| Exemption | Description | Qualifications | Application Process |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner Occupied General Exemption | This exemption lowers the assessed value of your property up to $6,000. | The property owner must have lived on the property on or before January 1st for the tax year. | The property owner must apply for this exemption at the assessor’s office. |
| Home Improvement Exemption | This excludes for four years any assessment increase due to an expansion or other home improvement that the assessor values. | This exemption is limited to $25,000 of the assessed value per year. The property owner must own the home and occupy it primarily for residential purposes. | The property owner must apply for a building permit as part of the process. |
| Senior Homestead Exemption | This exemption cuts your property's estimated value by $5,000. You can use it along with the Owner Occupied Exemption. | To qualify you must have lived in the home before January 1st of the tax year and have turned 65 during the tax year. | To apply for the exemption, it must be done at the assessor's office, along with bringing your I.D. with your birth date listed. |
| Senior Citizen Assessment Freeze Exemption | This exemption keeps your property's assessed value the same, but not its tax rate. This exemption can be used in addition to the ones listed above. The taxes you pay may increase depending on how much your local taxing bodies (school districts, city townships, etc.) charge. | To qualify, you must have owned and lived in the house since January 1, 2016, for a total of two years, be at least 65 years old, and have an annual gross household income of $65,000, which includes the income of everyone living in the home as their main residence on January 1st of the tax year. | To apply, you can get an application for the exemption at the assessor’s office. The last day to file for this exemption is December 31. This exemption has to be renewed every year. You have to get your application signed and send it back to the Supervisor of Assessment. |
| Disabled Veterans Exemption | If a veteran is 70% or more disabled, this exemption lets them get up to $100,000 of the home's assessed value lowered or not taxed (up to a maximum of $250,000 in assessed value). This applies to the veteran, the veteran's partner, or the single remaining spouse. | To qualify, you must have been in the U.S. military. If you have a disability, you can build or repair a home that has special features to meet your needs. | Applications are available through the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. |
Property Tax Locations
Chicago Office
(By appointment only)
75 Executive Drive,
Suite 349, Aurora, IL 60504
708-630-0944
Houston Office
(Corporate)
2200 North Loop West,
Suite 200 Houston, TX 77018
713-686-9955
Dallas Office
(By appointment only)
12300 Ford Rd., Suite #414
Dallas, TX 75234
972-243-9966
San Antonio Office
(By appointment only)
8632 Fredericksburg Rd Ste 105
San Antonio TX 78240
210-226-0829
Atlanta Office
(By appointment only)
4751 Best Road, Suite 316,
College Park, GA 30337
770-835-4126
Property Tax Protection Program™ Benefits
- No flat fees or upfront costs. No cost ever unless your property taxes are reduced.
- All practical efforts are made every year to reduce your property taxes.
- Never miss another appeal deadline.
- Property taxes protested for you annually.
- You do not have to accept the appraisal district's initial guesstimate of value.
- We coordinate with you regarding building size / condition to avoid excess taxes.
- Free support regarding homestead exemptions.
- Some years are good - typically 6 to 7 out of 10 will result in tax reduction for you.
- The other 3 to 4 years out of 10 we strike out. Most often due to people issues in the hearing process. Some years we get an easy appraiser at the informal; some years someone who is impossible to settle with.
About O'Connor
Property Tax Help Specialists
O’Connor provides property tax appeal services to over 100,000 clients in over 40 states. Client tax savings totaled over $120 million in 2020. O’Connor has been serving property owners since 1974, almost 50 years. Client tax savings total over $1,000,000,000.
O’Connor measures its success in client property tax savings, not billings. Our goal is to save clients $1 billion annually.
With over 200 property tax experts, many of whom have worked with us for 10+ years, O’Connor has the expertise to help with your property tax questions and appeals. We literally wrote the books on property tax reduction:
- Mass Appraisal for Commercial – What Every Commercial Property Owner Should Know!
- What You Need to Know about Business Personal Property
- Cut Your Texas Property Taxes
The steps to appeal are complicated and may seem like too much work, but when O'Connor represents your property for appeal, we handle the details. We provide a property tax reduction service to residential homeowners in exchange for a contingency fee of 30 percent of all property taxes saved through administrative hearings or judicial appeal, for that tax year.