Exemption & Credit Programs

To qualify for the regular veteran's exemption, as of the October 1st assessment date, you must:

• Be a Putnam resident.
• Be the owner of record of the property on which the exemption will be applied.
• Have provided the Town Clerk's Office with your full form DD-214 notating an honorable discharge OR a general discharge under honorable conditions OR an other than honorable discharge based on a qualifying condition.
• Have served at least 90 days during a time of war or recognized military conflict in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard OR have a disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs. See the Periods of War for eligibility.

There is no application process for the regular veteran's exemption. Once your DD-214 is filed with the Town Clerk's Office, the Assessor's Office will be notified and apply your exemption automatically. If more information is needed, you will be contacted. You will continue to receive this exemption for as long as you meet the residency and ownership requirements above.

An exemption of $1,500 will be applied to the assessed value of your property.

Disabled Veteran's Exemption (Other Than 100% P&T Rating)

To qualify for an increased exemption based on your service-connected disability, as of the October 1st assessment date, you must:

• Meet the requirements of the regular veteran's exemption above.
• Have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10%.
• Provide a current copy of your Summary of Benefits letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs to the Assessor's Office.

There is no application process for this exemption. You will continue to receive this exemption for as long as you meet the residency and ownership requirements above. However, you must update the Assessor's Office with any change to your disability percentage. This exemption provides a reduction to the assessed value of your property between $3,000 and $5,250 depending on the disability percentage. This exemption amount is in place of the regular veteran's exemption, NOT in addition to the regular veteran's exemption.

Veterans with a 100% Service-Connected Permanent and Total Disability Rating Exemption

*Please note that this exemption has been in existence for less than two years but the legislation has already been amended three times. Information provided here is accurate as of the most recent legislation change in May 2026.

To qualify for an increased exemption based on your 100% permanent and total service-connected disability rating, as of the October 1st assessment date, you must:

• Meet the requirements of the regular veteran's exemption above.
• Have a permanent and total service-connected disability rating of 100%. (A rating less than 100% but paid at 100% based on unemployability would not qualify for this exemption.)
• Submit an application along with a current copy of your Summary of Benefits letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs to the Assessor's Office annually by January 1st.

If you qualify, your exemption will be either 100% of the assessed value of your dwelling OR the median assessed value of residential real estate in the Town of Putnam, whichever is less. The exemption does not apply to the land on which your dwelling sits. This exemption amount is in place of the regular veteran's exemption, NOT in addition to the regular veteran's exemption.

Exceptions:

• The portion of a property used for commercial purposes or rented/leased cannot be included in the exemption calculation.
• If a property is owned by more than one person or entity, only the veterans "fractional share" of the dwelling can be included in the exemption calculation.
• In direct contradiction to the January 1st deadline, a separate statute states that a veteran may prove their right to this exemption at any time "before the expiration of the time limited by law for the board of assessment appeals of the town wherein the exemption is claimed to complete its duties" which is typically March 31st.
• If a veteran is UNABLE to submit documentation of their 100% P&T rating by January 1st or March 31st, they may submit an application to the Assessor not later than one year after the veteran obtains proof of their rating.
  • Documentation must be sufficient to show that the VA approved the rating within the past year and not earlier. If a veteran has documentation of their rating but chooses to not apply, this exception would not apply to them.
  • If this deadline is met, the exemption may be applied to previous years, but no more than a period of three years. 
    • Documentation must be sufficient to show that the VA has backdated the 100% P&T rating to a prior year.
    • The earliest year the exemption can be applied is October 1, 2024 (July 2025 tax bills).

Additional Veteran's Exemption (Low Income Requirement)

To qualify for an increased exemption based on your income level, as of the October 1st assessment date, you must:

• Meet the requirements of the regular veteran's exemption above
• Meet annual income guidelines set by the State of Connecticut. (The 2025 income requirements are $56,500 for a married couple and $46,300 for a single person.)
• Submit an application every two years, along with documentation of all income, to the Assessor's Office by October 1st.
  • You must provide proof of all income from the previous year, including:
    • 1099-SSA (reports how much Social Security was received annually)
    • Tax return if one is filed
    • Documentation of any other income received whether taxable or not.
      • Wages, alimony, interest income, VA pensions, retirement income, lottery winnings, etc.

Income for the purposes of this program includes all income, not Adjusted Gross Income per your tax return, but does NOT include veterans' disability payments. If you are married, you must include your spouse's income as well.

This exemption provides a reduction to the assessed value of your property of $4,000 if you do not have a disability rating, and between $7,000 and $11,500 if you do have a disability rating. This exemption amount is in place of the regular veteran's exemption, NOT in addition to the regular veteran's exemption. (The Town of Putnam adopted a local-option additional veteran's exemption via ordinance following the same income requirements as the state. The exemption amounts above include the $1,000 exemption provided for in the Town of Putnam ordinance for low-income veterans.)

Applicable to all types of veteran's exemptions:

• Exemptions will automatically be applied to your real estate tax bill unless you ask for the exemption to be applied to a motor vehicle tax bill.
• You can be the owner of record of your property, OR it can be held in trust for you so long as you are the grantor and beneficiary of the trust, OR you can retain life use in the property.
• If you do not own property but your spouse does, the exemption can be applied to your spouse's property.
• The surviving spouse of any veteran, who at the time of such veteran's death was entitled to and had an exemption, shall be entitled to the same exemption so long as the surviving spouse continues to be a resident of Putnam, owner of the property, and does not re-marry.
• Exemptions are subtracted from the assessed value of your property, meaning a $1,500 exemption does NOT reduce your tax bill by $1,500. To calculate the savings on your tax bill, multiple the exemption amount by the mill rate. A $1,500 exemption is a tax savings of $38.03 in the Special Services District, $28.95 in East Putnam, and $28.35 in West Putnam on the October 1, 2024 Grand List.

