Question: If a property is under one spouse’s name, can a double homeowner’s exemption be taken on that property? I was told that it would not be possible unless my husband and I were both listed as the homeowners. Yet, I see the opposite happening with many properties.

Answer: No, but not for the reason you cite. Only one homeowner’s exemption is granted per owner-­occupied home on Oahu. It is possible to get additional property tax breaks for the same property, but for different reasons, according to the city’s Department of Budget and Fiscal Services’ Real Property Assessment Division.

The homeowner’s exemption goes to a registered owner who lives in the home. The exemption on a jointly owned property should be claimed by the oldest titleholder, because its value rises once the claimant turns 65.

The exemption for an owner-occupant under age 65 is $80,000, which means that $80,000 is deducted from the assessed value of the property and the homeowner is taxed on the balance. The exemption rises to $120,000 for an owner-occupant age 65 and older, regardless of income.

(A more valuable Oahu property tax break for lower-income owner-occupants over age 75, called the “in lieu of home exemption,” was repealed in 2013 and is not available to new claimants; we’ll have more about it in Thursday’s column.)

If a husband and wife own separate homes and live apart, they’d still be entitled to only one homeowner’s exemption and have to share it, according to the division. The exemption’s value would be split in half or in proportion to the assessed values of their respective properties.

It is possible for multiple homes on the same parcel to each have a homeowner’s exemption, as long as each dwelling is owned and occupied by a titleholder. For example, a large ohana lot could have a dwelling owned and occupied by a family matriarch, another owned and occupied by a son and another owned and occupied by a daughter — each with its own homeowner’s exemption.

There are other exemptions that will lower a homeowner’s property tax burden on Oahu, and which are granted per registered owner, not per home — meaning that all eligible titleholders could claim the allowable amount. For example, homeowners who are certified as blind, deaf or totally disabled may file for one $25,000 real property tax exemption in addition to the owner-occupant exemption. So a disabled couple under 65 who jointly own and occupy a home could get $130,000 deducted from the assessed value of the property: $80,000 for the homeowner’s exemption, plus $50,000 ($25,000 each) for the disability exemption.

Moreover, certain Oahu residents are exempt from paying all but the minimum real property tax ($300) on a home they own and occupy. This class includes veterans who are totally disabled due to injuries received while on active duty with the U.S. armed forces and owners of historic homes who meet certain conditions.

Kokua Line has received several questions recently about Oahu property taxes. We’ll have more on the subject in Thursday’s column, including about the existing tax credit for lower-income homeowners (which is different from an exemption).

Mahalo

I would like to shout out a big mahalo to McCully Shopping Center maintenance person Nathaniel and a good young man, Darryl, parked next to me. On April 29, when trying to leave the shopping center, my car would not start. They both were able to get it started and got me home safely. I found out it was the starter. Without their precious time, assistance and patience to help a damsel in distress, I would have been stranded. To my angels: Mahalo plenty! — C.H.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.