Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi announced that exemption applications for the 2019 tax year for the Homeowner, Senior and Senior Freeze Exemptions are now available. Applications for additional exemptions will be available in early February. A new law passed by state legislators in partnership with the Assessor’s Office now allows for the automatic renewal of the Senior Exemption. This means that a senior homeowner only has to apply for the Senior Exemption once, instead of applying each year to prove they are 65 years of age or older. Anyone who received a Senior Exemption last year will not need to reapply this year. Prior recipients of the exemption will receive a postcard in the mail informing them that they no longer need to reapply. Property owners not currently receiving the Senior Exemption, and those who turned 65 in 2019, must apply for the exemption this year. Please Note: The Homeowner and Senior Exemptions are the only two exemptions that do not require annual applications. To qualify for the Senior Exemption for tax year 2019, a taxpayer must have:

– been liable for the payment of property taxes,

– owned the property or have a legal, equitable or leasehold interest in the property,

– been born in or before the year 1954, and

– occupied the property in 2019.

Renewal applications for the Persons with Disabilities, Veterans with Disabilities, and Long Time Occupant Exemptions will be mailed in early February and can be downloaded from the Assessor’s website at that time at www.cookcountyassessor.com . Taxpayers may also call 312-443-7550 and request applications by mail.