Bernalillo County Value Freeze: How Albuquerque Seniors Keep Their Home's Value From Rising
New Mexico doesn't have a homestead exemption. In Bernalillo County, the main way lower-income seniors and disabled owners hold down their property taxes is the Value Freeze, which stops the Assessor's value on your home from creeping up each year. It doesn't freeze your tax bill, and the window to apply is short. Here's who qualifies, what to send the Assessor, and the other breaks to stack on top.
AT A GLANCE
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How the freeze works
State law already limits most homes. According to the Assessor's flyer for residential owners, a property's value can't go up more than 3% a year from the prior year's full value. There are exceptions:
Property put on the tax roll for the first time
New improvements made the year before, or improvements missed in an earlier year
A change of ownership
A change in use
The Value Freeze goes a step further. Under state law (7-36-21.3 NMSA), the Assessor's value on a qualifying owner's single-family home is held at the value for the year you first qualify and apply. The Assessor's FAQ explains that it prevents the home's assessment from going up by 3% the next year.
What it doesn't do
The Assessor is direct about this: the freeze is on the property valuation, not on the taxes. Tax bills can still change from year to year because they're based on that year's mill levy. If voters approve a new bond or a district's rate goes up, your bill can rise even with a frozen value.
Two more points from the FAQ:
It only applies to your primary residence. You can't freeze a second home or a rental.
It doesn't limit what you can sell for. The freeze affects the assessed value, not the market value.
A frozen value isn't a frozen bill. It removes the yearly valuation increase, but your tax rate can still change.
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Who qualifies
The 2026 application lists these requirements:
Requirement | What the Assessor needs to see |
|---|---|
Age or disability | 65 or older during the year you apply, or disabled during that year |
Ownership and occupancy | You own the home and live in it as your primary residence |
Income | Prior-year modified gross income within the limit for the whole household |
Property type | A single-family dwelling |
Disabled here means blind or permanently disabled under the federal Social Security Act, with no medical improvement expected, or permanently and totally disabled under New Mexico's Workers' Compensation Act.
Manufactured homes
The application says manufactured homes aren't eligible unless they sit on a permanent foundation and are valued as a single-family dwelling on the tax roll. The FAQ says that starting in 2025, manufactured home owners may apply. If you own a manufactured home, call the Value Freeze Department to confirm how your home is classified before you count on the freeze.
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The income test
What counts as income
New Mexico uses modified gross income. That means "all income, undiminished by losses from whatever source derived." It's counted for you, your spouse and your dependents together. The FAQ adds that it counts income whether or not it's taxable.
Part II of the application lists 21 types of income to report. They include:
Wages and other compensation, business profit, and gains from selling property
Interest, dividends, rents, royalties, annuities and pensions
Social Security benefits, unemployment and workers' compensation
Public assistance and welfare benefits
Cost-of-living allowances, gifts, and income from estates or trusts
That's broader than most programs. Social Security and gifts count here, even though they're left out of federal adjusted gross income.
The limit
State law sets the floor at $35,000 and adjusts it upward. For the 2026 tax year, the Assessor's Tax Savings Programs page, its new-homeowner page, its spring flyer and the application form itself all give the limit as $44,200 in 2025 income.
Not every page agrees. The first line of the application's instructions says $42,900. The Assessor's FAQ still lists $42,900 for seniors and $41,900 for disabled owners. Those look like older figures. If your income falls between them, ask the Value Freeze Department before you apply.
Amended returns
The application says you must report an amended tax return to the Assessor within 30 days of filing it with the IRS or the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department. An amended return can change whether you qualify.
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What to send
Attach copies of these with your application. They're due no later than 30 days after the Notice of Value is mailed.
