The forms to apply for the Cook County homeowner’s exemption for real estate taxes and for the senior freeze are now available on the Cook County Assessor’s website.
The senior freeze has to be applied for every year and the applicant has to be 65 or older and have an income of less than $55,000.00.
The homeowner’s exemption does not require an annual application. However, anyone who bought real estate in 2008 should fill out the homeowner’s exemption application (one time only) because the homeowner’s exemption drops off after a sale and must be re-applied for after the closing.
More of a question than a comment…
If a senior citizen homeowner passed away in April of 2009, an estate was opened in July of 2009 and is currently still open, can the non senior person living in the home still keep the senior freeze and senior exemptions going even though the senior homeowner passed on in early 2009?
Yes, you can apply for the senior freeze exemption for 2009 since the owner was entitled to it on January 1, 2009. Just fill out the senior freeze application and sign it as executor.
So the non-senior can still claim senior freeze and exemption all through 2010 for 2009… and then since the senior was not alive in 2010 at all then in 2011 no matter whether or not the estate is still open it’s not possible to continue to get the exemtions and freeze?
Peter, You can claim the senior freeze and senior exemption only for the 2009 tax year, issued in 2010. since the senior was alive on 1/1/09. For the 2010 tax year, issued in 2011, you will not get any exemptions or the senior freeze. Hope that helps. Tom
Ok… that makes sense. So even though the estate may still be open in 2011, the exemptions won’t apply because the senior owner passed on in 2009.
Thanks much Tom.