A Colorado homeowner who is 65 or older and has owned and lived in the home for 10 straight years can knock up to $100,000 off the value their property tax is figured on. A surviving spouse of a senior who previously qualified, and has not remarried, can apply on the same exemption. This guide to Colorado senior property tax relief covers that exemption, the separate classification for seniors who had it and moved, the program that lets you defer taxes, and a rebate for low-income seniors.

None of these are automatic. You claim the exemption with your county assessor, and the application period runs January 1 to July 15. A form returned after July 15 but by August 15 is still processed. It just carries no appeal rights if the assessor says no.

In This Guide

Colorado Senior Property Tax Relief: The Homestead Exemption

This is the big one. Colorado calls it the Senior Property Tax Exemption, and you'll also hear it called the senior homestead exemption.

Here's what it does. Half of the first $200,000 of your home's actual value is exempted from property tax, for a maximum exemption of $100,000 of actual value. The State of Colorado pays the property taxes on the exempted value.

There are two ways in, and the second one gets missed constantly.

Route one, age plus 10 years. All three have to be true:

Route two, surviving spouse. If you are the surviving spouse of a senior citizen who previously qualified, and you have not remarried, you may be eligible to apply using the long form. A widow who never held the exemption in her own name should not read the 10-year rule and stop.

A simple way to picture the math: a home with an actual value of $400,000 gets $100,000 of that value exempted, leaving $300,000 to be taxed. A home worth $150,000 gets half of that value, $75,000, exempted. The ownership and occupancy rules are what most seniors trip over, not the math.

A break in the 10 years does not automatically end it. The Division of Property Taxation says a recipient forced to move may still be eligible where the previous primary residence was seized by eminent domain or destroyed in a natural disaster, or where the owner-occupier is confined to a hospital, nursing home, or assisted living facility and would return home if or when possible, provided the home is occupied only by a spouse or a financial dependent, or stays unoccupied. That last one matters to a lot of families here: moving a parent into assisted living does not, by itself, break the occupancy requirement.

The exemption is administered by the Colorado Division of Property Taxation, but you apply through your county assessor. When you file, ask the assessor whether an approved exemption stays in place in later years or whether your county wants a new form each time.

New: Carrying the Exemption to a New Home

The 10-year rule punishes seniors who move. Sell the home you'd lived in for decades, buy a smaller place, and the standard exemption is gone until you rebuild the 10 years.

Colorado's answer is a second track, the Qualified Senior Primary Residence Classification, available in 2025 and 2026 for a senior who received the senior exemption in 2020 or later but is no longer eligible for that program.

Here's who can apply:

The window is different, and it is short. The classification's application period begins January 1 and ends March 15, four months earlier than the July 15 exemption deadline. A late application is still accepted until July 15, but a late filer forfeits the right to appeal if the assessor denies the classification. A senior who downsized after a spouse died, or moved closer to family, and who treats July 15 as the deadline has already missed the timely one.

What it is worth. Announcing the 2026 classification, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs says that for those who qualify, 50 percent of the first $200,000 in actual value of the primary residence will not be taxed, unless that would push the assessed value below $1,000. That is the same reduction the senior exemption delivers, which is the point of the program. There are no income limits for it.

Note where that figure is published. Neither the Division of Property Taxation's classification page nor a county assessor's page states an amount, so it rests on the department's own announcement and carries the department's own $1,000 floor. Confirm what it is worth on your specific property with your county assessor before you plan around it.

The Property Tax Deferral Program

The exemption lowers your bill. The deferral lets you put off paying it.

Colorado runs a Property Tax Deferral Program that helps seniors 65 and up and active military service members keep affording their homes by deferring the payment of their property taxes with a simple-interest loan. It is a loan, not an exemption. You apply between January 1 and April 1, a window that closes before the exemption's July deadline.

A few mechanics to understand:

  • It's a simple-interest loan, and the deferral is recorded as a junior lien against the participant's property. Interest accrues beginning May 1 of the calendar year in which the deferral is claimed, until the loan is paid in full.
  • The program is administered by Colorado counties in partnership with the Colorado Department of the Treasury, so your county treasurer is who you talk to.
  • A senior applicant has to clear three conditions. All previous property taxes must be paid in full; the total value of all liens, mortgages and deeds of trust must be no more than 75% of the property's actual value; and no reverse mortgage can exist on the property.
  • Ill health is not a disqualifier. An owner who is not residing at the property due to ill health can still meet the residence requirement.

When the loan comes due. The deferral does not have to be repaid until the participant no longer qualifies to defer the approved amount. At that point, repayment is due 90 days after the non-qualifying event. There is one exception, and it is the one families need to plan around: if the homeowner dies with no surviving spouse, repayment is due one year following the death. That year is the window an estate or an adult child has to sell the home, refinance, or pay the balance from other funds. Ask your county treasurer which events count as no longer qualifying in your case, so nobody in the family is surprised by a 90-day clock.

