The office of Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios has mailed Senior and Senior Freeze Exemption renewal applications for Tax Year 2016. Savings from these exemptions will appear as deductions on the 2017 Second Installment Property Tax Bills mailed this summer. Nearly 300,000 applications were mailed to seniors who received the exemptions last year. 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.

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 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

Seniors receiving the Senior Citizen Exemption automatically receive the Homeowner Exemption. Seniors receiving the Senior Freeze Exemption automatically receive both the Homeowner and Senior Citizen Exemptions.