| Resume a previously saved form
Resume Later

In order to be able to resume this form later, please enter your email and choose a password.

Password must contain the following:
  • 12 Characters
  • 1 Uppercase letter
  • 1 Lowercase letter
  • 1 Number
  • 1 Special character

Cuyahoga County Taxpayer Assistance Program


Thank you for your interest in Cuyahoga County's Taxpayer Assistance Program (TAP). Through this program, eligible homeowners may receive up to $10,000 in one-time direct assistance to be used towards payment of property taxes and/or tax foreclosure fees. Limited dollars are available per Cuyahoga County council district.


If you have any questions about this application, please contact TaxAssistance@chnhousingpartners.org 

 

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the program, the applicant (and/or co-applicant, where applicable) must: 


  • Be aged 70 years or greater at time of application. 
  • Have a household income of less than $70,000/year (excluding SSI/SSDI). 
  • Maintain a primary residence in Cuyahoga County. 
  • Be the primary owner (or joint owner) of the property, and must have maintained primary residence in the property for at least three (3) years. 
  • If approved, maintain residence in the property for three (3) years after receipt of direct assistance. Cuyahoga County will assess a property lien for the direct assistance to your property, forgivable and removed after three (3) years. 
  • Have certified delinquent property taxes. Please contact the Cuyahoga County Treasurer's Office if you are unsure if your taxes are certified delinquent.

CERTIFIED DELINQUENT TAXES

 

The Fiscal Office “certifies” property taxes as delinquent when they remain unpaid for a full collection cycle, or the period from the end of the prior year’s second half collection in July through the end of the succeeding year’s collection. This means that your property taxes due on July 20, 2023, must remain unpaid in order to qualify for the Taxpayer Assistance Program. If you are not currently behind on your taxes and your taxes are not certified delinquent, you are not eligible for the Taxpayer Assistance Program.


If you have any questions, please contact the 

Cuyahoga County Treasurer’s Office at 216-443-7400 Option 1.

  • Pay taxes separate from monthly mortgage payment, if the property still has an outstanding mortgage.
  • Be able to afford and maintain housing payments moving forward. This will be assessed and determined during your housing counseling session with your counselor. 
  • Participate in housing counseling services with CHN Housing Partners, including a counseling session, completion of a budget, and demonstration of on-going ability to pay. 
  • Establish a delinquent tax payment contract with the Treasurer's Office for any delinquency remaining after proceeds are applied. 
  • Participate in the Easy Pay installment payment program for future taxes. 

Please note: Households that previously received financial assistance through CHN's property tax assistance program (2021-2023) are not eligible for assistance through this program. 

 

How does it work? 

 

STEP 1: Complete the application. 

Please complete all sections of this online application.


Additionally the following documentation is required for counseling: 


  • Photo IDs for all adults over the age of 18 in the household 
  • Social security cards (or birth certificates) for all household members
  • Income documentation for all adults over the age of 18 in the household
  • Mortgage statement, if applicable 
  • Foreclosure documentation, if applicable 
  • Homeowner's Insurance declaration page, if applicable 

Please submit these documents with the application, if possible. If you are unable to submit with the application, you will be contacted after eligibility screening and be provided with next steps/options for submitting required documentation. 


ALL items must be submitted before an appointment can be scheduled. If you do not have one of these items, please alert us so that we can try and accommodate. 

 

Once the application and all required documents are received, your application will be reviewed by an administrator. If deemed eligible, your file will be assigned to a housing counselor who will follow-up with you to schedule your counseling appointment.

 

STEP 2: Meet with a HUD-Certified Housing Counselor. 

During this appointment, you will have the opportunity to discuss your housing situation and property tax options with a housing counselor, review your current household finances, and develop a budget. The housing counselor will determine if your household has the ability to maintain property tax payments moving forward (after direct assistance is applied). If so, your file will be approved and a check will be cut/delivered to the County Treasurer's Office. 