A deferral is a postponement, not forgiveness. Interest accrues, and the lien stays on the home until the loan is repaid. For a senior who is house-rich but cash-poor, it's a way to stay put without selling, the kind of homeowner deciding whether to sell or rent the home for care. Check the current interest rate, the terms, and whether the program is accepting applications for the coming year with your county treasurer before you commit.

The Low-Income PTC Rebate

The first three tools are about your home's value and your taxes. This one is a cash rebate, and it's aimed squarely at low income.

Colorado's Property Tax/Rent/Heat (PTC) Rebate is run through the Department of Revenue. It gives qualifying applicants money back to help with property tax, rent, and heating costs.

Age is not the only way in. You may qualify if you're 65 or older or a surviving spouse 58 or older, with very low income. For the 2025 claim year, total income from all sources has to fall under $19,094 for a single filer or $25,788 for a married couple filing jointly, and the rebate runs up to $1,178 a year, plus up to a $38 TABOR refund ($19 for single filers). You also have to have paid property tax, rent or heating bills during the PTC period, and not have been claimed as a dependent on someone else's federal return. Those limits are strict, so this one reaches a narrow group.

If you're under 65 with a disability, this is no longer your program. Under House Bill 24-1268, starting January 1, 2026 for the 2025 tax year, individuals with disabilities under 65, and surviving spouses under 58, claim the new Disability Assistance Credit by filing a Colorado income tax return instead of applying for the PTC rebate. If you were counting on the PTC rebate for a disability, that is the route now. Someone who qualifies as both a senior and a person with a disability may claim only one of the two benefits per tax year.

The dollar amount and the income cutoffs are set each year, so treat the figures above as the 2025 numbers and check the Department of Revenue's PTC page for the current year before you apply or rule yourself out. Renters can qualify too, which makes the PTC different from the other three tools, all of which require owning a home.

Colorado Senior Property Tax Relief at a Glance

Tool What it does Who qualifies How to claim
Senior Property Tax Exemption Exempts 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value (max $100,000); the state pays the tax on the exempted value 65+ with 10 consecutive years of ownership and occupancy, or a non-remarried surviving spouse of a senior who qualified Apply with your county assessor, Jan 1–July 15 (late deadline Aug 15, no appeal rights)
Qualified Senior Primary Residence Classification A separate 2025–2026 classification for seniors who had the exemption and no longer qualify; 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value is untaxed, unless that drops the assessed value below $1,000 (per DOLA's announcement) Received the senior exemption in 2020 or later, own and occupy the new home as of Jan 1, and can't currently get the exemption; surviving spouses too; no income limits Apply with the county assessor, Jan 1–March 15 (late filings to July 15, no appeal rights)
Property Tax Deferral Program Defers taxes as a simple-interest loan recorded as a junior lien; repayment due 90 days after you stop qualifying, or one year after death with no surviving spouse 65+ or active military; prior taxes paid, liens ≤ 75% of actual value, no reverse mortgage Apply through your county treasurer, Jan 1–April 1
PTC Rebate Annual cash rebate of up to $1,178 (2025 claim year) for property tax, rent, and heat Age 65+ or surviving spouses 58+, with very low income; not people with disabilities under 65, who claim the Disability Assistance Credit instead Apply through the Department of Revenue

How to Apply for the Exemption

The Senior Property Tax Exemption runs through your county assessor, not the state and not your tax collector. The assessor decides exemptions; the treasurer just sends the bill.

1
Step 1

Find your county assessor

Search the county name plus "assessor." You file in the county where the property is located.

2
Step 2

Ask for the senior exemption form and file it

by July 15 of the year you want the exemption. If you're past it, still file. August 15 is the late deadline and the application is processed, just without appeal rights.

3
Step 3

Be ready to prove age and residence

You'll confirm you turned 65 by January 1 and have owned and lived in the home for 10 straight years, or, on the long form, that you're the non-remarried surviving spouse of a senior who qualified.

4
Step 4

If you moved

, ask about the Qualified Senior Primary Residence Classification instead, and note its earlier March 15 cutoff; a filing after that is accepted until July 15 but gives up appeal rights.

A few points worth knowing:

  • Ask whether you have to refile. Confirm with your assessor whether an approved exemption stays in place in later years or whether your county wants a new form.
  • July 15 is the deadline, August 15 is the backstop. A form returned in that window still gets processed; it just loses your right to appeal a denial. Don't sit on it.
  • The deferral and the PTC rebate are separate applications through different agencies. The assessor only handles the exemption.

