Who Is Eligible for Reduced License Plate Fees in Illinois?

Illinois offers reduced license plate fees to residents who are 65 or older or who have a total and permanent disability, provided their household income falls under set limits. The discount comes through the state’s Benefit Access Program and applies to one vehicle per qualifying household. Veterans with service-connected disabilities and recipients of certain military honors can go further and pay no registration fee at all.

Who Qualifies for the Benefit Access Discount

You must live in Illinois when you apply. Beyond residency, you need to meet one of two conditions: be 65 or older by December 31 of the current year, or be at least 16 with a total and permanent disability.¹

The program accepts disability determinations from several sources, not just the Social Security Administration. Any of the following works:

A Social Security Administration benefit verification letter showing disability status
A Veterans Administration disability determination
A disability finding from Federal Civil Service or Railroad Retirement
An Illinois Secretary of State Class 2 disability card
A completed Physician’s Statement (Attachment A) from a licensed physician confirming you meet the SSA’s total disability criteria

The underlying standard: a physical or mental condition that prevents substantial work activity and is expected to result in death or last at least 12 continuous months.¹

Income Limits

Your total gross income from the prior calendar year must fall below the ceiling for your household size:

One person: less than $33,562
Two people: less than $44,533
Three people: less than $55,500

If you were married and living with your spouse on December 31 of the prior year, include your spouse’s income. If your spouse died during that year, file as a one-person household with only your own income. A Qualified Additional Resident (generally a dependent family member living with you who also meets the age or disability requirements) counts toward household size but their income does not count toward the limit.²

Income includes Social Security benefits, wages, pensions, and other gross income sources. The application portal lists the full breakdown.¹

How Much You Save

Illinois charges $151 for a standard annual passenger vehicle renewal.³ If you’re approved, the Secretary of State applies the discounted rate automatically to one vehicle in your household at renewal time.

One thing to watch if you drive an electric vehicle: Illinois charges a separate $100 annual EV registration surcharge, and that surcharge still applies even with a discounted or specialty plate.⁴

How to Apply

Applications go through the Illinois Department on Aging and are online only. You’ll create an account on the agency’s portal and upload digital copies of your supporting documents. Paper applications are not available.²

Have these ready:

Your Social Security number
A government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license or state ID card
Proof of Illinois residency, like a recent utility bill or bank statement
Income documentation for the prior year, including a federal tax return, Social Security benefit statement, or similar records for everyone in the household
Disability proof, if applying on that basis: an SSA award letter, VA determination, Class 2 disability card, or completed Physician’s Statement

Processing Time and Renewal Cycle

Processing can take up to eight weeks, depending on your documents. Once you’re approved, print the certificate of eligibility from the portal and bring it to the Secretary of State’s office to get the plate discount. The discount becomes available about 10 business days after approval.²

Eligibility lasts two years from your approval date. You can file a new application up to 90 days before expiration so the benefit doesn’t lapse.¹

Free Plates for Veterans and Military Families

Several specialty plates come with no registration fee, and they sit outside the Benefit Access Program entirely. There’s no income test and no application through the Department on Aging. You apply directly through the Secretary of State’s office with the required military documentation.

Service-Connected Disabled Veteran (ISERVE) plates: for veterans with a VA service-connected disability rating of 50% or more whose disability does not qualify them for a standard persons-with-disabilities plate. The first set and annual renewals are free.⁴
Disabled Veteran plates: for veterans with at least a 10% service-connected walking disability certified by a licensed physician. The first set is free.
Purple Heart plates: for Illinois residents who received the Purple Heart. The first set is free, and surviving spouses may request or retain the plate.
Congressional Medal of Honor plates: for resident Medal of Honor recipients. No cost for the first set, and surviving spouses may keep the plate.
Gold Star plates: for immediate family members of a service member who died in service. If the death occurred during a wartime period, surviving spouses, children, and parents pay no fee.

The $100 EV surcharge still applies to these plates if the vehicle runs on battery power.⁴

1
Illinois Department on Aging. Eligibility and Frequently Asked Questions
2
Illinois Department on Aging. Benefit Access
3
Illinois Secretary of State. Fees
4
Illinois Secretary of State. Service-Connected Disabled Veteran (ISERVE) License Plates