Indiana · Property tax exemptions · Updated Oct 2026
Indiana property tax exemptions
Homestead, senior, veteran, disability and surviving-spouse breaks in Indiana: what each one is worth, who qualifies, how to apply and the deadline, in plain English.
$40,000homestead exemption
Yessenior break
Full exemptiondisabled veterans
January 15homestead deadline
0.74%median tax rate
Exemptions by group
Every break for one group on one page, with step-by-step instructions and the tools set for that group.
Supplemental Homestead Credit (automatic, SEA 1-2025), Over 65 Credit, Deduction for Totally Disabled Veteran (100% of assessed value) …
Where to apply in Indiana
Your county auditor approves property tax deductions and credits. You file with the auditor of the county where the home is; the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) writes the forms.
Homestead Standard Deduction and Supplemental Homestead Deduction
For 2026 assessments (taxes paid in 2027): $40,000 off the assessed value (standard deduction), then 46% of the remaining assessed value off (supplemental deduction). Under SEA 1 (2025) the standard deduction falls to $30,000 for 2027, $20,000 for 2028, $10,000 for 2029 and $0 from 2030, while the supplemental share rises to 66.7% for taxes payable in 2031.
Who qualifies
You own (or are buying under a recorded contract) and live in the home as your principal place of residence - your true, fixed, permanent home - on January 1 or the date you apply. Covers the house, garage and up to one acre. One per person or married couple.
How to apply
File Form HC10 (Claim for Homestead Property Tax Standard Deduction, State Form 5473) with the county auditor, or check the homestead box on the Sales Disclosure Form when you buy. One form covers both deductions.
Filed (or postmarked) by January 15 of the year the taxes are first due (January 15, 2027 for 2026-pay-2027 bills).
Renewal
One-time. Refile only if ownership or title changes. You must tell the auditor within 60 days if the home stops being your residence, or you owe the back taxes plus a 10% penalty (HEA 1210-2026).
Automatic credit equal to 10% of your homestead's property tax bill, up to $300. It started with 2026 bills; DLGF describes it as applying to taxes payable beginning in 2026 with no end date or change to the $300 cap.
Who qualifies
Anyone who gets the homestead standard deduction (or a surviving spouse of someone who did).
How to apply
Nothing to file; applied by the county auditor if your homestead deduction is in place.
Deadline
Homestead deduction must be on file by January 15.
$150 off your property tax bill (replaced the old over-65 assessed value deduction starting with 2026 bills).
Who qualifies
You are 65 or older by December 31 of the year before the taxes are due, own (or are buying under recorded contract) and live in the home, and have owned it at least one year. From 2026-pay-2027 you must also live in the home (time in a nursing home or hospital does not count against you) (HEA 1210-2026). Federal adjusted gross income two years before the tax year of $60,000 or less (single) or $70,000 (joint, or all co-owners). An unremarried surviving spouse 60 or older can qualify if the spouse was 65 at death.
Income limit
Federal AGI from two years before the tax year: $60,000 single, $70,000 joint (for 2026-pay-2027 bills, 2025 AGI).
How to apply
File State Form 43708 (Application for Senior Citizen Property Tax Benefits) with the county auditor in person or by mail, with proof of age and your IRS Form 1040 for the year two years before.
One-time while you stay eligible. Tell the county auditor within 60 days if you stop qualifying. People who had the old over-65 deduction were converted to the credit automatically.
Keeps the property tax on your homestead from going up more than 2% over last year's tax.
Who qualifies
You had the homestead deduction last year and this year, are 65 or older by December 31 of the year before, and your federal AGI two years before is under the limit.
Income limit
$61,680 single / $71,960 married for 2026-pay-2027 bills ($60,000 / $70,000 for pay 2026), adjusted yearly by the Social Security COLA.
How to apply
Check the circuit breaker box on State Form 43708 and file with the county auditor with your Form 1040.
Deduction for Totally Disabled Veteran (100% of assessed value)
From 2026-pay-2027: 100% of the assessed value of your home is deducted (previously $14,000).
Who qualifies
Veteran who served at least 90 days, was honorably discharged, is totally disabled, uses the home as a principal residence, and has lived in Indiana at least one year before the assessment date. Unremarried surviving spouse may keep it. If you get this deduction you cannot get local property tax credits.
How to apply
File State Form 12662 with the county auditor, with a VA pension certificate or award of compensation, or a Certificate of Eligibility from the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs. If you had the old $14,000 deduction, you were switched to the $250 credit for 2026-pay-2027 and must file a new application to get the 100% deduction.
Disabled Veteran Credits ($350 service-connected; $250 age 62+ with 10% disability)
$350 off your tax bill if you have a service-connected disability of at least 10% (replaces the $24,960 deduction from 2026-pay-2027). Separately, $250 off if you are 62 or older with a disability of at least 10%. You can get both.