If property taxes are one piece of a bigger question about affording care, our guide to paying for senior care walks through Medicaid, VA benefits, and private-pay options alongside home equity.

Not sure which Colorado break fits your situation? Chat with Brevy's care navigator to sort out your options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an income limit for the Colorado senior property tax exemption?

The conditions Colorado publishes for the exemption are about age, ownership, and occupancy: 65 or older on January 1, and 10 consecutive years owning and living in the home as your primary residence, or the surviving-spouse route. Income is not among them. We can't point you to a state page that rules an income test out in so many words, so confirm it with your county assessor rather than taking it as settled. The PTC rebate further down this page is the Colorado program with hard income limits, and it's a separate benefit.

What if I haven't lived in my home for a full 10 years?

Check three things before you give up. First, the surviving-spouse route: if your late spouse qualified and you haven't remarried, you may be eligible on the long form. Second, the disruption exceptions. A recipient forced out by eminent domain or a natural disaster, or confined to a hospital, nursing home, or assisted living facility and would return home if or when possible, may still be eligible, provided the home is occupied only by a spouse or a financial dependent, or stays unoccupied. That last condition is the one to read twice. The exception covers a home left empty or left to a spouse or a financial dependent, and those are the only two ways it is written. Third, if you received the senior exemption at a previous home in 2020 or later, ask about the Qualified Senior Primary Residence Classification, which has its own January 1–March 15 window, its own late deadline of July 15, and no income limits.

Can I use the exemption and the deferral at the same time?

Yes. They're separate tools and don't cancel each other. The exemption lowers the value your tax is figured on. The deferral lets you postpone paying whatever tax is left, as a state loan against the home. A senior who's short on cash can claim the exemption and still defer the remaining bill.

What does the deferral cost me later?

The deferred taxes become a simple-interest loan recorded as a junior lien on your home, and interest accrues beginning May 1 of the calendar year in which the deferral is claimed until the loan is paid in full. So the balance grows. Confirm the current rate with your county treasurer before you decide.

When does a Colorado property tax deferral have to be repaid?

The loan does not have to be repaid until the participant no longer qualifies to defer the approved amount, and repayment is then due 90 days after that non-qualifying event. If the homeowner dies with no surviving spouse, repayment is due one year following the death instead. Ask your county treasurer to confirm which events start the clock in your situation.

Do renters get any of this?

Yes, but only the PTC rebate. The exemption, the portability classification, and the deferral all require owning a home. The PTC rebate helps qualifying low-income seniors with rent and heating costs as well as property tax, so a senior who rents can still apply.

Next Steps

Start with the exemption. It costs nothing to claim and the July 15 deadline is firm.

  • Call your county assessor and ask for the senior exemption application.
  • File by July 15 with proof of age and 10 years in the home, or by August 15 at the latest, accepting the loss of appeal rights.
  • If you moved, ask specifically about the Qualified Senior Primary Residence Classification, and mind its March 15 cutoff.
  • Look at the deferral or the PTC rebate if your bill is still more than you can manage.

If borrowing against the home is on the table, weigh it against the deferral, and weigh the order. A reverse mortgage for senior care and the deferral both tap home equity, but they are not compatible: no reverse mortgage can exist on the property for the deferral. Taking one closes the door on the other.

Learn More

FinancialHow to Pay for Senior Care in ColoradoHow to pay for senior care in Colorado in 2026: real costs, Medicare's limits, Health First Colorado Medicaid, VA Aid and Attendance, and LTC insurance. FinancialColorado Retirement Income TaxHow the Colorado retirement income tax works: a $24,000 pension subtraction at 65 and up, why a Social Security subtraction reduces it, and a flat 4.4% rate. VA BenefitsColorado Disabled Veteran Property Tax ExemptionColorado exempts half the first $200,000 of home value for veterans rated 100% permanent or paid at the 100% rate. Who qualifies and the July 1 deadline. FinancialSenior Property Tax Relief by StateWhich states freeze property taxes for seniors, where low-income seniors can owe none, and how exemptions, credits and deferrals work, plus a guide per state. FinancialHow to Pay for Senior CareHow to pay for senior care: what it costs nationally and how Medicaid, Medicare, VA benefits, and private pay each fit. Who qualifies, what's covered, in 2026. FinancialSelling or Renting Your Home for CareSelling or renting the home to pay for senior care: the capital-gains exclusion, SSI and Medicaid home rules, rent-vs-sell, and the step-up in basis. FinancialReverse Mortgages for Senior CareHow a reverse mortgage (FHA HECM) can pay for senior care, why it fits in-home care and a remaining spouse, and why it rarely works for a nursing home.

Find personalized help lowering or deferring your Colorado property taxes at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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