Denver has a local property tax relief program

Property tax help in Denver comes from two different places, and most people only hear about one of them. The city and county run their own Property Tax Relief Program, which sends a partial refund of the property taxes a qualifying household paid, or the equivalent amount for renters whose taxes are folded into their rent.

That local refund is a separate thing from Colorado’s statewide exemption for seniors and disabled veterans. The state program works by lowering the taxable value of a home for people who qualify, so the savings show up as a smaller bill. Denver’s program works the other way around: you pay the bill, then apply for money back. It has its own application window, its own paperwork, and a pot of funding that can run out.

Because the two programs run on different tracks, qualifying for one tells you nothing about the other. A renter on a fixed income might get nothing from the state exemption but still be owed a Denver refund, and a longtime homeowner could be eligible for both at once.

If your budget is tight, it is worth looking at each one on its own terms. The city’s Property Tax Relief page lays out who counts as eligible and when applications open; the state exemption is the place to look if age, a disability, veteran service, or Gold Star spouse status might apply to your household.