 

STEP 3: Payment is delivered to the County.

Payment will be held by the County until your household signs up for EasyPay, establishes a payment plan for any outstanding delinquent balance (if applicable), and signs the property lien agreement. Once all documentation is received by the County, the direct assistance will be processed and applied to your account.

 

Fair Housing Act (42 USC 3600, et seq.) 

If you have an impairment, disability, language barrier, or otherwise require an alternative means of completing this form or accessing information about our services, please talk to us about arranging alternative accommodations. We serve all clients regardless of income, race, color, religion/creed, sex, national origin, age, family status, disability, or sexual orientation/gender identity. We administer our programs in conformity with local, state, and federal anti-discrimination laws, including the federal Fair Housing Act (42 USC 3600, et seq.) 

 

Ready to apply? Click Next Page to Continue.

Page 2 - Cuyahoga County Taxpayer Assistance Program Application


Applicant and Co-Applicant Details
In this section, please enter your most up to date contact information and demographic information.

CHN Housing Partners (CHN) is committed to assuring the privacy of individuals and/or families who have contacted us for assistance. We realize that the concerns you bring to us are highly personal in nature. We assure you that all personal information shared verbally and/or in writing will be managed with ethical and legal consideration. Additionally, we want you to understand how we use the personal information we collect. Please carefully review this notice as it describes our policy regarding the collection and disclosure of your nonpublic, personal information.
 
CHN's Housing Counseling Disclosure and Privacy Policy

The Applicant (and Co-Applicant, if applicable) should be an adult member of your household who will be able to represent, provide information for, and make decisions on behalf of your household. 

Please prepare for upload: Photo Identification and Social Security Cards for each Applicant and Co-Applicant.
Applicant Information








Enter in 000-00-0000 format

Enter in 000-00-0000 format









Enter date in MM/DD/YYYY format










Co-Applicant Information











Enter date in MM/DD/YYYY format









Page 3 - Cuyahoga County Taxpayer Assistance Program Application


Household Members
Please enter additional members who reside in your household (i.e. children, dependents, other family members, etc.). Use the "Add Additional Household Member" link to add as many as you need.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO RE-ENTER THE APPLICANT OR CO-APPLICANT INFORMATION HERE, ONLY ADDITIONAL HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS THAT LIVE WITH YOU.


Please prepare for upload: For each household member, be prepared to provide verification that they are your dependents - such as Social Security Cards and Birth certificates


Household Member


Enter date in MM/DD/YYYY format











Page 4 - Cuyahoga County Taxpayer Assistance Program Application


Current Income Sources and Public Benefits

Please enter all sources of Income and Public Benefits that the household is CURRENTLY receiving, for all household members over the age of 18. 


Use the "Add Additional Income Source" link to add as many as you need.


Current Annual Income is the estimated income for the current year including any wages, benefits, alimony, child support and other forms of financial income or support.


In the chart below we list out the different types of income we collect for this program:


Income Types


Public Benefits

  • Full-time employment
  • Part-time employment
  • Self-employment
  • Spousal support
  • Child support or Adoption Subsidy
  • Investment income
  • Income from assets
  • Pension/annuity
  • Family contribution
  • Other

  • Unemployment Income
  • Social Security (SSI/SSDI)
  • Short term disability or Long term disability
  • Veteran's benefits
  • Food Stamps/SNAP
  • WIC
  • ADC
  • OWF/TANF
  • Rental Subsidy
  • Utility Allowance
  • Other Public Benefit


Please prepare for upload: Verification of income for the past 60 days - pay stubs, employment letters, award letters, etc. 

Current Income or Public Benefit Source

Enter the Household Member who this income belongs to


Provide the Job Title for Employment types, if applicable
Please take the total income you received in the last 30 days and multiply by 12 to determine your annual income:

Please estimate to the best of your ability. Our staff will review your documents and provide a full eligibility determination.

