Reporting Residential Exemption Fraud

Resident based property tax exemption (4%) fraud is a serious issue that affects every property owner in Jasper County. The Legal resident based exemption was created as a benefit for homeowners who live in Jasper County South Carolina and make it their permanent and legal residence. When someone is receiving an exemption to which he or she is not entitled, law-abiding property owners must make up the difference in lost tax revenue by paying higher taxes.

If you know of anyone who is claiming the legal resident (4%) exemption on a property that he or she is not primarily residing in, and the property is rented, vacant or used for commercial purposes or a vacation home, we urge you to make a report to our office by calling the Assessor’s Office at 843-717-3620,or mailing or faxing this information into our office.

Please remember that the status of a property on December 31st each year is used to determine the property’s value and exemption status for the following tax year. That means if a property owner has a resident exemption and sells the property, the exemption will remain on the property for the entire calendar year, and will be removed the next year. Although there will still be an exemption on the property after the sale, it is NOT the new owner’s exemption.