Kane County Senior Exemption: Homestead, Freeze, and Deferral

If you’re 65 or older and own your home in Kane County, three Illinois programs can lower what you owe: the Kane County senior exemption known formally as the Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption, which cuts $5,000 from your equalized assessed value (EAV) each year; the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze, which locks your EAV so rising home values don’t raise your taxes; and the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral, which lets qualifying homeowners postpone paying up to $7,500 of their bill. You can stack the first two. The third works alongside them if cash flow is tight.

The $5,000 Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption

This is the baseline break. It subtracts up to $5,000 from your home’s EAV every year.¹ With Kane County’s median tax rate running around 9 percent, that works out to roughly $450 a year off your bill.

You qualify if you meet three conditions. You must turn 65 at some point during the assessment year — not necessarily by January 1, so a December birthday still counts for that year. You must own the property or hold a legal or equitable interest in it, such as through a recorded deed or a contract for purchase. And the home must be your primary residence. A vacation house or a rental doesn’t qualify.

One narrow extension: leasehold interests generally don’t qualify, but if you lease the land and own the single-family house sitting on it, you’re still eligible.¹

To apply, file Form PTAX-324 with the Kane County Assessment Office. Bring proof of age (an Illinois driver’s license, birth certificate, or passport) and proof of ownership, typically a copy of your recorded deed.² You’ll also need your Property Index Number (PIN), which appears on your tax bill and can be looked up on the county’s property tax inquiry portal.

The Assessment Freeze for Lower-Income Seniors

The Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption is a separate, more powerful benefit, and you can claim it on top of the $5,000 reduction.³ Rather than subtracting a flat dollar amount, it locks your EAV at a “base year” level so future increases in your home’s assessed value don’t flow through to your tax bill.

Eligibility is tighter than the basic exemption:

You must be 65 or older during the tax year.
Total household income for the prior calendar year cannot exceed the statutory ceiling. Through 2025 that limit was $65,000. The legislature has moved to raise it to $75,000 for the 2026 tax year, so confirm the current figure with the Kane County Assessment Office.
You must have owned and occupied the property as your principal residence on January 1 of both the current and prior tax year.⁴

“Household income” means everyone in the home combined: you, your spouse, and anyone else using the property as their principal residence. It includes gross Social Security (not just the taxable portion), pensions, annuities, interest, dividends, and most other sources. Veterans’ benefits are excluded.³ Getting the income number wrong is a common cause of denials, so add every source carefully.

How the Base Year Works

When you first qualify, the county records your EAV as your base year value. In each later year, if your current EAV is higher, the difference is subtracted as your freeze exemption, and you’re taxed on the base figure instead. If current EAV drops below the base, the lower number applies and becomes your new base going forward.

The freeze protects you only from assessment increases. It does not freeze your tax rate. If local taxing districts raise their rates, your bill can still climb even with EAV locked in.

Applying and Renewing Every Year

File Form PTAX-340. You’ll report every household income source with amounts, and attach proof: federal tax return, Social Security statements, pension distribution records, and documentation of anything else.²

The freeze must be renewed every year. Skip a year, even by accident, and you lose the frozen valuation; when you reapply, the county sets a new base year at the current (likely higher) EAV, erasing years of accumulated protection. Put the deadline on your calendar and file early. For the 2026 tax year, the PTAX-340 deadline is June 15, 2026.⁵

The Tax Deferral Program

The Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program is the option many Kane County seniors don’t know about. The state of Illinois pays up to $7,500 of your property taxes each year, and you repay the deferred amount plus 3 percent simple interest later, usually when the home is sold or transferred.⁶

To qualify, you need to be 65 or older by June 1 of the application year, with household income no higher than $77,000 for the 2026 tax year. You must have owned and lived in the property (or another qualifying Illinois property) for at least three years, be current on all property taxes and special assessments, and carry adequate fire or casualty insurance on the home.

The state records a lien on your property for the deferred amount. Over time, the total you can defer (including interest and lien fees) can’t exceed 80 percent of your equity. The application window runs January 1 through March 1 each year, well before the exemption deadlines, so track it separately.⁶

Deferred taxes come due when the property is sold, transferred, or within one year of the homeowner’s death. A surviving spouse who is at least 55 can keep the deferral going by applying within six months of the death. If you stop qualifying for any other reason, the balance is due within 90 days.⁶

Where to File and What to Keep

Kane County accepts applications online through kaneil.devnetportal.com. You can also mail or drop off paper forms at the Kane County Assessment Office, 719 S. Batavia Ave., Building C, Geneva, IL 60134. The office phone is 630-208-3818.⁷

Missing a deadline means losing the exemption for that entire tax year, with no retroactive fix. After approval, the credit appears on the tax bill issued the following calendar year. Check the exemptions section of that bill to confirm it was applied, and keep your confirmation notice or certified mail receipt. If a filing date is ever disputed, that receipt is your proof.

Keeping the Benefits in Place

The $5,000 Homestead Exemption may not need annual renewal in Kane County. Some Illinois counties auto-renew it as long as ownership and residency haven’t changed; others require an annual Form PTAX-329 (Certificate of Status).² Call the Assessment Office to confirm which rule applies to your parcel.

If the qualifying homeowner dies, a surviving spouse who is at least 65 and meets the income, ownership, and residency rules can apply for the freeze in their own name, though they establish a new base year rather than inheriting the deceased spouse’s. For the basic $5,000 exemption, the surviving spouse qualifies independently as long as they’re 65 or older and stay in the home.

1
Illinois General Assembly. 35 ILCS 200/15-170 – Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption
2
Illinois Department of Revenue. Property Tax – Exemption Information (PIO-74)
3
Illinois General Assembly. 35 ILCS 200/15-172 – Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption
4
Kane County Assessment Office. Senior Assessment Freeze
5
Kane County Assessment Office. Kane County Assessment Office – Forms
6
Illinois Department of Revenue. Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program (PIO-64)
7
Kane County Assessment Office. Kane County Assessment Office