Exemptions

Check out our exemption checklists on the forms and documents page!

Senior Homestead Exemption

An annual homestead exempton is granted for property that is occupied as a residence by a person 65 years of age or older who is liable for paying real estate taxes on the property and is an owner of record of the property or has a legal or equitable interest. A person who will be 65 years of age during the current assessment year shall be eligible to apply for the homestead exemption during that assessment year. Application shall be made during the application period in effect for the county of his residence.

For taxable years 2013 and thereafter, the maximum reduction is $5,000 in all counties. To file for a Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption you will need:

1. Copy of Birth Certificate, Illinois Driver’s License, or Illinois TH

2. Copy of current Tax Bill or P.I.N. (property index number)

Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Exemption 

This exemption freezes the assessment on your property if your total household income is $65,000 or less for 2022, and you are applying for 2023. The form will be on this website under forms and documents in late spring. We are allowed to go back one year and the 2022 form is on the website now. This exemption may be claimed in addition to those described above. This exemption freezes your assessment but does not freeze your tax rate; you need to understand that the actual taxes which you pay may continue to increase based upon the amounts levied by the taxing bodies where you reside (school, park, village or city, township, etc.). The filing deadlines for this exemption is usually July 1 of each year. To receive this exemption you must:

• Have fulfilled a property residency requirement as explained on the application form.

• Be age 65 or older.

• Have a maximum household income of $65,000. This household income includes that of all persons using the property as their principal dwelling place on January 1 of the tax year.

• Please note that this exemption is income based and therefore, must be renewed annually. The Supervisor of Assessments for the County mails applications to all taxpayers receiving the Senior Freeze Exemption the previous year.

Disabled Persons’ Homestead Exemption

This is an annual $2,000 reduction in the EAV of the property. The property must have been occupied on January 1 of the assessment year by a disabled person who is liable for the payment of property taxes.To qualify one must be disabled or become disabled during the assessment year.The disabled person cannot participate in any “substantial gainful activity by reason of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment” which will result in the person’s death or that will last for at least 12 continuous months. 

Disabled Veterans’ Homestead Exemption 

The SHEVD (35 ILCS 200/15-169) provides an annual reduction in the equalized assessed value (EAV) of a primary residence occupied by a veteran with a disability, or the veteran’s surviving spouse, on January 1 of the assessment year. The SHEVD amount depends on the percentage of the service-connected disability as certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs. If the veteran has a service-connected disability of 30% or more but less than 50%, then the annual exemption is $2,500; if the veteran has a service-connected disability of 50% or more but less than 70%, then the annual exemption is $5,000; and if the veteran has a service-connected disability of 70% or more, then the residential property is exempt from taxation under this Code.

Who is eligible?

To qualify for the SHEVD, the veteran must:

• be an Illinois resident who served as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty or state active duty, Illinois National Guard, or U.S. Reserve  Forces, and who has an honorable discharge;

• have at least a 30 percent service-connected disability certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs; and own and occupy the property as the primary residence on January 1 of the assessment year or lease and occupy a single family residence on January 1 of the assessment year and be liable for the payment of the property taxes to the county.

*Note: The property’s total EAV must be less than $250,000 after subtracting any portion used for commercial purposes. “Commercial purposes” include any portion of the property rented for more than 6 months. If you previously received the SHEVD and now reside in a facility licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act or operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, you are still eligible to receive the SHEVD provided your property is occupied by your spouse; or remains unoccupied during the assessment year.

Returning Veterans’ Homestead Exemption

This is a one-time $5,000 reduction in EAV of the veteran’s principal residence for the taxable year that the veteran returns from active duty in an armed conflict involving the United States. This means the exemption is only for a single year, but the veteran can receive the exemption again if they return from active duty in a subsequent year. The veteran files form PTAX-341 each assessment year when they return home to receive the exemption.