Seniors in Bartlett, IL

Property taxes, senior rides, and most senior services in Bartlett are handed out by county or township — and Bartlett spans three counties, so the right door depends on your address.

• Cook County side → Hanover Township (generally the northern and eastern parts of Bartlett, plus Streamwood and Hanover Park).
• DuPage County side → Wayne Township (generally the southern and western parts of Bartlett, plus West Chicago, Carol Stream, and Wayne).
• A small western edge of Bartlett is in Kane County — the tax sections below cover DuPage and Cook, where the great majority of Bartlett seniors live.

Not sure which side you're on? Your property tax bill names both your county and your township.

Both counties start with the same first step: the Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption. In DuPage, it takes a maximum of $8,000 off your home's equalized assessed value (EAV) if you are 65 by December 31 of the assessment year, own and occupy the home, and are liable for its taxes — and once you're enrolled, most taxpayers need to do nothing further to keep it. Cook County's version also reduces EAV by $8,000 (you must have owned and occupied the home as of January 1 and be 65 during the tax year), and the Cook County Assessor now automatically renews it for homes that haven't been sold.

Lower income? Add the Senior Freeze. The Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze locks your home's taxable assessed value at a base-year level, so rising property values stop pushing your bill up. (It freezes the assessed value — not the tax bill or the tax rate, so a rate increase can still raise your bill.) For the 2026 application, the household income limit is $75,000 in both counties. In DuPage you must first have the Senior Homestead Exemption, and the filing deadline is October 1 each year (Supervisor of Assessments, 630-407-5858). In Cook County the freeze must be re-applied for every year, because income can change.

Still squeezed? The state will lend you the tax money. The Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral Program works like a loan: the State of Illinois pays up to $7,500 a year of your property taxes, charges 3% interest per year, and is repaid when the home is sold or transferred, or within a year after the owner's death. As published for the current cycle you must be 65 by June 1, have household income of $75,000 or less, have owned and occupied the home at least three years, carry fire/casualty insurance, and owe no back taxes. DuPage residents apply through the County Treasurer between January 1 and February 27 (630-407-5900); Cook County residents apply through the Cook County Treasurer's annual window.

Details: DuPage Supervisor of Assessments — senior exemptions · Cook County Treasurer — senior exemptions

Open enrollment is when the sales calls start — so know about SHIP, the Senior Health Insurance Program. Run by the Illinois Department on Aging, SHIP is a free statewide counseling service for Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers. The Department is explicit about what makes it different: SHIP is not affiliated with any insurance company, and its counselors do not sell or solicit any type of insurance. They'll explain Medicare, Medicare Supplement, and Medicare HMO options, help you compare plans, help with claims, and review long-term care policies — with 300+ offices and 900+ certified counselors across Illinois.

Call SHIP at 1-800-252-8966 (or email Aging.Ship@illinois.gov) to be connected with a counselor. Before you sign anything a salesperson puts in front of you, one free call is worth it.

And keep an eye on the calendar. Plenty of what's on our events pages is senior-friendly and free — park concerts, library programs, fests, and markets. The Bartlett events calendar refreshes daily, and the Thursday email at the top of this page delivers the weekend list so you don't have to go looking.

LIHEAP gets a head start for seniors. The energy-assistance program's current season opened October 1, 2026 for priority households — which include older adults (60+), people with a disability, families with children 5 and under, and households facing disconnection. Everyone else income-eligible follows on November 1, first-come, first-served. Our single moms guide covers LIHEAP county by county — DuPage County Community Services, CEDA for Cook, Community Contacts for Kane — plus ComEd's Smart Assistance Manager and Nicor Gas's Sharing grants, and none of it is moms-only: the same doors are open to seniors. Both township welfare offices also run general/emergency assistance for residents in a genuine financial crisis (Hanover: 630-540-9085; Wayne: 630-231-7173), and township staff help residents complete LIHEAP applications.

Do seniors get a property tax break in Bartlett?
Yes — three of them. The Senior Homestead Exemption takes $8,000 off your home's assessed value in both DuPage and Cook counties. The Senior Freeze (household income $75,000 or less for the 2026 application) locks your assessed value against rising property values. And the state Tax Deferral Program will lend you up to $7,500 a year at 3% interest to pay the taxes, repaid when the home is sold.

Is there a senior bus in Bartlett?
Yes. On the Cook side, Hanover Township's Dial-A-Bus serves residents 55+ — call 630-483-5656 at least 24 hours ahead. On the DuPage side, Pace's Wayne Township Dial-a-Ride charges seniors $1.50 (reservations 1-800-713-7445), and DuPage County's Ride DuPage Senior Services is free for county-authorized trips once you register at 630-407-6500.

Where is the senior center?
There are two. The Hanover Township Senior Center is right in Bartlett, at 240 S. IL Route 59 (630-483-5600). The Wayne Township Senior Center is at the township office, 27W031 North Ave in West Chicago (630-231-7155), and membership is free for township residents 55 and over.

Who helps seniors compare Medicare plans for free?
SHIP — the Senior Health Insurance Program, run by the Illinois Department on Aging. Its counselors are trained volunteers who don't sell insurance and aren't affiliated with any insurance company. Call 1-800-252-8966.

More Bartlett know-how from this guide: the new-resident setup checklist if you're helping family move here (or just arrived yourself), the guide for single moms in Bartlett for the grandkids' parents, our guide to why your ComEd bill is so high, and the Bartlett construction & road alerts before you drive to any of the offices above.