Senior Exemptions in Wheeling township
The Wheeling Township site offers some key information which I am reprinting. One important issue is that years ago, once you were a senior you were a senior and didn't have to reapply. Today it is a yearly process. If you failed to re-apply for the senior exemption, you can go to the Assessors Office and they will help you fill out a Certificate of Error. Please call ahead, and ask what you will need to bring. Here's some key issues:
The Cook County Assessor’s Office mailed senior citizen renewal applications for senior citizen property tax exemptions in early January. Seniors should return the forms to the Cook County Assessor’s office by February 6 or as soon thereafter as possible. Local senior citizens with questions or requiring help in completing the forms should feel free to call or visit the Wheeling Township Assessor’s office.
Under current law, Senior Exemptions must be renewed every year. In the past, it was not necessary to file annual renewals after a senior qualified for the exemption for the first time. Two years ago, however, the law changed such that Senior Exemptions now must be renewed every year. Accordingly, we urge all seniors to complete and return the recently-mailed renewal forms.
Eligibility for Senior Citizen Exemptions
There are two senior citizen property tax exemptions:
1) The Senior Exemption, available to all seniors regardless of income, reduces the Equalized Assessed Value on your 2nd Installment bill by 4,000. That equates into approximately $250 - $300 off the property tax bill. It is available to any owner-occupied residential property whose owner was born in 1947 or earlier.
2) The Senior Freeze provides some seniors with additional savings if the combined income of all occupants in a senior’s household is less than $55,000, and if the senior has been an owner-occupant of the house since January 1, 2011.
The senior applications that have been mailed are for 2012 property taxes, (paid in calendar year 2013) and the savings from the exemptions will appear on the second installment tax bills that will likely be mailed in July of 2013.


