You may be eligible for a property tax refund, and it could be bigger than you think!

When Integrity performs a review of your current property tax assessment, we don't stop there. In fact, we routinely look at assessments for the previous three years.

Indiana law allows refunds for "black and white" errors, including improper measurements and incorrect mathematical calculations. Not everyone qualifies for a refund, but since we have been in business, we've found that as many as 10 to 15 percent of our clients have paid too much -- sometimes WAY too much! -- in previous years.

Some examples:

One client paid taxes on a multimillion dollar mall with an out-of-town owner (our client owned the field on which the mall was located). As it turns out, the mall had never been built ... the field sat entirely empty!

Another client paid taxes on a property, and we later discovered that the assessment indicated the presence of a 10-story building. As it turns out, the building he owned had only eight floors!

We never get tired of delivering a refund. Many times, our clients are quite surprised to discover they overpaid in the first place. "This is a fun part of our job -- we feel like Santa Claus," Integrity president Christine Barnes says.

Do you think you may have overpaid in the past? Let us know. We'd be glad to look into the matter. If we discover an error, we will file Form 133 (commonly called a Pink Form). We can file this form for each year in contention, and we will include case-specific information. From there, the form goes to government officials (assessor, auditor, etc.) for review and approval.

Naturally, this is one of the most exciting parts of our business, and we'd love to see if we can help you claim overpaid funds.

LinkedIn Pages, Groups make doing your job easier

As social media continues to evolve, many business professionals are finding that it's a great tool for building relationships and interacting with other like-minded people in their industry or field. The commercial property tax industry is no exception. Spend a few minutes on LinkedIn, for example, and you'll find these handy business pages and groups:

Integrity Tax Consulting. We use our LinkedIn page to interact with clients and other professionals in the field. We post updates about upcoming tax deadlines, links to tax forms and other helpful info. We invite you to visit our Products and Services pages on LinkedIn as well. See www.linkedin.com/company/integrity-tax-consulting.

Property Tax Service. This group promotes discussions regarding commercial property appraisal, property tax policies, and the ever-changing world of property tax. Property tax professionals, property owners and anyone interested in property tax are encouraged to join and share their ideas.

Property Tax Professionals -- Best Practices Forum. Here, property tax professionals have an opportunity to discuss current property tax issues and compare best practices.

Naturally, if you spend some time looking around, you're sure to find plenty of other great business pages and groups. Take a few minutes and see what information you can glean from LinkedIn ... you may be surprise at the usefulness of these tools!

Meet Integrity