Standard Homestead Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities (and Specially-Adapted Housing exemption), Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program
Where to apply in Illinois
The Chief County Assessment Office (supervisor of assessments) in each county grants homestead exemptions; in Cook County it is the Cook County Assessor's Office. The senior tax deferral is handled by the county treasurer (collector) and the Illinois Department of Revenue.
The office that handles property in each Illinois county, with its phone number. In some places another office takes exemption applications; the “Where to apply” box above says which.
County pages
Counties with their own local exemption rules have a page:
Some amounts depend on where you live. In Illinois, some of these breaks or their amounts are set or adjusted by your county, city or town, as each exemption below explains. Ask your local assessor for the figure that applies to your home.
Property tax exemptions in Illinois
Homestead
General Homestead Exemption (Owner-Occupied Residence Exemption)
Reduces your home's equalized assessed value (EAV) by up to $10,000 in Cook County, $8,000 in counties next to Cook (DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will), and $6,000 elsewhere. Cook County says it saves the average homeowner about $950 a year. (EAV is roughly one-third of market value; the dollar saving depends on your tax rate.)
Who qualifies
You own (or have an equitable interest or qualifying lease) and live in the home as your principal residence and are liable for the property taxes.
How to apply
Apply with your Chief County Assessment Office (in Cook, online at cookcountyassessoril.gov). Bring proof of ownership and residence, such as a deed and an ID or utility bill showing the address. Some counties grant it automatically.
Deadline
Set by each county. In Cook County the filing period is in the spring; late or missed exemptions can be recovered for up to five past tax years with a Certificate of Error.
Renewal
Generally automatic once granted (Cook auto-renews); reapply after you move or the ownership changes.
Reduces your EAV by $8,000 in Cook County and counties next to Cook, or $5,000 in all other counties.
Who qualifies
You are 65 or older during the tax year, own (or have an equitable interest in) and live in the home, and are liable for the taxes. No income limit.
How to apply
File with the Chief County Assessment Office. Some counties require Form PTAX-324 the first time and Form PTAX-329 to renew. Bring proof of age (driver's license, state ID or birth certificate).
Freezes the EAV of your home at its base-year level as long as you keep qualifying, so rising market values do not raise your taxable value. Your bill can still rise if tax rates go up or you add improvements.
Who qualifies
You are 65 or older, qualify for the Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption, and your total household income is at or below the limit.
Income limit
$75,000 total household income for tax year 2026 (payable 2027); $77,000 for 2027; $79,000 for 2028 and after. (Cook County lists $65,000 of 2024 income for tax year 2025.)
How to apply
File Form PTAX-340 (Application and Affidavit) with the Chief County Assessment Office each year, with proof of household income (federal and state returns, Social Security SSA-1099, pension 1099-R for everyone in the household).
Standard Homestead Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities (and Specially-Adapted Housing exemption)
Reduces EAV by $2,500 for a 30-49% service-connected disability, $5,000 for 50-69%, and exempts the first $250,000 of EAV (in practice, usually the whole home) for 70% or more. World War II veterans are fully exempt regardless of rating (from tax year 2024). A separate exemption of up to $100,000 of assessed value applies to VA-funded specially-adapted housing.
Who qualifies
Veteran with a VA-certified service-connected disability of at least 30% who owns or leases the single-family home as a primary residence and is liable for the taxes. An unremarried surviving spouse can keep it or move it to a new home; the unremarried spouse of a veteran killed in the line of duty, or of a veteran whose death was service-connected and who receives DIC, can qualify even if the veteran never had it.
How to apply
File Form PTAX-342 with the Chief County Assessment Office and attach the VA disability rating letter (and DD-214). For specially adapted housing, contact the county and your Veteran Service Officer.
Cook County requires annual filing; other counties vary. Cannot be combined in the same year with the disability exemption or specially-adapted housing exemption.
Person with a disability who owns (or has a legal or equitable interest in) and lives in the home and is liable for the taxes. Proof such as a Social Security disability award, a VA disability letter, or a physician's statement on Form PTAX-343-A is required.
How to apply
File Form PTAX-343 with proof of disability at the Chief County Assessment Office.
Depends on the county. IDOR's guide still says you must renew every year on Form PTAX-343-R; Cook County says that, under new state legislation, people who got it last year are renewed automatically (new applicants must apply). Ask your Chief County Assessment Office.
The state pays your property tax (up to $7,500 a year) as a loan at 3% simple interest (6% still applies to taxes deferred for tax years 2022 and earlier). It is repaid when you sell, within one year after death, or 90 days after the home stops qualifying. Total deferral cannot exceed 80% of your equity.
Who qualifies
You are 65 or older by June 1 of the year you apply, own the home (not income-producing, no unpaid-tax lien), and have fire/casualty insurance. A surviving spouse who is at least 55 can continue it by filing within six months of the death.
