Senior, Veteran and Disability Property Tax Relief in Wisconsin

Homestead credit (tax year 2025): Wisconsin residents all year, 18 or older, who owned or rented a home subject to property tax and had household income under $24,680 may claim up to $1,168, based on household income and property taxes or rent; claimants must have earned income, be disabled, or be 62 or older. Property tax deferral loan program: loans to qualifying elderly homeowners to pay property taxes, operated by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA); principal and interest are repaid when ownership transfers or the owner moves, and the loan is a lien on the home.

The Department of Revenue states that Wisconsin does not offer a property tax exemption for veterans. Instead, the veterans and surviving spouses property tax credit (sec. 71.07(6e), Wis. Stats.) is a refundable income tax credit equal to the property taxes paid during the year on the principal dwelling. It is for veterans with a 100% service-connected disability rating or a 100% rating based on individual unemployability, who served under honorable conditions and were Wisconsin residents when entering active service or for any consecutive five-year period after entry, and for certain unremarried surviving spouses (including those receiving dependency and indemnity compensation, for tax years from 2014). Eligibility must first be certified by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, and the certificate is attached to the first return claiming the credit.

People who are disabled (or whose spouse is disabled) and meet the income and residency tests may claim the homestead credit even without earned income (tax year 2025: household income under $24,680, maximum credit $1,168).

Homestead credit: an income-based credit for low- and moderate-income homeowners and renters (renters count part of their rent as property tax), paid directly and claimed on Schedule H or H-EZ; for tax year 2025, household income must be under $24,680 and the maximum is $1,168. It cannot be combined with the veterans and surviving spouses property tax credit or farmland preservation credit for the same year.