Who qualifies
$350: honorably discharged wartime veteran with a service-connected disability of 10% or more. $250: veteran with 90 days' service, honorable discharge, age 62+, disability of 10% or more. Surviving spouses can qualify (for $250, also if the veteran was killed in action or died on active duty).
How to apply
File State Form 12662 with the county auditor with VA proof of disability. DLGF recommends counties move people who had the $24,960 deduction to the $350 credit automatically, but the law says you must apply, so check with your auditor.
$125 off your property tax bill (replaced the old blind/disabled deduction starting with 2026 bills). No income limit.
Who qualifies
You are blind or disabled (unable to work because of an impairment expected to last at least 12 months), own or are buying the home under recorded contract, and live in it.
How to apply
File State Form 43710 with the county auditor. Proof of blindness: state agency records or a statement from a licensed eye physician or optometrist. Proof of disability: Social Security disability eligibility, or a physician's exam under SSA standards.
No cap on assessed value, but the constitutional circuit breaker caps a homestead's tax at 1% of its gross assessed value (IC 6-1.1-20.6-7.5), and the Over 65 Circuit Breaker Credit limits a qualifying senior's yearly tax increase to 2% (IC 6-1.1-20.6-8.5).
Good to know in Indiana
Applications filed by January 15 apply to the bill due that year (e.g. file by January 15, 2027 for 2026-pay-2027 taxes).
Marion County (Indianapolis) and St. Joseph County also offer a County Option Circuit Breaker Credit for seniors, with its own form (DLGF).
From July 1, 2026, keeping a homestead deduction you no longer qualify for brings back taxes plus a 10% penalty (HEA 1210-2026).
Savings estimate for Indiana
Roughly what an exemption could save you a year: the value it takes off, times your tax rate.
Eligibility finder for Indiana
Answer a few questions to see which property tax breaks may fit you. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.
Document checklist for Indiana
Pick the breaks you plan to apply for. You get a checklist of forms, documents, steps and deadlines to print or keep on your phone.
Questions about property tax exemptions in Indiana
Is there a homestead exemption in Indiana?
Yes: the Homestead Standard Deduction and Supplemental Homestead Deduction. For 2026 assessments (taxes paid in 2027): $40,000 off the assessed value (standard deduction), then 46% of the remaining assessed value off (supplemental deduction). Under SEA 1 (2025) the standard deduction falls to $30,000 for 2027, $20,000 for 2028, $10,000 for 2029 and $0 from 2030, while the supplemental share rises to 66.7% for taxes payable in 2031. Who qualifies: You own (or are buying under a recorded contract) and live in the home as your principal place of residence - your true, fixed, permanent home - on January 1 or the date you apply. Covers the house, garage and up to one acre. One per person or married couple.
When is the deadline to apply for the homestead exemption in Indiana?
Filed (or postmarked) by January 15 of the year the taxes are first due (January 15, 2027 for 2026-pay-2027 bills).
Do I have to reapply for the homestead exemption every year in Indiana?
One-time. Refile only if ownership or title changes. You must tell the auditor within 60 days if the home stops being your residence, or you owe the back taxes plus a 10% penalty (HEA 1210-2026).
Are there property tax breaks for seniors in Indiana?
Over 65 Credit: $150 off your property tax bill (replaced the old over-65 assessed value deduction starting with 2026 bills). Over 65 Circuit Breaker Credit: Keeps the property tax on your homestead from going up more than 2% over last year's tax.
Do disabled veterans get a property tax exemption in Indiana?
Deduction for Totally Disabled Veteran (100% of assessed value): From 2026-pay-2027: 100% of the assessed value of your home is deducted (previously $14,000). Disabled Veteran Credits ($350 service-connected; $250 age 62+ with 10% disability): $350 off your tax bill if you have a service-connected disability of at least 10% (replaces the $24,960 deduction from 2026-pay-2027). Separately, $250 off if you are 62 or older with a disability of at least 10%. You can get both.
Is there a limit on how fast my home's taxable value can rise in Indiana?
No cap on assessed value, but the constitutional circuit breaker caps a homestead's tax at 1% of its gross assessed value (IC 6-1.1-20.6-7.5), and the Over 65 Circuit Breaker Credit limits a qualifying senior's yearly tax increase to 2% (IC 6-1.1-20.6-8.5).
Where do I apply for property tax exemptions in Indiana?
Your county auditor approves property tax deductions and credits. You file with the auditor of the county where the home is; the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) writes the forms.
Think your home’s assessed value is too high? An exemption and an appeal are separate: you can do both.
Median effective tax rate: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024 5-year estimates, tables B25103 (median real estate taxes paid, owner-occupied homes) and B25077 (median value, owner-occupied homes). The rate is the median tax paid divided by the median home value.