Iowa's Property Tax Credit for Seniors and Disabled Homeowners: A Des Moines Guide
Iowa homeowners who are 65 or older, or totally disabled, can get up to $1,000 of their property tax bill covered through the state's Property Tax Credit for senior and disabled citizens. Homeowners 70 and up with higher incomes can also lock in protection against rising taxes. Here's how it works in Des Moines and the rest of Polk County, and what to do if you missed the June 1 deadline.
AT A GLANCE
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What this credit does
Iowa's Property Tax Credit for Senior and Disabled Citizens is part of the state's homestead tax law, according to the Iowa Department of Revenue (IDR). It cuts the property tax due on the home you own and live in. Polk County's treasurer describes it as relief for elderly homeowners and homeowners with disabilities who meet annual household income rules.
You file once a year. The claim covers the taxes due in the next fiscal year. The 2026 Form 54-001, for example, uses your 2025 household income and applies to taxes payable in fiscal year 2026-2027.
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Three ways to qualify
The 2026 claim instructions list three paths. You must also be a current Iowa resident.
Age 65 or older on December 31, 2025, with total household income under $26,895.
Age 70 or older on December 31, 2025, with total household income at or under 250% of the federal poverty level for your household size (table below).
Totally disabled and age 18 or older by December 31, 2025.
Polk County adds that you must have been the recorded property owner or contract buyer by June 30, 2025.
The 70+ income limits
IDR says the 70+ rule came from SF 619, passed in 2021, which opened the credit to older homeowners with higher incomes starting in 2022. These are the limits printed on the 2026 form:
People in household | 2025 household income at or under |
|---|---|
1 | $39,125 |
2 | $52,875 |
3 | $66,625 |
4 | $80,375 |
5 | $94,125 |
6 | $107,875 |
7 | $121,625 |
8 | $135,375 |
For more than eight people, add $13,750 per person. The form counts people who are domiciled with you, not temporary visitors. IDR notes that the schedule changes every year.
What "totally disabled" means
The form defines it as being unable to do any substantial gainful work because of a medically determined physical or mental impairment expected to last at least 12 months or result in death. You must include current proof in one of these forms:
a current Veterans Administration statement showing you received a disability benefit for 100% disability in 2025
a current Social Security Administration document showing the date your disability began
a written statement from your doctor giving the start date and whether the disability is permanent or temporary
If you were 65 or older by December 31, 2025, you don't need disability proof. Claims without proper documentation are denied.
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Counting household income
Household income includes your income, your spouse's income if you live together, and money you receive from anyone else living with you. It can differ from what you report on your tax return. Lines 8 through 17 of the form ask for:
Line | Income |
|---|---|
8 | Iowa taxable income from the 2025 IA 1040 (Step 4, line 4); zero if below 65 and not required to file |
9 | Housing costs, including utilities, that someone paid for you (not federal energy assistance) |
10 | Title 19 benefits for housing only; 20% of benefits in a nursing home or 40% in a care facility if the administrator can't tell you |
11 | All Social Security, including Medicare premiums withheld |
12 | Disability payments and workers' compensation |
13 | All retirement income, including pensions, annuities, IRAs and military retirement |
14 | Interest from federal, state or local governments |
15 | Capital gains and farm tenancy income (a net loss counts as zero) |
16 | Money from others living with you (not goods or services) |
17 | Child support, alimony, FIP, children's SSI, other cash welfare, insurance and gambling income |
Leave out food assistance, non-cash government help, foster grandparent stipends, and any property tax credit you received in 2025. Child insurance benefits paid to a household member also aren't counted in line 11.
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How the credit is figured
Your county treasurer completes this part when tax amounts are ready.
Property tax base. Gross property tax due on the homestead plus special assessments, capped at $1,000.
Your percentage, from household income:
2025 household income | Credit percentage |
|---|---|
$0 – $13,854.99 | 100% |
$13,855 – $15,484.99 | 85% |
$15,485 – $17,114.99 | 70% |
$17,115 – $20,374.99 | 50% |
$20,375 – $23,634.99 | 35% |
$23,635 – $26,894.99 | 25% |
$26,895 or more | none |
Tentative credit = tax base × percentage.
