In simplified terms, a "surviving spouse" is someone who would not meet the conditions to qualify for the Homestead Exemption on their own, but their recently deceased spouse would have. The surviving spouse of a qualified or potentially qualified Homestead recipient may receive the benefit as a surviving spouse as long as the decedent was eligible for the Homestead Exemption at the time of death and the surviving spouse meets all of the following conditions:
- The surviving spouse obtains complete fee simple title OR life estate OR is the beneficiary of a trust that holds title to their legal residence, within nine months after the death of the qualifying spouse
- The surviving spouse lives in the home as their primary legal residence
- The surviving spouse remains unmarried
The decedent must also qualify based on one of the following:
- Age: The decedent was on their 66th birth year or older.
- Disability: The decedent was 100% totally and permanently disabled and was receiving benefits from Social Security.
- Blindness: The decedent was legally blind per a form signed by a licensed ophthalmologist.
Our office will require driver’s licenses or South Carolina IDs of the listed property owners, the last 4 digits of their Social Security Numbers, and good contact phone numbers for each listed property owner. We will also need a copy of the death certificate. Please be aware that expired IDs are not accepted.
Depending on if the decedent would have qualified based on age, disability or blindness, additional documents will be needed. Please refer to one of the articles below for the list of additional items needed that are not already mentioned in this article:
Qualifying for the Homestead based on age
Qualifying for the Homestead based on disability
Qualifying for the Homestead due to blindness