Homeowners 65 and older in DeSoto County, Mississippi, can file for the senior homestead exemption from Jan. 4 to April 1, 2027. The exemption removes the first $75,000 of a home’s “true value” from property tax. True value is the figure Mississippi counties start from when they work out a tax bill.
It is a term of art, and it is not the number on a real estate listing. Mississippi law defines true value to include market value and cash value, but the state’s extension service says the two are not the same thing.
For a DeSoto County owner, the practical question is whether the home is already covered and, if not, whether the filing window will fit. The window opens in the first week of January and shuts on April 1. Owners who turn 65 close to the start of the year should check the age cutoff before they stand in line.
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What “true value” means on a Mississippi tax bill
The Mississippi State University Extension Service’s guide to Mississippi property taxes says true value includes, but is not limited to, market value and cash value. The county works from that figure, then applies a ratio to get the assessed value. The publication gives the formula as true value times the ratio equals assessed value.
For single-family, owner-occupied homes, the ratio is 10 percent. A home with a true value of $200,000 would carry an assessed value of $20,000. Assessed value times the millage rate gives the tax. A mill is one-thousandth of a dollar.
How far $75,000 of true value goes
The DeSoto County page says homeowners 65 or older, or totally disabled, “are exempt from taxes on their first $75,000 of true value on their home.” Applicants must otherwise be eligible for the homestead exemption.
The extension service’s publication explains the arithmetic. At the 10 percent ratio, a home with a true value of $75,000 has an assessed value of $7,500. State law exempts the owner from ad valorem taxes, meaning taxes based on value, on up to $7,500 of assessed value. A home worth less than that is fully exempt, and a more valuable home has the first $75,000 of its true value taken off the taxable amount.
Who clears the age line, and how often to file
The DeSoto County Tax Assessor’s page sets the age test at 65 or older on or before Jan. 4 of the tax year. An owner who turns 65 on Jan. 5 or later falls into the next year’s window. The filing period in 2027 runs from Jan. 4 through April 1.
The county says an owner applies only once, unless circumstances change. That answers the question many retirees ask about a yearly renewal.
Veterans have their own, larger exemptions
The same page lists two veterans’ exemptions under the state code. Honorably discharged veterans who reach age 85 on or before Jan. 4 are exempt from all ad valorem taxes on the assessed value of the homestead. So are honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected total disability, and the exemption extends to an un-remarried surviving spouse.
Veterans must present a DD-214, the discharge paper, and sign a new application. The county page cites Mississippi Code sections 27-33-75 and 27-33-67 for these exemptions.
Where DeSoto County takes the filing
Documents are presented at the tax assessor’s office. The Tax Assessor’s office can be reached at 662-469-8029, and the DeSoto County main line is 662-469-8000. The county’s main address is 365 Losher Street in Hernando, and the DeSoto County website is the starting point for department contacts.
The county’s page does not list the documents required of non-veteran applicants. A call to the assessor’s office before January is the safest way to find out what to bring.
Is the DeSoto County window open when the birthday falls?
The 2027 filing period starts Jan. 4. A 65th birthday on or before that date puts the owner in it.
A DeSoto County owner who files after April 1, or who assumes true value means the listing price, can end up with a tax bill that looks wrong and no clear way to read it. The exemption only works if it lands on the right line.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit has a Part 2 that reads a tax bill line by line, and it includes an application log and renewal calendar for tracking the Jan. 4 to April 1 window. It also lays out the 5 kinds of property-tax relief.
Get the tax-bill reading kit for a DeSoto County true-value exemption, Jan. 4 to April 1 →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
