Every locality in the Richmond metro runs a real estate tax relief programme for older and disabled homeowners, and the thresholds are not close to each other. The income limit ranges from $60,000 to $75,000 and the asset limit from $250,000 to $514,000 across six jurisdictions that sit within half an hour of one another.
That matters for two groups. If you already own, you may be leaving money on the table. If you are helping a parent choose where to downsize, the locality line can be worth more than a modest difference in house price.
Where the authority comes from
These are local programmes with a state enabling statute behind them. Virginia Code section 58.1-3210, titled “Exemption or deferral of taxes on property of certain elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities,” provides that the governing body of any locality may by ordinance provide for exemption from, deferral of, or a combination of exemptions and deferrals of real estate taxation, “upon such conditions and in such amount as the ordinance may prescribe.”
The dollar limits come from section 58.1-3212, which lets each locality set its own net financial worth and annual income limitations. That is why the numbers below are all different, and it is why advice from a friend in another county is frequently wrong.
The six localities, as each one publishes it
| Locality | Programme | Income limit | Asset limit (home excluded) | Relief | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Richmond | OAPD, exemption option | $70,000 | $450,000 (+1 acre) | Tiered exemption | Dec 31 |
| City of Richmond | OAPD, freeze option | $125,000 | $750,000 (+1 acre) | Freezes at prior assessment | Dec 31 |
| Chesterfield | Senior Adults or Disabled | Under $65,400 | $514,000 | Relief on real estate and mobile homes | See county |
| Henrico | REAP | $75,000 | $500,000 (+10 acres) | 100% of tax, capped at $3,200 | Apr 1 |
| Henrico | RECAP | $125,000 | $750,000 (+10 acres) | Caps the bill | Apr 1 |
| Hanover | Real Estate Tax Relief | $60,000 | $400,000 (+10 acres) | Sliding scale, max $3,500 | Mar 1 |
| Goochland | Tax Relief for the Elderly/Disabled | [DATA NEEDED: not published] | [DATA NEEDED: not published] | [DATA NEEDED: not published] | Mar 1 |
| Powhatan | Elderly and Handicapped Tax Relief | Under $75,000 | Under $250,000 (+2 acres) | Partial, max $1,600 | Jan 1 to Mar 1 |
Sources, each read from the locality own site: City of Richmond, Chesterfield County, Henrico County, Hanover County, Goochland County, Powhatan County. Two honest caveats. The Henrico page is headed “as of 2025” rather than 2026, so confirm before relying on it. Goochland administers a programme but does not publish its thresholds anywhere on the county site, so we have flagged that rather than guessing.
Tax relief works off your income and assets. An appeal works off your house. If you think your assessment is too high, comparable sales are the evidence, and that is a different exercise from this one. Ask us for a valuation on your home and we will tell you plainly whether the assessment looks defensible.
The three details that decide most applications
Your house does not count against you. Every locality that publishes a figure excludes the dwelling from the asset test, plus surrounding land: one acre in the city, two in Powhatan, ten in Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover. A homeowner with a paid-off $500,000 house and modest savings is often comfortably inside the limit and assumes otherwise.
A relative in the house is not automatically fatal. Both the city and Henrico exclude the first $10,000 of each relative earnings, and both exclude entirely the income of a nurse or family member providing care. That last exclusion is the one families most often do not know about.
The deadlines are not aligned. Powhatan closes on 1 March and requires an in-person visit. Hanover and Goochland are 1 March. Henrico is 1 April. Miss those and you wait a year. The city and Chesterfield run later into the year.
If you are over the limit
Two localities have a second tier for households that earn too much for full relief. The City of Richmond freeze option and Henrico RECAP both run to $125,000 of income and $750,000 of net worth. Neither wipes out the bill: the city freezes the taxable assessment at the prior year figure, and Henrico caps the bill. In a market where assessments have been climbing, freezing an assessment is worth more than it sounds.
Henrico is explicit that REAP and RECAP cannot both be held at once, so the choice is worth modelling rather than guessing.
How this fits the rest of your tax bill
Relief is one of three levers on a Richmond-area tax bill, and they are independent. The rate is set by your locality, and we compare all six in real estate tax rates across the metro. The assessment is the locality valuation of your house, and if it is wrong you can challenge it, which we cover in how to appeal your property assessment. Relief, the subject of this post, reduces what you owe on a correct assessment at a set rate.
The broader picture of how all of it assembles is in our Richmond property tax guide. If you are weighing a move across a locality line, relief thresholds belong in that calculation alongside the rate, particularly for a retired household. Buyers comparing the City of Richmond against the counties, or looking at Goochland acreage, are choosing between genuinely different relief regimes. Everything currently listed across the metro is on our property search.
Questions Richmond-area readers actually ask
At what age can I get a break on my Richmond-area real estate taxes?
Sixty-five in every locality in our market. Each of the six also extends the programme to residents who are permanently and totally disabled, and for that route there is generally no minimum age.
What is the income limit in each locality?
They differ substantially. As published on each locality own site: Hanover $60,000, Chesterfield less than $65,400, City of Richmond $70,000 for the exemption option, Henrico $75,000, and Powhatan less than $75,000. Goochland does not publish a figure.
Does the value of my house count against the asset limit?
No, in every locality that publishes a figure. The dwelling is excluded, along with surrounding land: one acre in the City of Richmond, two acres in Powhatan, and ten acres in Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover.
What actually counts toward the net worth limit?
Broadly, everything else. Vehicles, checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, stocks and bonds, and the cash value of life insurance are the categories the localities list.
Does my adult child living with me ruin my eligibility?
Not automatically. The localities count relatives income but allow exclusions. Henrico and the City of Richmond both exclude the first $10,000 of each relative earnings, and both exclude entirely the income of a nurse or family member providing care.
What are the deadlines?
They vary and some are early in the year. Powhatan runs 1 January to 1 March in person. Hanover is 1 March. Henrico is 1 April, with first-time filers and hardship cases considered through 31 December. Goochland is 1 March. Chesterfield and the City of Richmond run later into the year, though Richmond encourages filing by 30 September.
Is there help for people over the income limit?
In two localities, yes. The City of Richmond offers a Freeze option at up to $125,000 income and $750,000 net worth, which freezes taxes at the prior year assessment rather than exempting them. Henrico offers RECAP on the same $125,000 and $750,000 limits, which caps the bill. You cannot hold REAP and RECAP at once.
Why does Goochland not publish its limits?
We do not know, and we are not going to guess at them. The county states that the Commissioner of the Revenue administers a tax relief programme for the elderly and disabled with a 1 March deadline, but the income and asset thresholds are not on the county site. Call the Commissioner of the Revenue.
Is this the same as appealing my assessment?
No, and they are worth doing separately. Tax relief reduces or freezes what you owe based on your age, income and assets. An appeal argues the assessed value itself is wrong. A homeowner can be eligible for both.
Do I have to reapply every year?
It depends. Several localities use a three-year cycle with a full application in year one and shorter certifications in the intervening years. Hanover and Powhatan both describe annual filing. Check the locality own instructions, because a missed certification can end the relief.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Eligibility, contracts and disclosure duties turn on the specific facts in front of you. For advice you can rely on, speak with a Virginia real estate attorney.
If you are helping a parent decide whether to stay or downsize, the tax relief position is part of the arithmetic and most people leave it out. Tell us the situation and we will work it through with you, or start with a valuation so you know what the house is actually worth first.
