Most people think of April 15 as Tax Day, the day by which federal and state personal income tax returns need to be filed.

But for Oregon disabled and senior homeowners struggling to pay their property taxes, April 15 provides another deadline, and an opportunity take part in a program that could help them stay in their homes.

April 15 is the deadline to apply for the Oregon Property Tax Deferral for Disabled and Senior Homeowners Program.

The program helps senior and disabled homeowners stay in their homes by paying their property taxes for them subject to a lien that is repaid with 6 percent interest after deferral ends. This is not a tax exemption; the program is paying the current year taxes to the local governments. If a homeowner with a site built home had prior year taxes outstanding, once approved to the program they can request a delay of tax foreclosure from the county.

In 2024 the program paid more than $11.5 million in property taxes for 3,382 seniors and 419 disable homeowners.

How does the program work? Participants must be at least 62 years of age or disabled and eligible to receive federal Social Security Disability benefit and have owned and lived in their home for 5 years. Participants’ income for 2025 is limited to $60,000 and homesteads qualify if their home value is less than the calculated limit. See website link below for addition eligibility criteria.

Can I file late? Since 2022, eligible homeowners can apply to the program and pay a late application fee to the county up until December 1.

To obtain an application form or for more information please visit our Department of Revenue website at www.oregon.gov/dor/deferral.

You can also call 800-356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish) or 503-378-4988 in Salem and outside Oregon. For TTY (hearing or speech impaired), we accept all relay calls.