Low-income Coloradans 65 and older who have applied for the state’s property tax, rent and heat rebate get their money in January if the application is processed by Dec. 10. The rebate can reach $1,178 a year. The Colorado Department of Revenue’s rebate page lists a Jan. 5, 2027 direct deposit date and a Jan. 15, 2027 paper check date for 2025 applications processed by that cutoff, and those payments cover the full rebate.
The Dec. 10 date is one of four processing cutoffs in the year, and it is the last one that pays the whole amount at once. Applications processed earlier were paid in installments, with the first deposits going out in April and later ones in July and October. Anyone who files now and misses Dec. 10 is not shut out, but the payment moves back by weeks.
For a person living on a fixed income, the question is whether their own situation fits the rebate’s rules and whether the form has already been processed. The rebate is for people who lived in Colorado all of 2025, were 65 or older on Dec. 31, 2025 and paid property tax, rent or heating bills. A surviving spouse who is at least 58 can also apply.
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Who counts as low-income for this rebate?
Total income from all sources must fall below $19,094 for a single applicant or $25,788 for a married couple filing jointly, according to the AARP Foundation’s Colorado property tax guide and the state’s figures for 2025. Nobody else can claim the applicant as a dependent on a federal return, and a surviving spouse who was divorced before the spouse died does not qualify.
The rebate is based on income and on what the applicant paid for property tax, rent or heat, so it varies from one household to the next. The $1,178 figure is the ceiling, not a typical payment. Some recipients also get a TABOR refund of up to $38, or $19 for single filers, the Department of Revenue says.
When does the money arrive?
The Department of Revenue ties each payment to the date an application is processed, not the date it was mailed. A 2025 application processed by Dec. 10 pays on Jan. 5, 2027 by direct deposit or Jan. 15, 2027 by paper check. Earlier cutoffs on March 10, June 10 and Sept. 10 paid one-quarter, one-third and one-half of the rebate in installments, which is how earlier filers were paid.
The state says applications processed by Dec. 31, 2027 are paid about 10 weeks after they arrive by direct deposit, or 12 weeks by paper check. The 2024 rebate application can still be processed through Dec. 31, 2026, so someone who skipped last year’s rebate has one more month to file for it. Signing up for direct deposit is the faster route.
The full 2025 schedule runs in steps. Applications processed by March 10 paid on April 5 by direct deposit or April 15 by check, in four installments. Those processed by June 10 paid July 5 or July 15 in three installments, and those processed by Sept. 10 paid Oct. 5 or Oct. 15 in two. Dec. 10 is the cutoff that pays whatever is left in a single payment, so a person who applied earlier may already have received part of the rebate.
How does someone apply?
Applicants fill out form DR 0104PTC and either bring it to a Colorado Department of Revenue Taxpayer Service Center or mail it to the Colorado Department of Revenue, Denver, CO 80261-0005. The 2025 booklet is available in English and Spanish, and the state now offers the application and instructions in Spanish as well. People without a Social Security number or ITIN may also need form DR 0019.
The AARP Foundation lists what to gather: total gross income, property tax paid for homeowners, rent paid for renters and heating costs if they were not part of the rent, and a list of every address lived at during the year with dates. A driver’s license or state ID number is needed, and first-time filers must prove they lived in Colorado all year. Renters without a Colorado license or ID for all of 2025 should have a copy of the lease.
What changed for people with disabilities?
The rebate is now for seniors only. Under House Bill 24-1268, Coloradans with disabilities who are under 65, and surviving spouses under 58, claim the Disability Assistance Credit by filing a state income tax return, starting with the 2025 tax year, the Department of Revenue says. A person who qualifies as both a senior and a person with a disability can claim only one of the two benefits for the year.
Anyone who used to claim the rebate because of a disability should plan to use the credit instead. The state’s rebate page links to tax center locations and a contact form for questions, and the AARP Foundation’s Property Tax-Aide service also covers the rebate.
Is your Colorado rebate application ready for Dec. 10?
An application processed after Dec. 10 pays about 10 weeks after it arrives, which pushes a January rebate into spring.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit includes the 5 kinds of property-tax relief and an application log and renewal calendar. The calendar holds the Dec. 10 cutoff and next year’s filing window.
Get the relief kit with the application log for the Colorado senior rebate →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
