Nebraska Senior Property Tax Relief: Homestead Exemption (2026)

Nebraska homeowners 65 and older can get up to 100 percent relief on a capped exempt amount of their home's value if household income is low enough.1 That is not a promise of a zero tax bill: the percentage applies to the exempt amount for the county, not to the home's full value.1 The program behind that Nebraska senior property tax relief is the Homestead Exemption. Full relief runs to $37,000.99 of household income for a single applicant and $43,400.99 for a married or closely related applicant, on the Department of Revenue's 2026 income table.1

Above those amounts the relief falls ten points per bracket, from 90 percent down to 10 percent, rather than vanishing at once, but it does reach zero: at $54,301 of income for a single applicant and $64,501 for a married or closely related one.1

In This Guide

• Key Takeaways
• Nebraska Senior Property Tax Relief at a Glance
• How the Homestead Exemption Works
• The Home-Value Cap
• The Statewide Property Tax Credit
• How to Apply
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Next Steps

Nebraska Senior Property Tax Relief at a Glance

Those are the 2026 brackets, and income is based on your 2025 income sources.1 Read the last row before you read any other. Relief does not taper away to something small; it stops. A single applicant 65 or older with household income of $54,301 or more, or a married or closely related applicant at $64,501 or more, gets no Homestead Exemption at all.1 The Department of Revenue marks the table subject to change, so confirm the current year's figures on the Nebraska Department of Revenue Homestead Exemption page before you rely on a bracket here.1

Nebraska Senior Property Tax Relief: How the Homestead Exemption Works

The Nebraska Homestead Exemption is not a deduction from your tax bill. It's an exemption from assessed value, meaning the portion of your home's value that's exempt is removed from the tax calculation entirely. The percentage on the income table is applied to an exempt amount, a capped figure for your county, not to the home's full value.1 So 100 percent relief means the full exempt amount comes off, and that is not the same thing as owing no property tax.

This is different from how most state senior programs work. Iowa's Elderly and Disabled Credit reduces the taxes you owe. Michigan's Homestead Property Tax Credit is a refundable credit on your income-tax return. Nebraska's program operates at the assessment level: if you qualify, the taxable value the county uses to compute your bill is reduced before the bill is even generated.

The Department of Revenue's own example for the over-65 category shows how the pieces fit. An applicant has a $200,000 homestead in a county where the maximum exemption is $97,550 and the maximum value is $195,100, and qualifies for 100 percent on income. The home is $4,900 over the maximum value, so the exempt amount takes a 10 percent reduction of $9,755, and the homestead exemption value allowed is $87,795.1 That is $87,795 of exemption on a $200,000 home at the top relief percentage. The example is an illustration and states no year, so use your own county's current figures, not these.

Who qualifies. For 2026 you must be 65 or older before January 1, 2026, own the homestead during the year you are claiming for, and meet the income test.1 The Department of Revenue's income table also carries separate columns for disabled veterans and disabled individuals, with their own figures; check the DOR page for those categories. This guide covers the 65+ category.

What income counts. Nebraska uses a broad definition of household income. The Nebraska Department of Revenue Homestead Exemption page defines the income calculation. Like Iowa, it captures most sources: Social Security, pensions, wages, rental income, and distributions. Add carefully before assuming you're over or under the threshold.

The Home-Value Cap

Your home's value is also tested against your county's maximum value, and going over it cuts the exemption fast.1

The cap is the greater of:

• 200 percent of your county's average assessed value for single-family homes, or
• $95,0001

Nebraska counties vary significantly in average home values, so this cap differs county to county. In lower-value counties, the $95,000 floor kicks in. In counties with higher average values, 200 percent of average becomes the ceiling.1

Going over the maximum does not simply shave the exemption down to the cap. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-3506.03 reduces the exempt amount by ten percent for each $2,500 of value by which the homestead exceeds the maximum value, and a homestead that exceeds the maximum by $20,000 or more is not eligible for any exemption.1 The Department's reduction table shows a 0 percent reduction for a home $0 to $2,499 over the maximum.1 So a home $5,000 over the county maximum has its exempt amount cut 20 percent before the income percentage is applied, and a home $20,000 over loses the exemption entirely, income notwithstanding. The Nebraska Department of Revenue Homestead Exemption Maximum Value page lists the current maximum value by county, and that is the number to check before you assume the income table is the only test that matters.

The Statewide Property Tax Credit

The Homestead Exemption is not Nebraska's only property tax relief. Every Nebraska property owner, including a senior whose income is above the full-exemption threshold and who still owes some tax, receives the statewide school district property tax credit automatically. You don't apply for it or claim it. Since LB34, enacted in the 2024 special session, the credit is applied directly to your annual property tax statement rather than claimed on a separate income-tax form. The Nebraska Department of Revenue Property Tax Credit FAQ states that LB34 "removed the school district property tax credit from the income tax returns effective January 1, 2024, and placed the credit directly on the property tax statements."

A second credit, for community college property taxes, still works the old way: you claim it on your Nebraska income-tax return using Form PTC. It is not automatic.

The practical point for a senior homeowner is that these credits sit on top of the Homestead Exemption, and neither is income-tested. If your income puts you above the full-exemption ceiling, so you get only a partial exemption or none, you are not left with nothing. The school-district credit already lowers the bill on your statement, and you can still claim the community-college credit at tax time. The credit amount is set each year, so check the current figures on the DOR Property Tax Credit page before you estimate your savings.

How to Apply

When to file. The application must be filed every year, between February 2 and June 30.1 Your county assessor's office is the place to start.

If you miss June 30. Call your county assessor straight away, not next year, and ask whether anything is still open to you. What happens after the deadline is the assessor's question to answer, so do not assume the year is lost and do not assume it is saved. File by June 30 whenever you can and you never have to find out.

What to bring. You'll need documentation of your income and proof of age. The county assessor's office can tell you exactly what documentation they require. Call ahead; it saves a trip.

Annual renewal. You must file the application again each year. The exemption does not carry forward automatically. Income changes year to year, the income table may change, and the county assessor recertifies eligibility annually.

If your income is right at the threshold. File anyway. A single applicant at $38,000 is still in the 90 percent bracket, and one at $44,000 is still in the 60 percent bracket, so not filing gives up most of the relief the table allows.1 That reasoning runs out at $54,301 single and $64,501 married or closely related, where relief is 0 percent. Between those points, check the current year's table rather than assuming.1

Property taxes are one cost in a broader picture. If staying in the home is part of how you're managing care costs, our guide on how to pay for senior care covers additional programs in Nebraska, including Medicaid home and community-based services.

Next Steps

The main task: file your Homestead Exemption application with your county assessor by June 30.

• Pull the 2026 income table at revenue.nebraska.gov and confirm where your household income puts you on the exemption scale.
• Check your home's assessed value against your county's cap. Your county assessor's office or the Nebraska DOR's maximum-value page lists the cap for your county.
• File your application with your county assessor between February 2 and June 30. If you're past June 30, call your assessor directly the same week.

If you're using the home as a financial resource to fund care (through a sale, rental, or reverse mortgage), our guides on selling or renting your home for care and reverse mortgages for senior care cover the options.

Learn More

Find personalized help understanding Nebraska senior property tax relief 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.