Page 5 - Cuyahoga County Taxpayer Assistance Program Application


Assets Declaration
Please enter all liquid Assets you have control over for all household members over the age of 18. Liquid assets are cash on hand or assets in any other form that can be converted to cash within 20 days (SSA.gov). Please include all bank accounts; if the account balance is $0, enter $0 as the value.

In the chart below we list out the different types of asset information we collect for this program:



Asset Types
  • Bank Accounts - Savings and/or Checking
  • Investment or Retirement Accounts
  • Certificates of Deposit
  • Cash on Hand
  • Pre-paid Debit Cards
  • Health Savings Accounts
  • Life Insurance Cash Value



Asset


Please estimate to the best of your ability - enter 0 if unsure

Page 6 - Cuyahoga County Taxpayer Assistance Program Application


Household and Utility details
We will be asking more specific questions about your Housing Details here, including your living situation, mortgage payment amount, and utility details. This information will allow for us to screen eligibility for the wide range of programs we offer. You will be under no obligation to participate in programs we recommend.

Please prepared for upload: Mortgage statement, copies of utility bills for all utilities and additional verification as requested in each section that follows.

Housing



If you do not know your parcel number, please visit myplace.cuyahogacounty.us to search for it!

Mortgage Servicer Information

Please note: in order to qualify for this program, you must be paying your property taxes separate from your monthly mortgage payment.

By providing your mortgage servicer's information, you authorize us to contact them to discuss your housing situation. Your will review a third-party letter of authorization with your housing counselor during your appointment and this form will be sent to your mortgage company. 








NOTE

If you are unsure if your taxes are certified delinquent, please contact the Cuyahoga County Treasurer's Office at 216-443-7698





Page 7 - Cuyahoga County Taxpayer Assistance Program Application

Edit section title

IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO REQUIRED DOCUMENTS, PLEASE SUBMIT THEM WITH YOUR APPLICATION. COMPLETE APPLICATIONS WITH ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS WILL BE PROCESSED FASTER.

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR DOCUMENTS OR ARE UNABLE TO SUBMIT THEM AT THIS TIME, YOU MAY COMPLETE THE APPLICATION NOW AND WE WILL CONTACT YOU AT A LATER DATE TO COLLECT MISSING DOCUMENTATION. 

If you have any questions about required documents, please contact us at 216-774-2336.

Upload Documents
Please use this page to upload documents that support your application. You can attach electronically downloaded documents, use a scanner, or take pictures or screenshots of your documents with your phone.

You can upload multiple files per section by using the "Add another ..." link. There is a limitation of 20 files per form. If you have more than 20 files to upload, please email them to taxassistance@chnhousingpartners.org

Gather the required documents:
1. Photo identification for all household members 18 years or older
2. Verification of household members (Social Security card preferred, or birth certificate) for all household members
3. Mortgage Statement
4. Income documentation for the most recent 60 days
5. Bank Statements for the most recent 60 days. Include statements for all active accounts, including all pages (even if blank). 
6. Federal Income Tax Returns for the past two years. Include your entire Form 1040 and any applicable schedules (e.g. Schedule C for self-employment income). Sign and date page 2 of your Form 1040. (Do not include the City and State.)

*Note: These are the only documents required for your initial eligibility screening. Additional documentation may be required depending on the resolution type. Your housing counselor will advise of additional required information.  


If taking photos with your phone/camera, you can line up your IDs and Social Security cards within one image, instead of one at a time
ID











Page 8 - Cuyahoga County Taxpayer Assistance Program Application

Housing Counseling Disclosure

About Us and Program Purpose: The mission of CHN Housing Partners (CHN) is to build strong families and vibrant neighborhoods through quality affordable housing and strengthened financial stability. CHN is a nonprofit, HUD-approved housing counseling agency. We provide free housing counseling and education services, including Mortgage Delinquency & Default Resolution, Reverse Mortgage, Pre-purchase, Financial, Budgeting, & Credit Repair, and Rental Housing Counseling services, as well as Financial, Budgeting, & Credit Repair and Pre-purchase Homebuyer Education Workshops. We serve all clients regardless of income, race, color, religion/creed, sex, national origin, age, family status, disability, or sexual orientation/gender identity. We administer our programs in conformity with local, state, and federal anti-discrimination laws, including the federal Fair Housing Act (42 USC 3600, et seq.). 


