The short answer: no freeze, but a cap for everyone
Michigan doesn't have a senior property tax freeze, and there's no age at which you stop paying. What it has instead is a cap that applies to every homeowner, plus a handful of programs that give seniors more help than younger owners. For most retirees, the most valuable of these is the Homestead Property Tax Credit, which you claim on your state return.
In February 2026, Governor Whitmer proposed a new credit that would refund about 10% of property tax for homeowners 65 and older. As of November 2026 we couldn't confirm that it made it into the final budget. Whether it applies to your 2026 taxes will be clear when the Treasury publishes the 2026 forms in January.
The Proposal A cap: a partial freeze for everyone
Since 1994, a home's taxable value, which is what your tax is figured on, can only rise each year by the rate of inflation or 5%, whichever is less, as long as you own it and don't add to it. For 2026 the cap is 2.7% (an inflation rate multiplier of 1.027). In a hot market, that can leave a long-time owner's taxable value far below the state equalized value (SEV), which is half the market value.
For a senior who has owned the same house for 20 or 30 years, this works much like a freeze. The catch is the uncapping: when the home is sold or transferred, the taxable value jumps to the SEV the next year. Heirs who keep the house can be hit hard, though transfers to children are exempt from uncapping in some cases. See our guide to property taxes on an inherited house.
Your primary residence also gets the Principal Residence Exemption, which removes up to 18 mills of school operating tax. It isn't a senior benefit, but if you haven't filed for it, you're paying much more than you should.
The Homestead Property Tax Credit
The credit is filed on Form MI-1040CR, with your state return or on its own if you don't file one. For tax year 2025:
- Maximum credit: $1,900
- Total household resources (essentially all income, taxable or not) must be $71,500 or less, with the credit phasing out above $62,500
- The home's taxable value must be $165,400 or less
- Renters can claim it too, using a share of their rent as property tax
The credit refunds part of the property tax that exceeds a percentage of your household resources. Younger filers get 60% of that excess back. Seniors get a higher percentage, up to 100% at lower incomes. That's the main way Michigan's tax system treats older homeowners differently.
You can claim the credit up to four years late, so if you've never filed it, you can still go back and claim earlier years. Many seniors who don't owe income tax never file a state return and miss it.
Summer tax deferment
If you're 62 or older (or totally disabled, or a qualifying veteran or surviving spouse) and your household income is $40,000 or less, you can postpone your summer tax bill until February 14 of the next year with no interest or penalty. That lets you pay it after your Homestead Property Tax Credit arrives. You apply to your city or township treasurer, usually by September 15.
It's a postponement, not a reduction. For other states' deferral programs, see property tax deferral programs for seniors.
The poverty exemption
Every Michigan city and township has to offer a poverty exemption for owners who can't afford their taxes. It can be full or partial. The local Board of Review decides, using income guidelines and an asset test that the city or township sets each year. You apply every year on Form 5737 (plus Form 5739 if you didn't file a tax return). Deadlines follow the Board of Review's schedule, and most boards meet in March, July and December. This is the closest thing Michigan has to "seniors don't pay," and few people apply.
Disabled veterans
A veteran with a 100% service-connected disability rating (or individual unemployability), or their unremarried surviving spouse, can get a full exemption on their home. It now renews automatically for veterans whose rating is permanent, so most don't have to reapply every year. See disabled veteran exemptions by state.
How Michigan compares
States with a true senior freeze, like Tennessee (in participating counties) or Texas (school taxes at 65), lock the tax at a set amount. Michigan's cap is broader, since it covers everyone, but weaker for seniors specifically, because the tax still rises with inflation and with any new millage. See senior property tax freezes by state and Michigan property tax rates by city.
Quick answers
Does Michigan have a property tax freeze for seniors?
No. The Proposal A cap limits every homeowner's taxable value increase to inflation or 5%, whichever is lower (2.7% for 2026), but there's no separate senior freeze.
At what age do you stop paying property taxes in Michigan?
There's no age. Low-income owners of any age can apply for the poverty exemption, which can eliminate the tax. See at what age do you stop paying property taxes.
How much is the Michigan Homestead Property Tax Credit for seniors?
Up to $1,900 for tax year 2025. Seniors get a larger percentage of their excess property tax back than younger filers.
Sources
The 2026 inflation rate multiplier is from State Tax Commission Bulletin 14 of 2025. Homestead Property Tax Credit figures for tax year 2025 are from the Michigan Department of Treasury's MI-1040CR instructions. The summer deferment, poverty exemption and disabled veteran exemption are from the General Property Tax Act (MCL 211.51, 211.7u and 211.7b) and Treasury guidance. The senior credit proposal is from the Governor's FY2027 executive budget (February 2026). This is general information, not tax advice.