Douglas County, Illinois

The senior citizen homestead exemption lowers the equalized assessed value of your property by $5000 and may be claimed in addition to the owner occupied exemption. To receive the exemption you must:

·        Own or have a legal or equitable interest in the property and occupied as your principal residence during the assessment year.

·        Must be liable for the payment of the property taxes.

·        Have reached the age of 65 during the assessment year

Apply for the exemption. You will need to bring proof of birth date. ex.: driver’s license, birth certificate, Medicare card with you when you submit the application.

This form must be notarized. This may be done in the Supervisor of Assessments office.

A certificate of status, Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption, PTAX-329 is required each year and must also be notarized.

The senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption allows you as a qualified senior citizen to have your home’s equalized assessed value “frozen” at a base year value and prevent or limit any increase due to inflation. Freezing your property’s equalized assessed value does not mean that your property taxes will not increase. Other factors also affect you tax bill. For example, your tax bill could increase if the tax rate, which is based on the amount of revenues taxing districts request, increases. Your tax bill may also increase if you add improvements to your home. However if your home’s equalized assessed value decreases in the future, you will benefit from any reduction

Are you eligible?
·     You must be 65 years of age or older during the assessment year
·     Your total household income was $65,000 or less.
·     Used the property as your principal place of residence
·     Owned the property, or had a legal or equitable interest in the 
      property as evidenced by a written instrument.
·     Were liable for the property taxes.