Service Descriptions: CHN offers the following one-on-one counseling and group education services,


Pre-purchase Counseling: A housing counselor works with individuals/households as they embark on the homebuying process and prepare for homeownership, and work with the household to reach their financial and housing goal(s). Topics covered during counseling include financial management, evaluating credit information, prequalifying & loan approval, financing options, shopping for a home, finalizing the loan, the closing process, maintaining your new home, avoiding foreclosure and predatory lending practices.


Financial, Budgeting, & Credit Repair Counseling: A housing counselor or financial coach works with individuals/ households to develop/build upon their money management skills and reach their financial goals. Topics covered during counseling include budgeting and saving, understanding income and expenses, assessing spending habits, managing debt, building/maintaining good credit, and/or credit repair.


Mortgage Delinquency & Default Resolution Counseling: A housing counselor or financial coach works with individuals/ households who are at risk of foreclosure to review the households current finances, understand the cause for default or delinquency, review and understand various loss mitigation options, and develop an action plan.


Rental Housing Counseling: A housing counselor or financial coach works with renter households who are at risk of housing instability to understand various aspects of the rental process. This includes identifying stable and affordable housing, financial management, understanding a lease, tenants rights, rent repayment options, referrals to legal aid, connecting to other resources, and applying for assistance.


Reverse Mortgage Counseling: A housing counselor works with individuals/households who are considering a home equity conversion mortgage (HECM) to learn more about this mortgage type and to ensure that the client(s) is/are making an informed decision as they consider this option. During the counseling session, the counselor will cover a variety topics including (but not limited to) the household's finances and incomes needs for a HECM; features and appropriateness of a reverse mortgage; financial and tax implications; reverse mortgage, financial, or housing alternatives; and how to spot scams.


Financial, Budgeting, & Credit Repair Workshops: CHN offers workshops on a variety of money management topics. Through these classes, participants learn about topics such as budgeting and saving, setting SMART goals, debt management, understanding credit and credit reports, credit repair, financial wellness practices, housing affordability, and more.


Pre-purchase Homebuyer Education Workshops: CHN offers classes and workshops to help homebuyers prepare for the process of purchase a home. During these classes, instructors cover topics such as financial preparedness for homebuying, first-time homebuyer incentives, the steps to purchasing a home, loan options, the mortgage process, housing affordability, the important of home inspections and home insurance, post-purchase responsibilities, and more.


Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
Everyone living in the United States is protected by fair housing laws. A person cannot be discriminated against in housing based on their membership in one or more protected classes.
To learn more about your rights, please visit Fair Housing: Know Your Rights.

As a housing counseling program participant, please affirm your roles and responsibilities along with the following disclosures and initial, sign, and date this form below.

Client and Counselor Roles and Responsibilities

Termination of Services: Failure to work cooperatively with your housing counselor and/or CHN will result in the discontinuation of counseling services. This includes, but is not limited to, missing three consecutive appointments. By signing below, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood this. 

Agency Conduct: No CHN employee, volunteer, or agent shall undertake any action that might result in, or create the appearance of, administering counseling operations for personal or private gain, provide preferential treatment for any person or organization, or engage in conduct that will compromise our agency’s compliance with federal regulations and our commitment to serving the best interests of our clients.

Agency Relationship: CHN has financial affiliation with HUD, United Way of Greater Cleveland, the State of Ohio, Cuyahoga County, the City of Cleveland, and banks including Third Federal, KeyBank, and JP Morgan Chase. As a housing counseling program participant, you are not obligated to use the products and services of CHN or our industry partners.


Alternative Services, Programs, and Products & Client Freedom of Choice: In the interest of full disclosure, CHN also provides utility services with partnerships through: Dominion East Ohio, Illuminating Company, Cleveland Public Power, Division of Water, NEO Regional Sewer District, and U.S. Departments of Energy and Health, and Human Services. CHN also provides tax preparation through a partnership with Enterprise Community Partners and the IRS VITA program. As a housing counseling client, you are not obligated to participate in any of these services. You are entitled to choose whatever services and/or products best meet your needs.


Fees: CHN currently charges a fee of $150 for Reverse Mortgage Counseling, paid to CHN upon service. All other direct services are free of charge. Service cannot be denied due to an inability to pay and cannot impose a financial hardship. CHN also offers two online homebuyer education platforms, Framework and eHome America, which cost $75 and $99, respectively, and are paid directly to the vendor.


Referrals and Community Resources: CHN provides a community resource list which outlines regional services available to meet a variety of needs, including utility assistance, food banks, and legal aid assistance, among others. This list also identifies alternative agencies that provide services, programs, or products identical to those offered by CHN. 

Privacy Policy: I/we acknowledge that you received a copy of CHN’s Privacy Policy.

Home Inspection: If applicable, I/we acknowledge that you received a copy of ‘For Your Protection: Get a Home Inspection’ and ’10 Important Questions to Ask Your Home Inspector’. You can access these forms here: 
For Your Protection: Get a Home Inspection
10 Important Questions to Ask Your Home Inspector
Sample Home Inspection Checklist

Lead-Based Paint: I/we acknowledge that you received a copy of ‘Disclosure of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing’ and ’Protect Your Family from Lead in the Home’. You can access these forms here:
Disclosure of Lead-based Paint Hazards in Housing
Protect Your Family from Lead in the Home

Errors and Omissions and Disclaimer of Liability: I/we agree that CHN, its employees, agents, and directors are not liable for any claims and causes of actions arising from errors or omissions by such parties, or related to my participation in CHN counseling; and I hereby release and waive all claims of action against CHN and its affiliates. I have read this document, understand that I have given up substantial rights by signing it, and have signed it freely and without any inducement or assurance of any nature and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law. If any provision of this document is unenforceable, it shall be modified to the extent necessary to make the provision valid and binding, and the remainder of this document shall remain enforceable to the full extent allowed by law. Please note that representatives of CHN do not provide tax or legal advice and that you should consult your tax advisor or attorney for such guidance.

Quality Assurance: In order to assess client satisfaction and in compliance with grant funding requirements, CHN, or one of its partners, may contact you during or after the completion of your housing counseling service. You may be requested to complete a survey asking you to evaluate your client experience. Your survey data may be confidentially shared with CHN grantors such as HUD.

Sharing of Information: By signing this Disclosure Statement I give CHN authorization to share my information with HUD and other third parties, as applicable.

Clients of Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland, Inc.: In July of 2019, NHS of Greater Cleveland, Inc. became an affiliate of CHN and all housing counseling activities of both agencies are now administered and managed by CHN. If you were an active client of NHS of Greater Cleveland, Inc. before July 2019 we require your agreement to allow CHN employees to access your information across our integrated platform in the ways and for the purposes outlined above. You may receive this request from us even if you have a current authorization form on file with NHS of Greater Cleveland, Inc. 

Follow-up: I give permission to CHN Housing Partners program administrators and/or their agents to follow-up with me within the next three years for the purposes of program evaluation.

Privacy Policy:


 CHN Housing Partners CHN) is committed to assuring the privacy of individuals and/or families who have contacted us for assistance. We realize that the concerns you bring to us are highly personal in nature. We assure you that all personal information shared orally and/or in writing will be managed with ethical and legal consideration. Additionally, we want you to understand how we use the personal information we collect. Please carefully review this notice as it describes our policy regarding the collection and disclosure of your nonpublic, personal information.

 What is nonpublic, personal information?

  • Information that identifies an individual personally and is not otherwise publicly available information, such as your Social Security Number or demographic data such as your race and ethnicity
  • Includes personal financial information such as credit history, income, employment history, financial assets, bank account information and financial debts

What personal information does CHN collect about you and from what sources? 

  • Information that you provide on applications, forms, emails, or verbally 
  • Information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others 
  • Information we receive from your creditors or employment references
  • Credit reports

What categories of information do we disclose and to whom? 

We may disclose the following personal information to financial service providers (such as companies providing home mortgages); Federal, State, Local government; and nonprofit partners for program review, monitoring auditing, research, and/or oversight purposes, and/or any other preauthorized individual and/or organization. The types of information we disclose are as follows: 

  • Information you provide on applications/forms or other forms of communication. This information may include your name, address, Social Security Number, employer, occupation, account numbers, assets, expenses, and income. 
  • Information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others; such as your account balance, monthly payment, payment history, and method of payment. 
  • Information we receive from a consumer credit reporting agency, such as bureau reports, your credit and payment history, your credit scores, and/or your creditworthiness. 
  • We do not sell or rent your personal information to any outside entity. 
  • We may share anonymous, aggregated case file information; but this information may not be disclosed in a manner that may personally identify you in any way. This is done in order to evaluate our program, gather valuable research information, and/or design future programs. 
  • We may also disclose personal information about you to third parties as permitted by law or when required by a governmental authority

How is your personal information secured? We restrict access to your nonpublic personal information to CHN employees who need to know that information in order to perform their housing counseling duties. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard your nonpublic personal information; and we train our staff to safeguard client information and prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, or use.


Opting out of certain disclosures: You may direct CHN to not disclose your nonpublic, personal information to third partners (other than disclosures made to project partners, those permitted by law or required by governmental authorities). However, if you choose to opt out, we will not be able to answer any questions from your creditors, which may limit CHN’s ability to provide services such as foreclosure prevention counseling. If you choose to opt out, please call 216.881.8443 and advise that you wish to opt out of certain disclosures. 


If you'd like to download a copy of our privacy policy, please click here: CHN Privacy Policy


Acknowledgement & Submit

I/we certify that all provided information is correct to the best of my knowledge and have received a copy of CHN's Housing Counseling Disclosure and Privacy Policy. I/we authorize CHN Housing Partners to verify all information contained on this online form and to pull my credit report. I/we understand that I may be assisted by federal funds which carry severe penalties, including incarceration.

By typing my full name below, I hereby authorize CHN to release nonpublic personal information it obtains about me to any third parties necessary to provide me with the services I requested. I acknowledge that I have read and understand the above privacy practices. I understand I will receive a copy of all information submitted at the email address I provided on Page 2, "Applicant E-mail Address".

HOUSING COUNSELING DISCLOSURE AND PRIVACY POLICY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT




WARNING: The information provided on this form is subject to verification by HUD at any time, and Title 18, Section 1001 of the U.S. Code states that a person is guilty of a felony and assistance can be terminated for knowingly and willingly making a false or fraudulent statement to a department of the United States Government.

Page 9


Credit Pull Authorization Form


For housing and financial counseling appointments, CHN Housing Partners may order a soft pull of your credit report(s) in order to review your debt obligations and verify your credit score(s). A credit pull is not required, but it does help your housing counselor better understand and document your debt obligations. 


A credit pull is not required for you to receive service and you may opt-out (checkbox in the acknowledgement section below).


A soft credit pull, also known as a soft inquiry or soft credit check, is a credit check that should not affect your credit score and does not show up as an inquiry on your credit report.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I/We hereby authorize CHN Housing Partners (the housing counseling agency) to conduct a soft pull on my/our tri-merged consumer credit report and verify information for the purposes of housing and financial counseling. 

Please note: If you select the 'opt out' checkbox below, CHN will not conduct a soft pull on your credit report.




Save my progress and resume later | Resume a previously saved form