Subtract the homestead credit that applies to the same year's taxes. What's left is your property tax credit.
The 70+ calculation
If you qualify through the 70+ rule, you get the greater of two numbers:
the standard calculation above, as if you were eligible under it, or
your current property taxes minus the taxes due in the first year you claimed under the 70+ rule, less the homestead credit.
The second number effectively protects you from tax increases after your first claim. IDR warns that you must keep filing every year to keep that benefit.
Examples
These are our own calculations, for a home with at least $1,000 in property tax. Your real credit is lower by your homestead credit.
Claimant | 2025 income | Percentage | Before homestead credit |
|---|---|---|---|
Widow, 67 | $12,500 | 100% | $1,000 |
Retired couple, both 66 | $16,000 | 70% | $700 |
Man, 52, on SSDI | $19,000 | 50% | $500 |
Woman, 68 | $25,000 | 25% | $250 |
A 72-year-old couple with $45,000 of income gets nothing under the standard schedule. But they're under the $52,875 limit for two, so they qualify through the 70+ rule. If their taxes were $2,000 in their first claim year and are $2,600 now, their tentative credit would be $600 before the homestead credit (again, our hypothetical numbers).
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Special situations
Married couples are one household. You file one claim and combine incomes. Spouses who don't live together may file separately.
Co-owners. If some owners live elsewhere, the tax is prorated. The form's example: three owners, two living there, $1,800 in tax, so $1,200 counts. If two or more people in a home qualify, each can file based on their own income and share of the tax.
Part of the home rented or used for business. Only your living area counts. The form's example: 750 of 1,000 square feet is 75%.
Nursing home or care facility. You can still claim on your homestead if you aren't renting it out.
A death in the family. A spouse, attorney, guardian, executor or administrator may file for someone who died, if they were an Iowa resident when they died.
Mobile, manufactured or modular homes. If the home is assessed as real estate, use Form 54-001. If it's taxed by square footage, the Reduced Tax Rate program (Form 54-014) is for owners 23 or older under the same $26,895 income limit, filed with the treasurer by June 1.
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Deadlines and late claims
The 2026 form says to file with your county treasurer on or before June 1, 2026, and that the treasurer may extend the deadline to March 31, 2027. IDR adds that it can no longer accept late claims for any year beginning July 1, 2025. Late requests now go through the county.
Polk County's page says that under House File 976, applications after June 1 are late and that the Treasurer's Office must receive senior and disabled credit forms by December 31, 2026. That's earlier than the March 31, 2027 date on the state form. If you're in Polk County and missed June 1, don't wait. Call the treasurer at 515-286-3060 and get your claim in well before December 31.
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A big change to the homestead credit
IDR says SF 2472, signed May 18, 2026, replaces the homestead tax credit with a homestead exemption of 10% of your home's taxable value (at least $5,500 and at most $20,000 of taxable value). It starts with assessment year 2026, meaning taxes paid in September 2027 and March 2028. People who got the homestead credit or exemption before July 1, 2026, will get the new exemption automatically if they still qualify. Homeowners 65 or older also get an extra $6,500 homestead exemption, and don't need to refile once approved.
The 2026 property tax credit form still subtracts the homestead credit. Check the 2027 form for any change.
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YOUR CHECKLIST
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Polk County contacts
Polk County Treasurer: 111 Court Avenue, Room 154, Des Moines, IA 50309. Open 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday–Friday. Property tax line 515-286-3060, propertytax@polkcountyiowa.gov. Forms can be mailed or left in the drop box at 111 Court Ave.
Homestead credits and exemptions are handled by the Polk County Assessor's Office.
Can't pay your taxes at all? Polk County Adult Services runs a Property Tax Suspension Program that can suspend or redeem property taxes so qualifying residents can stay in their homes.
Outside Polk County, find your treasurer at iowatreasurers.org.
More help in Des Moines
Official sources
Last checked: October 30, 2026. Eligibility rules, income limits, percentages, deadlines and examples marked as official come from the Iowa Department of Revenue's website and the 2026 Form 54-001. Polk County deadlines, office hours and contacts come from the Polk County Treasurer's website.
This is general information, not tax advice. Your county treasurer decides whether your claim is approved and how much credit you get.
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