Colorado Senior and Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption, Plus the PTC Rebate

Colorado has two kinds of property tax help for older homeowners and veterans. The homestead exemptions cut the taxable value of your home: 50% of the first $200,000 of value for qualifying seniors and disabled veterans [1][4]. The PTC rebate is a check from the state, worth up to $1,178, for lower-income seniors who pay property tax, rent or heating bills [5].

The senior exemption

Who qualifies

To get the senior homestead exemption, you must meet all of these as of January 1 of the year you apply [1]:

• You are 65 or older.
• You’ve been the owner of record for at least 10 consecutive years.
• You’ve lived in the home as your primary residence for at least 10 consecutive years.

A surviving spouse can also qualify if the spouse who died was 65 or older, the couple lived in the home for 10 consecutive years, and the survivor still lives there and hasn’t remarried [1].

How much it’s worth

The exemption takes 50% of the first $200,000 of your home’s actual value off the tax rolls. A $200,000 home, for example, would have $100,000 exempt [1]. Homes worth more get the same maximum: up to $100,000 of value [2]. The state pays the county for the exempted taxes [2].

How and when to apply

Apply once, with your county assessor [1]. On-time applications are due July 15 [1][2]. Some counties take late filings; Boulder County accepts them from July 16 through August 15 [2]. Once approved, you don’t need to reapply [1].

The exemption ends if you sell the home, move it into a trust or LLC (you’d have to reapply), or the home is destroyed [2].

The disabled veteran and Gold Star spouse exemption

The exemption for veterans is the same size: 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value of your primary residence [4]. The state reimburses the county [4].

You qualify if you [4]:

• are rated 100% permanently and totally disabled by the VA, or have individual unemployability status,
• were honorably discharged, and
• owned and lived in the home as your primary residence before January 1.

Surviving spouses of veterans who qualified, and Gold Star spouses of service members who died in the line of duty or from a service-related injury, can also apply if they haven’t remarried and live in the home [4].

The deadline is July 1 of the year you want the exemption. You apply once, and it continues until something changes [4]. Larimer County’s 2027 applications open January 2, 2027 [3].

The PTC rebate (Property Tax/Rent/Heat)

The PTC rebate is separate from the exemptions. Renters can get it too, because it covers rent and heat as well as property tax [6].

You also must have paid property tax, rent or heating bills during 2025 and not be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s federal return [5]. A sales tax refund of $19 single or $38 joint is added if you qualify [5].

How to apply. File online through Revenue Online if you’ve applied in the last two years, or mail form DR 0104PTC to the Colorado Department of Revenue, Denver, CO 80261-0005 [5].

When it’s paid. The rebate is paid in installments on a set schedule. Applications approved before March 10, 2026 were paid in four parts; later filers get fewer, larger payments [6]. Filing early in the year gets the money flowing sooner [6].

Quick checklist

• Turning 65 this year and owned your home 10+ years? Apply to your county assessor after January 1 and by July 15.
• Veteran rated 100% P&T or with individual unemployability? Apply by July 1.
• Income under the PTC limits? File DR 0104PTC for 2025 by December 31, 2027.
• Moved recently? Ask your assessor about the separate senior primary residence classification; Larimer County’s 2026 deadline was March 15, 2026 [3].