Income limit
$75,000 household income for tax year 2025, $77,000 for 2026, $79,000 for 2027 and after.
How to apply
File Form IL-1017 (Application) and Form IL-1018 (Deferral and Recovery Agreement) with your county treasurer (collector).
Only for the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran, who may transfer the Standard Homestead Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities to a new primary residence (35 ILCS 200/15-169). Other exemptions do not move.
Is there a cap on value increases?
No general cap on an individual home's assessment. The Senior Freeze holds a qualifying senior's EAV at the base year. PTELL ('tax caps') limits total levy growth of non-home-rule taxing districts in Cook, the collar counties and 33 other counties, not individual assessments (35 ILCS 200/18-185). Cook County's Long-Time Occupant Homeowner Exemption (35 ILCS 200/15-177) gives an expanded homestead exemption to long-time owners with limited income and large assessment increases.
Good to know in Illinois
In Cook County you can recover missed exemptions for up to five past tax years (2021-2025) through a Certificate of Error.
The Homestead Improvement Exemption keeps up to $75,000 of added market value from a remodel or rebuild off your assessment for four years (35 ILCS 200/15-180).
Illinois residents can also take an income tax credit of 5% of property tax paid on their main home (IDOR Pub-108).
Savings estimate for Illinois
Roughly what an exemption could save you a year: the value it takes off, times your tax rate.
Eligibility finder for Illinois
Answer a few questions to see which property tax breaks may fit you.
Document checklist for Illinois
Pick the breaks you plan to apply for. You get a checklist of forms, documents, steps and deadlines to print or keep on your phone.
Questions about property tax exemptions in Illinois
Is there a homestead exemption in Illinois?
Yes: the General Homestead Exemption (Owner-Occupied Residence Exemption). Reduces your home's equalized assessed value (EAV) by up to $10,000 in Cook County, $8,000 in counties next to Cook (DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will), and $6,000 elsewhere. Cook County says it saves the average homeowner about $950 a year. (EAV is roughly one-third of market value; the dollar saving depends on your tax rate.) Who qualifies: You own (or have an equitable interest or qualifying lease) and live in the home as your principal residence and are liable for the property taxes.
When is the deadline to apply for the homestead exemption in Illinois?
Set by each county. In Cook County the filing period is in the spring; late or missed exemptions can be recovered for up to five past tax years with a Certificate of Error.
Do I have to reapply for the homestead exemption every year in Illinois?
Generally automatic once granted (Cook auto-renews); reapply after you move or the ownership changes.
Are there property tax breaks for seniors in Illinois?
Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption: Reduces your EAV by $8,000 in Cook County and counties next to Cook, or $5,000 in all other counties. Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption (Senior Freeze): Freezes the EAV of your home at its base-year level as long as you keep qualifying, so rising market values do not raise your taxable value. Your bill can still rise if tax rates go up or you add improvements. Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program: The state pays your property tax (up to $7,500 a year) as a loan at 3% simple interest (6% still applies to taxes deferred for tax years 2022 and earlier). It is repaid when you sell, within one year after death, or 90 days after the home stops qualifying. Total deferral cannot exceed 80% of your equity.
Do disabled veterans get a property tax exemption in Illinois?
Standard Homestead Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities (and Specially-Adapted Housing exemption): Reduces EAV by $2,500 for a 30-49% service-connected disability, $5,000 for 50-69%, and exempts the first $250,000 of EAV (in practice, usually the whole home) for 70% or more. World War II veterans are fully exempt regardless of rating (from tax year 2024). A separate exemption of up to $100,000 of assessed value applies to VA-funded specially-adapted housing.
Can I move my exemption to a new home in Illinois?
Only for the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran, who may transfer the Standard Homestead Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities to a new primary residence (35 ILCS 200/15-169). Other exemptions do not move.
Is there a limit on how fast my home's taxable value can rise in Illinois?
No general cap on an individual home's assessment. The Senior Freeze holds a qualifying senior's EAV at the base year. PTELL ('tax caps') limits total levy growth of non-home-rule taxing districts in Cook, the collar counties and 33 other counties, not individual assessments (35 ILCS 200/18-185). Cook County's Long-Time Occupant Homeowner Exemption (35 ILCS 200/15-177) gives an expanded homestead exemption to long-time owners with limited income and large assessment increases.
Where do I apply for property tax exemptions in Illinois?
The Chief County Assessment Office (supervisor of assessments) in each county grants homestead exemptions; in Cook County it is the Cook County Assessor's Office. The senior tax deferral is handled by the county treasurer (collector) and the Illinois Department of Revenue.
Think your home’s assessed value is too high? An exemption and an appeal are separate: you can do both.
Median effective tax rate: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024 5-year estimates, tables B25103 (median real estate taxes paid, owner-occupied homes) and B25077 (median value, owner-occupied homes). The rate is the median tax paid divided by the median home value.