In Cook County, the amount of the exemption is the difference between your base year EAV and your current year EAV or $2,000 whichever is greater. Freezing your property's EAV does not mean that your property taxes will not increase, however.
To receive the Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption, the applicant must have owned and occupied the property as of January 1 and must have been 65 years of age or older during the tax year in question.
Qualifying seniors receive deductions off their tax bills because they are senior citizens. The senior citizen exemption reduces the tax bill by a sum certain each year. The actual deduction is $5,000 times the local tax rate. So, if the local tax rate is 6%, the senior citizen exemption will be $300.
In Cook County, this exemption is worth an $8,000 reduction on your home's EAV. This is in addition to the $10,000 Homestead Exemption. So, a senior citizen in Cook County can receive an $18,000 reduction on their EAV. In all other counties, the maximum exemption remains at $5,000 through the taxable year 2022.
The Senior Freeze provides additional savings if the combined income of all members of the senior's household is $65,000 or less, and if the senior has been an owner-occupant of the property since January 1, 2022. Seniors should complete and file the Freeze application by April 5.
This annual exemption is available 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 therein as evidenced by a written instrument, except for a ...
Before 2018, taxpayers could claim a personal exemption for themselves and each of their dependents. The amount would have been $4,150 for 2018, but the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) set the amount at zero for 2018 through 2025.