Arlington Council on Aging Forum Lays Out Full Menu of Senior Tax Relief Options

ARLINGTON — February 18, 2026 — Arlington Council on Aging outlines property tax relief, reverse mortgage options for older homeowners. Executive Director Christine Shaw, Director of Assessors Dana Mann, and volunteer elder-law attorney Alex Michelle presented five distinct programs at a February 18 forum, ranging from the state's Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit — now worth up to $2,800 — to the town's senior tax deferral program, currently carrying a 5.5 percent interest rate, down from 6.5 percent last year. The town's means-tested senior exemption, approved in 2023 and triggered when property taxes and half of water-sewer costs exceed 10 percent of income, has averaged more than $1,000 in annual relief per recipient across its first two cycles. Michelle warned that compounding interest on reverse mortgages can add $111,000 or more to a balance over 15 years, illustrating the cost with a sample couple who borrowed $283,000 against a $500,000 home at closing costs of nearly $19,543. All April 1 exemption deadlines, Mann stressed, are absolute.