Cook County Commissioner and Cook GOP Chairman, Sean M. Morrison is pleased to announce that the filing period for Senior Citizen property tax exemptions for the 2016 tax year is now open.
The application deadline is Wednesday, February 8th and it is imperative that seniors return their application(s) in order to receive their exemption savings on their tax bills.
The Senior Exemption application is part of a booklet sent to eligible seniors. The booklet also contains the separate, income-based Senior Freeze Exemption application.
Illinois law requires that the Senior Citizen Exemption and the Senior Assessment Freeze must be reapplied annually. To qualify, individuals must meet the following criteria:
To qualify for the Senior Citizen Exemption for Tax Year 2016, the property owner must have:
- been born prior to or in the year 1951
- owned the property during 2016 or have a lease or contract for 2016 which makes them responsible for the real estate taxes
- used the property as a principal place of residence in 2016
To qualify for the Senior Assessment Freeze Exemption for Tax Year 2016, taxpayers must have:
- been born prior to or in the year 1951
- a total household income of $55,000 or less for [income] Tax Year 2015
- owned the property or had a legal, equitable or leasehold interest in the property on January 1, 2015 and January 1, 2016
- used the property as a principal place of residence as of January 1, 2015 and January 1, 2016
- been liable for the payment of 2015 and 2016 property taxes
You may download the applications here:
