15 Nov Is this estate eligible for the Homestead Rebate?

Q. I am the executor of my mother’s estate. She passed in early December 2020 and had paid property taxes and occupied her home until her death. She was 89, living on Social Security with other significant income. She had a minimum IRA distribution of about $4,000 a year and was receiving the last of her annuity funds. The home was sold upon her passing and transferred to the new owner in February 2021. Is the estate eligible to file for the 2018 Homestead Rebate?
— Executor

A. Perhaps.

Executors can file an application for the Homestead Rebate on behalf of a deceased homeowner.

In order to qualify, your mother must have owned the home as of October 1, 2018, which she did, as well as meet the other requirements of income, said Regina Spielberg, an estate planning attorney with Schenck, Price, Smith & King in Florham Park.

The state will issue the rebate check to the estate, she said.

“Depending on the ownership date required by the Homestead Rebate program, when and if rebates are authorized for 2019 and 2020, you should still be able to apply for those rebates on behalf of your mother’s estate,” she said.

The state reminds executors to make sure the estate’s bank account remains open to make sure future payments can be deposited.

The filing deadline for the 2018 Homestead rebate is November 30, 2021.

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This story was originally published on Nov. 15, 2021.

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