Filing Season for Property Tax Exemptions Opens

The annual filing season for money-saving property tax exemptions is now open. Most homeowners, however, will not have to submit anything during the filing season because many exemptions are automatically renewed each year. But some people in owner-occupied properties will have to apply this year to get the exemptions they are entitled to:

Situations When Exemption Applications are Required

• Senior citizens (65 years of age and up) with an annual household income of $65,000 must apply for the Senior Freeze Exemption annually.

• Seniors who purchased their homes in 2025 or turned 65 years of age in 2025 must apply for the Senior Citizen Exemption.
• Homeowners under the age of 65 who purchased their homes in 2024 must apply for the Homeowner Exemption.
• Most veterans eligible for the Disabled Veterans Exemption must renew it annually.
• Homeowners who became disabled in 2025 must apply for the Disabled Exemption.

Residents are invited to call Wheeling Township Assessor Ken Jochum at 847-259-1515 for assistance with filing this year’s exemptions. Residents can also file for exemptions on their own through the Cook County Assessor’s website at cookcountyassessoril.gov/ or through exemption applications mailed through the United States Postal Service.

The mailing date for Senior Freeze renewal applications should be around March 20, with Disabled Veteran renewals to be mailed shortly thereafter. Senior Freeze renewals are due by April 21, and Disabled Veteran renewals are due April 28.

Taxpayers should be aware they will see their exemptions on second installment tax bills, which should be mailed in the summer or fall of 2026.