Do I need to file the Michigan form again when I refinance?

No — but you do when you move, and you also have to rescind the exemption on the home you left. Leaving a rescission unfiled is the most common way a Michigan homeowner ends up with a bill.

Can I hold the exemption on two Michigan homes?

No. It applies to the one home that is your principal residence, and claiming it in two places is the thing assessors audit for.

What is the Michigan homestead exemption, and when is it due?

Michigan's homestead exemption deadline is June 1 (full-year exemption); late filing through November 1 gets winter-tax-only exemption for that year, according to Michigan Department of Treasury.

Source: Michigan Department of TreasuryVerified 2026-08-04

Filing by June 1 qualifies owners for exemption on current year summer and winter tax levies; filing between June 1 and November 1 allows exemption on current winter tax levy only.
Michigan Department of Treasury — its own words, read 2026-08-04

In Michigan it is called something else

Michigan does not have a "homestead exemption" in the sense the rest of this site uses. The equivalent benefit is the Principal Residence Exemption, which exempts a qualifying home from the local school operating tax. Both phrasings are searched about equally, which is why this page answers to both.

You file with a township or city, not a county

This is the structural difference that shapes everything else. Michigan assessment is done at township and city level, so the office that takes your form is your local assessor. A county-organised page would send you to an office that does not take the application, which is why this site has no Michigan county pages.

There is a second, later date that gets you less

Michigan publishes a full-year date and a later window that produces a partial-year result. They are not interchangeable, and the state page carries both as the state states them.

More about Michigan

Do I need to file the Michigan form again when I refinance?: No — but you do when you move, and you also have to rescind the exemption on the home you left. Leaving a rescission unfiled is the most common way a Michigan homeowner ends up with a bill.
Can I hold the exemption on two Michigan homes?: No. It applies to the one home that is your principal residence, and claiming it in two places is the thing assessors audit for.

Counties this site does cover

We hold no Michigan county pages — the reason is on the Michigan page. These are the largest counties we do cover.

What this site is

HomesteadDeadlines is not a government website and is not affiliated with any appraisal district, assessor’s office or county tax office.

Applying for a homestead exemption with your county is free. We do not file it for you, we do not charge you anything, and we never ask you to pay to apply.

Deadlines and eligibility are set by Michigan Department of Treasury and are governed by its current notices. This page was verified on 2026-08-04.