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Honolulu Real Property Tax Credit

City and County of Honolulu credit that limits eligible homeowners’ property tax burden to 3% of combined gross income.

JJ Ben-Joseph
JJ Ben-Joseph
💰 Funding Credit equals real property tax amount above 3% of combined gross income when eligibility criteria are met
📅 Deadline Annual September 30 (received or timely postmarked per city rules)
📍 Location Hawaii, Honolulu County
🏛️ Source City and County of Honolulu
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Status Update (February 2026)

Honolulu’s Treasury brochure for the current cycle states applications are due by September 30 each year (received by close of business or postmarked by deadline per program instructions).

Current public materials also describe:

  • tax credit formula based on amount above 3% of combined gross income,
  • gross-income cap currently listed at $80,000 in the active brochure,
  • annual reapplication requirement.

How the Credit Works

If approved, the credit reduces a future tax-year bill by the amount that exceeds 3% of combined titleholder gross income, subject to program limits and minimum-tax rules.

This is not automatic. You must apply each year.

City materials structure this as a forward-year credit: application-year records are used to determine credit treatment for a later real-property tax year cycle. Keep your filing-year and benefit-year records linked so you can reconcile notices accurately.

Core Eligibility Checks

  1. Home exemption already in effect.
  2. No titleholder owns any other property.
  3. Combined gross income of all titleholders within current cap.
  4. Property/taxpayer status meets city program terms.

Income includes taxable and non-taxable sources as specified in city materials.

How to Apply

  1. Download or request the current-year tax credit application.
  2. Collect required tax-year income records for all titleholders.
  3. Complete and submit by September 30 deadline.
  4. Keep submission proof (timestamp or postmark evidence).
  5. Monitor for approval/clarification notices.

Common Mistakes

  • Treating the benefit as automatic renewal.
  • Forgetting all titleholder income must be included.
  • Missing September 30 filing deadline.
  • Assuming eligibility means automatic monetary benefit (formula can yield zero if tax is already below 3% threshold).
  • Not checking home-exemption status first.

Practical Planning Tip

Because this credit is tied to titleholder income and ownership status, review deed/title and household-income records in summer, not late September. Early review gives time to resolve discrepancies before deadline.

Documentation Checklist

  • current-year application form,
  • federal/state tax records for all titleholders,
  • income statements for non-taxable sources where required,
  • proof of home-exemption status,
  • submission proof (receipt or timely postmark evidence).

Missing income records for any titleholder is a leading cause of denial or delay.

Application Window Strategy

Honolulu’s real property materials are published on a tax-year cycle, and deadlines remain tied to the September 30 filing cutoff. The safest approach is to prepare in summer, verify you are using the current brochure, and submit early enough to correct any missing documents before deadline.

If ownership or occupancy changed recently, confirm how the city will evaluate your filing before submission. Early confirmation reduces the risk of technical denials tied to title or exemption-status mismatches.

Annual Reapplication Discipline

This credit is not permanent once approved. Set a yearly summer reminder to verify current brochure limits, pull titleholder income records, and prepare submission well ahead of September 30.

Benefit-Year Tracking Tip

Create a simple tracker with three fields: application filed date, income year used in the application, and tax year the credit applies to. This prevents one of the most common errors in follow-up calls: mixing up filing-year documents with the wrong benefit-year bill.

Official Sources