Utility Assistance

When the municipal electricity tax and the municipal gas use tax were imposed in 1998, the City’s elected officials were sensitive to the impact that the new taxes would have upon those living on a fixed income, such as senior citizens and disabled persons. Therefore, when the new taxes were enacted, the City simultaneously provided for a rebate of those taxes to senior citizens and disabled persons.

To be eligible for a municipal electricity and gas use tax rebate, a person must be 65 or older during the rebate year. If you do not qualify by age, you may apply if you are a disabled citizen and have an Illinois Disabled Person’s Identification Card or have a Social Security disability award letter. Learn about the Secretary of State’s publications and forms for persons with disabilities on their Persons with Disabilities Page.

The Illinois Disabled Person’s Identification Card is issued by the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office. The card is simply a driver’s license or identification card that substantiates that a person meets certain disability criteria under state law. There is no fee for the card; however, the application process requires a doctor’s signature. View the State of Illinois'Disability Identification Application (PDF).

No. All disabled persons must submit a copy of an Illinois Disabled Person’s Identification Card or Social Security disability award letter to be eligible for the rebate.

No. Eligibility for the rebate is based on the person who is legally responsible for the utility bills. Legal responsibility for an account is established by the name of the eligible individual appearing on the utility bill.

Yes. You may apply on behalf of a disabled person, but only if that person is legally responsible for the utility bills. Legal responsibility for an account is established by the name of the eligible individual appearing on the utility bill. The senior citizen, disabled person, or his agent with power of attorney must sign the rebate application. If an agent signs the application, an appropriate power of attorney document must be submitted with the application.

If you are not in the corporate limits of Aurora, you should not be paying the municipal electricity tax or the municipal gas use tax. Therefore, you are not eligible for the rebate. Please contact the Finance Department at 630-256-3510 if your electric bill shows a charge for a municipal electricity tax or your gas bill shows a charge for a municipal gas use tax.

Yes. Each qualified individual must apply every year and provide copies of the appropriate utility bills. Also, if the qualified individual is applying based on their disability, proof of disability is required each year. However, proof of age is not required if the eligible individual applied and qualified by age in previous rebate years. Send your completed application to:

City of Aurora
Finance Department
44 E Downer Place
Aurora, IL 60505

Yes. You may apply for more than the standard rebate by submitting the January through December gas and electric bills for the rebate year. You will be eligible for the amount of the municipal gas use tax and municipal (electricity) tax that you paid as indicated on your gas and electric bills. Call 630-256-3500 for information on how best to submit these bills.

In order for you to receive more than the standard rebate, you must have paid more than $25 in the municipal gas use tax and/or more than $25 in the municipal electricity tax. To determine whether or not you should apply for the standard rebate, gather your January to December electric bills for the rebate year and add up the municipal tax for all 12 months. If the amount is more than $25, then you would be eligible for that amount. If the total amount is not over $25, then you should apply for the standard rebate. Follow the same directions for the municipal gas use tax on your gas bills. You must include all 12 bills for electricity and/or gas if you are applying for more than the standard rebate.

To receive a standard rebate, an eligible individual should submit an electric and gas bill with an ending service date in December of the rebate year. If you do not have the December bills, you may apply using a current gas and electric bill. Do not call ComEd and Nicor to request a duplicate bill, as they will send you a summary of payments. The summary of payments does not provide the tax information necessary to apply for a rebate.

Yes. If you have all of your electric bills for the rebate year, you may find that you paid more than the standard rebate amount. If you did not save the bills for the rebate year, you can apply for the standard rebate of $25 using a current electric bill.

You may apply for the rebate but the city must first confirm that you are a joint account holder for the electric and gas accounts. Legal responsibility for an account is established by the name of the eligible individual appearing on the utility bills. If your name does not appear on the electric and gas bills, you must present your rebate application in person. An Accounting Division staff member will place a call to the utility company together with the applicant to confirm the applicant’s responsibility for the account. To avoid the necessity for filing in person in the future, eligible individuals should become the sole or primary joint holder of the accounts for their residence.

There are many reasons why an application is delayed but a common mistake made by many applicants is that they submit only 1 page of the gas bill. If the gas bill consists of 2 pages, then both pages should be submitted because both pages will contain information that is required to establish eligibility for a rebate.