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Cuyahoga County. Ohio


Fiscal Officer

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Homestead Exemption Program

This is a statewide program which reduces the property tax burden of qualified senior citizens and permanently and totally disabled homeowners, disabled veterans and surviving spouses of public service officers killed in the line of duty, by exempting some of the market value of their home from taxation.

Qualifications

You may qualify for a lower tax on your home if you:

  1. Are at least 65 years old OR
    Are determined to be permanently and totally disabled OR
    Are a Veteran who has been determined to have a total service-related disability of 100% OR
    Are a Surviving Spouse of a Homestead Exemption recipient OR
    Are a Surviving Spouse of a Public Service Officer killed in the line of duty.
  2. Own and occupy your home as your primary residence as of January 1st of the year in which the exemption is being sought.
  3. Have income that falls within state guidelines for the exemption.

Total Modified Ohio Adjusted Gross Income of the applicant and the applicant's spouse must not exceed:
$38,600 for income tax year 2023 if applying for real property tax year 2024 as Current Filer
$36,100 for income tax year 2022 if applying for real property tax year 2023 as Late Filer

In order to receive the Homestead Exemption, you need to file by December 31st of the year Homestead is being applied.

Contact Us

If you need help obtaining or completing an application:

Call:
216-443-7050, Prompt 1

Homestead Exemption FAQ

If a taxpayer owns multiple homes, only the principal place of residence, where the person is registered to vote and the person’s place of residence for income tax purposes, is eligible.

If an owner sells its house, the homestead exemption will remain with the home for the current tax year. If the homestead recipient purchases a new house, they must refile to obtain exemption the following year. Remember, to be eligible, you must own and occupy the property you are seeking the homestead exemption for, on January 1st of that calendar year.

The application filing period is from January 1st through December 31st. Applications that are not received in the Cuyahoga County Homestead Exemption Office prior to December 31st cannot be approved for that tax year.

If you were eligible for the homestead exemption in the prior year but did not apply you can file a late application for that prior year. Please contact the office for details.

Those homeowners who already receive the homestead exemption do not need to reapply every year. However, if your circumstances change you must notify the office.

A continuing homestead exemption application is sent each year to homeowners who received the reduction for the preceding tax year. Please return the form only if there have been changes in eligibility status, e.g. you no longer own the home, no longer occupy it as your primary place of residence, or if your disability status has changed.

If you believe that your application has been improperly denied or that the reduction is less than that to which you are entitled, you may file Complaint Form DTE 106B, with the County Board of Revision, at BORInfo@cuyahogacounty.us.

How to Apply

Mail or hand deliver the completed application to:

Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office
Real Property - Homestead Division
2079 East Ninth Street
Room 2-219
Cleveland, OH 44115

Forms