Requirements
What Are The Requirements?
Everyone applying for Tax Relief must submit documentation proving they’re eligible for the program. In most cases, applicants will only have to provide a current driver license and a copy of their most recent income tax return.
Scroll down for a full list of accepted supporting documentation, or click here to take a quiz that’ll help you figure out which programs you’re eligible for and which documents you might need to provide.
- Proof of Ownership
- Paid tax bill listing the applicant as the property owner
- Most recent property deed
- Probated will
- Affidavit of heirship (in certain cases)
- Proof of Residency
- Valid driver license
- Valid state-issued ID
- Current voter registration card
- 2 different utility bills from 2024
- Social security letter
- VA letter
- Bank Statement from 2024
- Auto insurance policy declaration page
- Proof of Age
- Current driver license
- Current passport
- Birth certificate
- Current military ID
- Medicare card
- Valid Census record
- Proof of Income
- 2023 Income Tax Return
- Bank Statement or other proof of income from all sources, including:
- Social Security (SSA)
- Supplemental Support Income (SSI)
- Pension & Retirement
- Wages & Salary
- Veteran's benefits
- Worker's Compensation
- Dividends & Interest
- Rental income
- All other income source
- F-16 or F-16s
- Disabled Veterans must complete and sign an F-16 form. Click here to download the F-16 form.
- Disabled Veteran's Widow(er)s must complete and sign an F-16s form. Click here to download the F-16s form.
Other Documents
Depending on your circumstances, you may be asked to provide other documents, including but not limited to:
- Deceased owner’s death certificate
- Divorce decree / order
- Affidavit of affixation (for mobile homes)
Am I Eligible?
There are four ways to qualify for Tax Relief. You may qualify if you meet one of the four eligibility categories below.
Elderly
- You must be 65 on or before 12/31/2024.
- You must own your own home and use it as your primary residence.
- Your total, combined 2023 income must not exceed $36,370.*
Disabled
- You must be disabled on or before 12/31/2024.
- You must own your own home and use it as your primary residence.
- Your total, combined 2023 income must not exceed $36,370.*
Disabled Veteran
- You must own your home and use it as your primary residence.
- You must consent to the release of disability and income information from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- You must meet one of the following disability requirements
- You must be rated totally and permanently disabled from a service-connected disability on or before 12/31/2024.
- You must have a service-connected disability which resulted in paraplegia or permanent paralysis of both legs and lower body resulting from traumatic injury or disease to the spinal cord or brain; or loss, or loss of use, of two or more limbs, or legal blindness.
- You must have a 100-percent total and permanent disability rating from being a prisoner of war.
Surviving Spouse of Disabled Veteran
- You must own your home and use it as your primary residence.
- You must consent to the release of disability and income information from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- You must have been married to the veteran at the time of their death and not have remarried.
- The veteran must have met the disability requirements of the Disabled Veteran category.
*Note: "total, combined income" includes all sources of income from the applicant, their spouse (if married), and anyone listed on the property deed (including the resident remainder of a Life Estate).
How Do I Apply?
Ready to Apply? Click the button to download the Tax Relief application:
Once you’ve completed and signed your applications, submit them to our office (along with the required documentation) using the address, email address or fax number below..
Mail / In Person
City of Chattanooga
Office of the City Treasurer
101 E. 11th St, Room 100
Chattanooga, TN 37402
Email
taxrelief@chattanooga.gov
Fax
(423) 643-7278
Need Help?
If you’d like help with your forms, call us at (423) 643-7274. We’re happy to help you over the phone or to schedule an appointment for in-person assistance. Click here to view the 2024-2025 appointment schedule.
Incomplete Applications
Please note, we cannot accept incomplete or unsigned applications. Applications that are not filled out or are missing signatures will not be processed. Instead, they will be returned to you for completion.
Application Deadline
The 2024 application deadline is April 5, 2025. Any applications delivered or postmarked after April 5, 2025 cannot be accepted. But there’s no need to wait — turn in your applications early for quicker processing.
Even though the application deadline is April 5, 2025, property taxes are still due by Friday, February 28, 2025. See the section titled “Payment of Taxes” under More Information for additional details.
Process Details
Approval Process / Evaluation
Tax Relief Amounts
If your Tax Relief application is approved, the State of Tennessee will reimburse a portion of your 2024 City of Chattanooga property taxes, up to the following amounts, according to your classification and the assessed value of your property:
- 2024 Maximum Reimbursement for Elderly and Disabled Classifications: $126.16
- 2024 Maximum Reimbursement for Disabled Veterans and their Widow(er)s: $694.27
Payment of Taxes
Tax Relief applicants are required to pay the 2024 taxes before their applications can be processed. If an application is approved, the State of Tennessee will reimburse the applicant in the determined amount. You have until April 5, 2025 to submit our Tax Relief application. However, property taxes are due by February 28, 2025. Interest will accrue monthly on any balance that remains after February 28, 2025.
What does this mean for you? It means that you can pay your taxes without interest by February 28, 2025 or you can pay your taxes with interest by April 5, 2025, but you must pay your 2024 taxes before the application deadline to apply for Tax Relief.
Tax Relief for City & County Taxes
Tax Relief applies to both City and County taxes. So, you only need to submit one application to either the City of Chattanooga or Hamilton County
Helpful Resources
The information above is only an overview of the Tax Relief program. If you have questions not answered by this page, (for example, "How is the reimbursement amount is calculated?" or "What happens if I temporarily relocate?"), please visit The State of Tennessee Tax Relief website for full program details.