NOTICE: In past years, the Department on Aging has been able to issue Circuit Breaker grants at the maximum allowable amounts. However, the state budget for fiscal year 2010 did not fund the Circuit Breaker program at those levels. In order to continue to provide the Circuit Breaker grant benefit to older adults and persons with disabilities on and after July 1, the Department made the difficult decision to cut each grant awarded in half. This decision based on budgetary cutbacks cannot be appealed.

Thank you for your understanding.

Answers provided to the following questions are meant only to give general guidance and not legal advice. The answers do not replace legal requirements set by applicable federal or state laws and regulations.

You may get a Circuit Breaker property tax grant if you

• paid property tax or mobile home tax on your home,
  or
• rent or live in a nursing, retirement, or shelter care home that was subject to property taxes,
  and
• qualify for Form IL-1363 benefits (see Do I qualify?).

Your grant is figured by a formula using the amount you paid in property tax or mobile home tax for your place of residence (where you lived in 2008) and the amount of your total income.

Renters and nursing, retirement or shelter care home residents: If you lived in a residence that was subject to property tax, your grant is figured using a percentage of the amount you paid in rent or nursing home charges.

If you want to determine the approximate amount of your grant, see How to Estimate your Grant (page 8 of the 2008 IL-1363 application booklet).

If you send us your completed Form IL-1363 early in the year, we will issue your grant in three to four months. If you send us your completed Form IL-1363 after May 1, we will issue your grant in approximately 10 weeks.

Your grant will be delayed if we need to request additional information from you or if funds are not available. Applications filed on the Internet are processed faster (in approximately 10 weeks).

You can find out the status of your grant by linking to Check Your Application Status or calling the toll-free, 24-hour automated telephone service at 1-800-624-2459, 1-888-206-1327 (TTY).

You may be eligible for a grant for the time you lived in an Illinois residence that was subject to property or mobile home tax during 2008. You must provide information on each place where you lived. For more information, see How to Estimate your Grant (page 8 of the 2008 IL-1363 application booklet).

If the nursing home or public housing unit where you live is not subject to property tax, you are not eligible to receive a Circuit Breaker grant. If you live in a nursing home or public housing unit that is subject to property tax, you may be eligible for a grant. For more information, see How to Estimate your Grant (page 8 of the 2008 IL-1363 application booklet).

To find out if you qualify, link to Do I qualify?

For information on how to apply, link to About Form IL-1363: How do I apply for benefits?