5 Indiana Property Tax Breaks Hoosiers Over 65 Can Still Apply For

If you’re 65 or older in Indiana, a property tax break can keep your homestead’s bill from rising more than 2% a year.

To get it on your next bill, your application is due by Jan. 15, 2027.

Here are the Indiana property tax breaks Hoosiers over 65 can still apply for, and where to file.

Note: This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Assessment rules and exemption amounts are subject to change, so confirm the current details with your county auditor.

1. Over 65 Credit

Indiana’s Over 65 Credit takes up to $150 off your property tax bill.

To qualify, you have to turn 65 on or before Dec. 31 of the year before the bill comes due.

For a bill due in 2027, that means a birthday as late as Dec. 31, 2026, still counts.

Your adjusted gross income can’t top $60,000 on a single return or $70,000 on a joint return for a 2027 bill.

Indiana measures that income from your federal return two years before the bill, which means 2025 for a 2027 bill.

You must have owned the home, or been buying it on contract, for at least a year before you claim the credit.

If you’re a surviving spouse who hasn’t remarried, you can qualify at 60, as long as your late spouse was at least 65 when they died.

2. Over 65 Circuit Breaker Credit

Indiana’s Over 65 Circuit Breaker Credit limits your homestead’s property tax bill to a 2% increase from the prior year.

You have to be 65 under the same Dec. 31 rule, and one application covers both credits.

Its income cap runs a bit higher than the Over 65 Credit’s: $61,680 on a single return and $71,960 on a joint return for a 2027 bill.

Those limits move every year with the Social Security cost-of-living increase.

The 2025 law dropped the assessed value limit that used to apply to this credit, so a more valuable home no longer disqualifies you.

Here’s the catch: You must have qualified for the homestead standard deduction the year before, and you must qualify for it again this year.

3. Homestead Standard Deduction

Indiana’s homestead standard deduction on property taxes isn’t limited to seniors, but if you’re 65 or older and own the home you live in, you can claim it.

It’s worth $40,000 on your home for the 2026 assessment date.

That’s the deduction the Over 65 Circuit Breaker Credit depends on.

The amount falls to $30,000 for 2027, then drops $10,000 a year.

State law currently sets the deduction at zero by 2030.

Your homestead covers the dwelling plus up to one acre of land around it.

If you stop qualifying, you have 60 days to tell your county auditor, or you could owe a 10% civil penalty on the extra taxes.

4. Blind or Disabled Credit

If you're 65 or older and blind or disabled, Indiana's Blind or Disabled Credit takes $125 off your property tax bill on top of the Over 65 Credit.

The credit has no age requirement, and the law lets you claim both credits together.

Unlike the Over 65 Credit, it has no income limit.

You have to be on the title, and the home must be your primary residence.

You prove a disability with a Social Security award letter or benefit verification letter.

For blindness, a letter from a licensed optometrist works, as does one from an Indiana physician skilled in eye diseases.

5. Disabled Veteran Credit

If you're a veteran who's 65 or older with a disability of at least 10%, Indiana's Disabled Veteran Credit takes $250 off your property tax bill.

The age cutoff is 62, so you clear it with room to spare.

The credit replaces a $14,000 deduction, Hamilton County's auditor says.

A separate $350 credit goes to wartime veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10%.

You'll need your discharge papers and an award letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The discharge has to be honorable or under honorable conditions.

As a veteran, you can claim the Over 65 Credit and the Blind or Disabled Credit too, if you qualify for them.

There's one exception: If you get the 100% disabled veteran deduction, you can't claim any local property tax credit, including the Over 65 Credit.

Where Do You File?

Your county auditor takes the applications for these breaks, and you can file by mail or in person.

The deadline for your next bill is Jan. 15, 2027.

Once the county approves a credit, you generally don't have to file again while you stay eligible.

The homestead deduction works the same way, except you reapply if you sell the property or the title changes.

Seniors file State Form 43708 for both Over 65 credits.

If you're blind or disabled, you file State Form 43710.

Staying Eligible

A 2026 law now requires you to live on the property to claim the Over 65 Credit.

A stay in a nursing home or hospital doesn't disqualify you.

If you stop qualifying, you have to tell your county auditor within 60 days.

What Lawmakers May Do Next

Indiana's governor, Mike Braun, has floated ending property taxes on the home for Hoosiers older than 65 who've paid off their mortgages, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.

Separately, top Republican legislators have teased a plan to eliminate homeowner property taxes, but they haven't released details.

Both are still ideas, not programs you can apply for.

If either advances, it would likely become a leading topic in the 2027 legislative session.

Over 65 Property Tax FAQ

Your county auditor is the best contact for property tax questions about eligibility.

Did Indiana end the Over 65 property tax deduction?

Yes, a 2025 law replaced it with an Over 65 Credit worth up to $150, starting with taxes due in 2026.

What is the income limit for the Over 65 Credit?

Your adjusted gross income can't top $60,000 on a single return or $70,000 on a joint return.

What is the deadline to apply?

You have to file by Jan. 15 of the year your tax bill first comes due.

Can I claim the Over 65 and Blind or Disabled credits together?

Yes, Indiana law now lets you claim the Blind or Disabled Credit with the Over 65 Credit.

Can a surviving spouse get the Over 65 Credit?