that is
exempt from property tax under
chapter
84.36 RCW. Property that
is used for more than one exempt purpose and that qualifies for exemption under
a statute other than
RCW
84.36.041 will be segregated and exempted
pursuant to the applicable statute.
(a) If a
home includes a nursing home, the department will segregate the home and the
part of the facility that is used as a nursing home. The department will
separately determine the eligibility of the home under
RCW
84.36.041 and the nursing home under
RCW
84.36.040 for the property tax exemption
available under each statute.
Exception: If the home does not receive medicaid funds
(including CCRCs that are permitted to receive medicaid funds during an initial
transition period only) and is seeking a total exemption because of tax exempt
bond financing, the home and nursing home will be considered as a whole when
the set-aside requirements are applied.
(b)Dwelling units that are occupied by
residents who do not meet the age or disability requirements of
RCW
84.36.041 will be segregated and
taxed.
(c) Common or shared areas.
Areas of a home that are jointly used for two or more purposes exempt from
property tax under
chapter
84.36 RCW will be exempted
under
RCW
84.36.041.
(i) The joint use of the common or shared
areas must be reasonably necessary for the purposes of the nonprofit
organization, association, or corporation exempt from property tax under
chapter
84.36 RCW. A kitchen,
dining room, and laundry room are examples of the types of common or shared
areas for which a property tax exemption may be granted.
(ii) Example. A nonprofit organization uses
its facility as a home for the aging and a nursing home. The home and nursing
home jointly use the kitchen and dining room. The home may receive a property
tax exemption for the common or shared areas under
RCW
84.36.041. The eligibility of the other areas
of the facility will be determined by the appropriate statute. The home's
eligibility will be determined by
RCW
84.36.041 and the nursing home's eligibility
will be determined by
RCW
84.36.040.
(5)Homes subsidized by HUD.
Homes subsidized by a HUD program must initially and each March 31st thereafter
provide the department with a letter of certification from HUD of continued HUD
subsidy and a list of the name, age, and/or disability of all residents. If the
property is subsidized by more than one HUD contract and one of the contracts
expires or is otherwise no longer in effect, the eligibility of the portion of
the facility still subsidized by HUD will be conditioned on receipt of a letter
of certification from HUD and a listing of all persons residing on the
property. The eligibility of the remainder of the property will be determined
by the number of dwelling units occupied by eligible residents on January 1st
following the expiration or cancellation of the HUD subsidy.
(6)Homes that are not subsidized by
HUD. If a home is not subsidized by HUD or does not meet the
requirements to receive a total exemption because of tax exempt bond financing,
it may receive a total or partial exemption from property tax. The extent of
the exemption will be determined by the number of dwelling units occupied by
eligible residents. If more than fifty percent of the dwelling units are
occupied by eligible residents, the home may receive a total exemption.
Alternatively, if less than fifty percent of the dwelling units are occupied by
eligible residents, the home may receive partial exemption for its real
property on a unit by unit basis and a total exemption for its personal
property. An income verification form will be used to determine if a resident
of a home meets the criteria of "eligible resident." During the initial
application process, the residents of a home applying for exemption will be
asked to submit an income verification form with the assessor of the county in
which the home is located and the assessor and/or the department may request
any relevant information deemed necessary to make a determination.
(a)The type of income verification form
required and its due date depends upon the date the home first became
operational and began to provide services to eligible residents:
(i) If the home was operating and providing
services to eligible residents on the January 1st assessment date, the
residents are to submit Form REV 64-0043 between January 1st and July 1st of
the year preceding the year in which the tax is due; or
(ii) If the home started operating and
providing services to eligible residents after the January 1st assessment date,
the residents are to submit Form REV 64-0042 on or before December 31st of the
year preceding the year in which the tax is due. In this situation, no income
verification forms will be required during the following year if the same
eligible residents occupy the same dwelling units on December 31st and January
1st of the subsequent year.
(b)If two or more residents occupy one unit,
only one cotenant is required to file verification of combined disposable
income, as defined in subsection (2) of this section, with the
assessor.
(c)Form REV 64-0043 will
not be accepted by the assessor if it is submitted or postmarked after July 1st
unless the assessor and/or the department has agreed to waive this deadline.
Form REV 64-0042 will not be accepted if it is submitted or postmarked after
December 31st unless the assessor and/or department agrees to waive this
deadline.
(d)After the application
for exemption is approved, residents will not be required to file a new income
verification form unless a change in their circumstances occurs or the assessor
requests it. However, at any time after the initial application is approved,
assessors and/or the department may:
(i)
Request residents to complete Form REV 64-0043;
(ii) Conduct audits; and
(iii) Request other relevant information to
ensure continued eligibility.
(e)By March 31st each year, a home not
subsidized by HUD that wishes to retain its exempt property tax status must
file with the department a list of the total number of dwelling units in its
complex, the number of occupied dwelling units in its complex as of January
1st, the number of previously qualified dwelling units in its complex that are
no longer occupied by the same eligible residents, and a list of the name, age,
and/or disability of all residents and the date upon which they moved into or
occupied the home. If a home's eligibility was based upon the number of units
occupied on December 31st, the home must only provide the department with an
amended list of additions or deletions as of the subsequent January 1st
assessment date.
(7)Homes financed by tax exempt
bonds. Homes that receive a total property tax exemption because of tax
exempt bond financing must initially and each March 31st thereafter provide the
department with a letter of certification from the agency or organization
monitoring compliance with the bond requirements. The letter of certification
must verify that the home is in full compliance with all requirements and
set-asides of the underlying regulatory agreement.
(a)If the set-aside requirements contained in
the regulatory agreement differ from the set-aside requirements established by
the department and set forth in WAC
458-16A-010, the department may
require the residents of the home to submit income verification forms (Form REV
64-0042 or 64-0043) to the assessor of the county in which the home is
located.
(b)A home for the aging
that is receiving a property tax exemption must annually submit a list of the
name, age, and/ or disability of all residents in the home to the
department.
(8)
Assessor's responsibilities. Assessors will determine the age or
disability and income eligibility of all residents who file Form REV 64-0042 or
64-0043, the income verification forms. By July 15th each year or by January
15th of the assessment year following the first assessment year a home becomes
operational, the assessor will forward a copy of Form REV 64-0042 or 64-0043 to
the department for each resident who meets the eligibility
requirements.
(9)Appeals. An applicant who is
determined not to be an "eligible resident" by the assessor and a home that is
denied a property tax exemption by the department each have the right to
appeal. Appeals must be filed within thirty days of the date the notice of
ineligibility or denial was mailed by the assessor or the department.
(a)If the assessor determines that an
applicant does not meet the definition of an "eligible resident," the resident
may appeal this decision to the board of equalization of the county in which
the home is located.
(b)If the
department denies, in whole or in part, an application for exemption, the home
may appeal this denial to the state board of tax appeals.
(10)Additional requirements. Any
nonprofit home for the aging that applies for a property tax exemption under
this section must also comply with the provisions of WAC
458-16A-010 and
458-16-165. WAC
458-16A-010 contains information
regarding the basic eligibility requirements to receive a total or partial
exemption under
RCW
84.36.041. WAC
458-16-165 sets forth additional
requirements that must be complied with to obtain a property tax exemption
pursuant to
RCW
84.36.041.