To qualify for the Elderly and/or Totally Disabled Homeowner's Program, you must:

• Be 65 years of age by the end of the calendar year preceding the filing period OR totally disabled.
• Be a resident of Putnam and own the home you reside in.
• Meet annual income guidelines set by the State of Connecticut. (The 2025 income requirements are $56,500 for a married couple and $46,300 for a single person.)
• Submit an application every two years, along with documentation of all income, to the Assessor's Office between February 1st and May 15th.
  • You must provide proof of all income from the previous year, including:
    • 1099-SSA (reports how much Social Security was received annually)
    • Tax return if one is filed
    • Documentation of any other income received whether taxable or not.
      • Wages, alimony, interest income, VA pension and/or disability payments, retirement income, lottery winnings, etc.

Income for the purposes of this program includes all income, not Adjusted Gross Income per your tax returns. If you are married, you must include your spouse's income as well.

If you apply and qualify for this program, your tax bill will be reduced. The amount of reduction is based on your income level.

To qualify for a rebate from the State of Connecticut of rent and/or utility expenses, you must:

• Be a resident of Putnam at the time of application.
• Have paid verifiable rent and/or utility expenses in the prior calendar year.
• Meet annual income guidelines set by the State of Connecticut. (The 2025 income requirements are $56,500 for a married couple and $46,300 for a single person.)
• Apply to the Assessor's Office annually between April 1st and September 30th and submit proof of income and proof of rent and utility expenses.
  • You must provide proof of all income from the previous year, including:
    • 1099-SSA (reports how much Social Security was received annually)
    • Tax return if one is filed
    • Documentation of any other income received whether taxable or not.
      • Wages, alimony, interest income, VA pension and/or disability payments, retirement income, lottery winnings, etc.
  • You must also provide proof of rent and utilities paid in the previous calendar year.
    • Proof of rent can include rent receipts, a letter from the owner of the property, or cancelled checks.
    • Proof of electricity and/or gas should be in the form of an annual statement from Eversource showing amount paid and date.
    • Do not include cable or phone bills.

Income for the purposes of this program includes all income, not Adjusted Gross Income per your tax returns. If you are married, you must include your spouse's income as well.

The amount of the rebate is dependent on the amount of income and amount of rent and/or utility expenses.

Email documentation to assessor@putnamct.us

If you are dropping off documentation in person, please call ahead at 860-963-6800 Ext 171 to verify office hours.

Public Act 490 was implemented to promote agriculture, and to keep Connecticut’s forest lands undeveloped. It allows for a reduced assessment of land values under certain conditions. A typical acre of excess land is currently valued at $4,000 in Putnam. Open space is valued at $1,110 per acre, forest land is valued at $390 per acre, and farm land is valued between $40 and $1,880 per acre with the majority at $1,110 per acre.

Penalty

There is a ten year penalty period after you apply to the PA490 program. A conveyance tax (penalty) will be due if the classified land is sold or the use changes within ten years after application. The conveyance tax is dependent on when the property sells or changes use and how much the property sells for or the market value of the property.

Requirements for Classification

Farm:

• Property must be used for agricultural purposes.
• There is no specific acreage amount required under this classification. The Assessor must consider the actual use, acreage, portions used agriculturally, productivity, income derived from farming, and equipment used when determining if land qualifies as farmland.
• Only the land actually used in the operation of the farm will be classified. If a house is on the property, the acreage allotted to the house cannot be classified.
• Submit an application between September 1st and October 31st.

Forest:

• If classifying one tract, it must be at least 25 acres.
• If classifying two or more tracts, the cumulative acreage of the tracts must be at least 25 acres with no single tract less than ten acres. The tracts do not need to be contiguous (next to each other/abutting).
• A tract of any size can be classified if it is contiguous to another tract under the same ownership that has been classified as forest land.
• Submit an application between September 1st and October 31st.
• In addition to an application, the applicant must hire a State Forester to prepare a Qualified Forester's Report on the land.

Open Space:

• The parcel must be at least 5 acres of vacant land to qualify. (If the property has a dwelling on it, the requirement is 7 acres of land.) 
• The property cannot be in a commercial or industrial zone.
• Submit an application between September 1st and October 31st.

In order to qualify for a tax increase deferral , you must:

• Own property in the Special Services District.
• Plan to make substantial improvements to your property.
• Submit an application to the Building Official at the time a building permit is submitted.
• Have your application approved by a vote of the Board of Selectmen.

Certain properties within the Town of Putnam may qualify for a five year, 80% exemption on new or newly renovated manufacturing buildings and equipment. Businesses must apply to the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. Contact the Putnam Economic Development office for applications and guidance.

In order to qualify for an exemption based on blindness, as of the October 1st assessment date, you must:

• Be a Putnam resident.
• Be the owner of record of the property on which the exemption will be applied.
• Have total and permanent loss of sight in both eyes or reduction of vision to meet statute definition found in §12-92.
• Submit documentation of proof of blindness (i.e. certification by a qualified medical doctor) to the Assessor's Office.

You will continue to receive this exemption for as long as you meet the residency and ownership requirements above.

An exemption of $3,000 will be applied to the assessed value of your property.

In order to qualify for an exemption based on a total disability status, as of the October 1st assessment date, you must:

• Be a Putnam resident.
• Be the owner of record of the property on which the exemption will be applied.
• Be receiving permanent disability benefits from Social Security Administration (or similar government agency if you did not contribute to Social Security because of your employment type).
• Submit an application to the Assessor’s Office along with documentation of proof of disability.

You will continue to receive this exemption for as long as you meet the residency and ownership requirements above.

An exemption of $1,000 will be applied to the assessed value of your property.