If you're 65 or older | If you're disabled |
|---|---|
New Mexico ID or driver license showing your date of birth | Social Security letter showing the month and year you were first found disabled (for workers' comp, call the office) |
2025 SSA-1099 | 2025 SSA-1099 |
2025 SSI letter, if any | 2025 SSI letter, if any |
2025 VA benefit letter, if any | 2025 VA benefit letter, if any |
2025 1099s, W-2s and year-end statements showing gross amounts | 2025 1099s, W-2s and year-end statements showing gross amounts |
2025 New Mexico PIT-RC (Rebate and Credit Schedule) | 2025 New Mexico PIT-RC |
2025 federal Form 1040, if you filed | 2025 federal Form 1040, if you filed |
Don't file a tax return? The FAQ says to send all your 1099 forms for the year instead.
You may redact your Social Security number and account numbers. The FAQ says the office does this on each application it processes anyway.
You'll also need to identify the property on Part I: the physical address, legal description or Uniform Property Code (UPC) from your Notice of Value.
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Deadlines and renewal
What | When |
|---|---|
Applications open | January 1 |
Notices of Value mailed | By April 1 under state law. The Assessor's new-homeowner page says around the end of April. |
Value Freeze, Head of Family and veteran claims due | 30 days after the Notice of Value is mailed |
Value protests due | 30 days after the Notice of Value is first mailed |
Tax bills | Mailed by the Treasurer around November 1. The first half is due November 10, the second half May 10. |
The safest plan is to apply between January and March, before the notices go out.
Do you have to reapply?
The application says it covers the current tax year only. But an owner who has been granted the freeze for three consecutive years doesn't need to apply again unless their eligibility changes. The Tax Savings Programs page puts it this way: you must apply for three consecutive years to get the ongoing benefit.
If the Assessor decides you don't qualify, it notifies you in writing.
Just bought the home?
The new-homeowner page warns that if you buy in January or February, your first year's value may be the previous owner's, which is often below market because of the 3% cap. The next year it's reset to current market value, likely close to what you paid. To qualify for the freeze, you must own and live in the home in the year you apply. Plan to apply as early as you can after you buy.
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Other breaks to stack on top
Program | What it does | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
Head of Family | Cuts taxable value by $2,000 | Apply once. It applies to one property per household in New Mexico. Married people, widows and widowers, single people and heads of household supporting a relative all qualify. |
Veteran exemption | Cuts taxable value by $10,000 | Bring the original green Certificate of Eligibility from New Mexico Veterans' Services. Unremarried surviving spouses qualify too. |
Disabled veteran exemption | Exempts a share of your primary residence equal to your VA disability percentage | Submit proof of your rating and a Veterans' Services certificate |
Once claimed, the veteran exemptions carry forward until ownership changes.
What these are worth
The Assessor's flyer walks through an example using 2025 data. Taxable value in New Mexico is one-third of full value, and exemptions come off that:
Step | Amount |
|---|---|
Full value | $170,000 |
Taxable value (one-third) | $56,667 |
Minus veteran exemption | $10,000 |
Minus Head of Family | $2,000 |
Net taxable value | $44,667 |
Taxes at 42.254 per $1,000 | $1,887.36 |
Your rate depends on where in the county you live.
The state rebate is separate
The Assessor's FAQ notes that the Low Income Property Tax Rebate approved by the County Commission is claimed on your New Mexico income tax return, not through the Assessor. Our guide to New Mexico's Low Income Rebate covers the state's separate income-based rebate.
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Before you apply
☐ Your UPC or property address from your Notice of Value
☐ Photo ID showing your date of birth
☐ SSA-1099, SSI and VA benefit letters for 2025
☐ Every 2025 1099 and W-2 for you, your spouse and dependents
☐ Your 2025 Form 1040 and New Mexico PIT-RC, if you filed
☐ A Social Security disability award letter, if you're under 65
☐ The veteran certificate, if you haven't claimed that exemption yet
YOUR NEXT STEPS
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More help in Albuquerque
Official sources
Last checked: October 30, 2026. Eligibility, the income limit, required documents, deadlines and the other exemptions come from the Bernalillo County Assessor's application, FAQ, web pages and flyer. Where those disagree, we've said so above.
This is general information, not tax or legal advice. The Assessor decides who qualifies, and its pages list more than one income limit. Confirm the current figure with the Value Freeze Department at (505) 222-3700 before you apply.
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