The Cook County Assessor is an elected official who is responsible for assessing 1.8 million parcels of land in Cook County. Cook County is divided into three assessment districts: the city of Chicago, the North suburbs and the South suburbs. Each year, the Assessor’s Office values all the properties in one of the three assessment districts, which means that City properties are only assessed once every three years. 

The Cook County Assessor only calculates the Market Value of your house. When valuing residential properties, the Assessor’s office uses the same methods as an appraiser. This method looks at relevant sales in a neighborhood and estimates a property value by adding up characteristics of each similar property sold within the last five years. Adjustments are made by looking at differences like age of the property, construction quality, and size. Only properties located in the same neighborhood are compared to each other. When the Assessor gives your property a value using multiple years of home sales information in your neighborhood, it increases accuracy. Residential properties are assessed as of January 1 of the year they’re evaluated. Each Tax Year’s property taxes are billed and due the following year. For instance, 2021 taxes are billed and due in 2022. 

Every residential property has an Assessed Value that is 10 percent of its Market Value. This 10 percent is set by a Cook County ordinance. The State then sets a “State Equalizer.” This number is set by Illinois law, and is used to ensure property taxes are being assessed uniformly throughout the state. The current State Equalizer is 3.0027. This number is multiplied by the Assessed Value. For example:  

This Equalized Assessed Value of your home is then applied against your local tax rate. To find your local tax rate, go to https://www.cookcountyclerk.com/service/tax-extension-and-rates. Using the example above and a sample tax rate of .10, the tax bill for a home with an estimated market value of $100,000 would be:  

Luckily, many taxpayers will qualify for an exemption. 

Let’s dive into the homeowners exemption, the senior homeowner exemption, the senior freeze exemption, the returning veterans exemption, and the disabled persons exemption. 

Homeowners Exemption: You can receive a Homeowner Exemption to reduce your property tax bill if you own or if you have a lease which makes you responsible for the real estate taxes on the residential property. You must use the property as your principal place of residence for the tax year.  

The Homeowner Exemption lowers your equalized assessed value by $10,000.  The exemption amount is NOT the dollar amount by which your tax bill is lowered: 

Senior Homeowner Exemption: You can receive a Senior Homeowner Exemption to reduce your property tax bill if you own or if you have a lease which makes you responsible for the real estate taxes on the residential property, AND the property is your principal place of residence, AND you are 65 years or older. 

The Senior Homeowner Exemption lowers your equalized assessed value by $8,000. The Senior Homeowner Exemption can be combined with Homeowner’s Exemption for greater savings. 

Senior Freeze Exemption: Seniors may qualify for the Senior Freeze Exemption. This exemption freezes the assessed value of the applicant’s property. This prevents property tax increases, even as the surrounding properties rise in value. To qualify for the Senior Freeze Exemption, you must be 65 years of age or older, AND have a total household income of less than $65,000; own the property, or have a lease which makes you responsible for the real estate taxes on the residential property, and the property is your principal place of residence. 

You must apply for the Senior Homeowner Freeze Exemption EVERY year.  Please contact our office or Assessor’s Office if you would like assistance with this. 

 Returning Veterans Exemption: This Exemption is for veterans returning from active duty. To qualify, the veteran must be an Illinois resident who has served in the U.S. Armed Forces, Illinois National Guard, or U.S. Reserve Forces, be returning from active duty. The veteran must own the property, or have a lease which makes them responsible for the real estate taxes on the residential property, use the property as their principal place of residence, and be liable for the payment taxes. 

The Returning Veterans Exemption lowers your equalized assessed value by $5,000. Veterans are eligible for this reduction only for the taxable year in which they return from service. 

If you are a veteran with a service related disability, you may be eligible for an exemption regardless of when you returned from active duty. Veterans must be at least 30% disabled, and deductions can range from $2,500-$5000. Veterans who are 70% disabled or more may be fully exempt from property taxes.  

You must apply for the Returning Veterans Exemption EVERY year.  Please contact our office or the Assessor’s Office if you would like assistance with this. 

Disabled Persons Exemption: You can receive a Disabled Persons Exemption if you own or if you have a lease which makes you responsible for the real estate taxes on the residential property, AND the property is your principal place of residence, AND you are disabled or become disabled during the tax year and have the proper documentation.  

This exemption lowers your equalized assessed value by $2,000.  

You must apply for the Disabled Persons Exemption EVERY year.  Please contact our office or the Assessor’s Office if you would like assistance with this. 

For any of these exemptions, you can call Taxpayer Services Department of the Assessor’s Office at 312-443-7550, or contact our office for help, 773-283-7873. To learn more about other exemptions you may be qualified for, visit http://www.cookcountyassessor.com/Exemptions/Exemption-Forms.aspx 

The most common reason we appeal our property taxes is Lack of Uniformity: the amount of your assessment is more than similar properties in your neighborhood. As a homeowner, you can compare your property to similar properties in your neighborhood by looking on the Assessor’s Office Websites at www.cookcountyassessor.com. Go to the “Online Tool” icon, then click onto “Residential Property Search.” You can also view the video below for a walk through of the appeal process.

To learn even more click here.

Property tax bills are paid to the Cook County Treasurer’s Office. This can be done online, in person, or via mail. To make an online payment or learn how to pay via mail visit https://www.cookcountytreasurer.com/. 

If you overpay your property taxes, refunds are not issued automatically. If you overpay or double-pay your Cook County taxes you must submit a refund application. Visit https://www.cookcountytreasurer.com/howtoapplyforarefund.aspx to download the application. 

You can check to see if you have a refund available by going to https://www.cookcountytreasurer.com/ and visiting the “Refund” tab at the top of the page. This will direct you to search by your PIN number or address. 

The Board of Review is a separate, quasi-judicial agency independent of the Assessor’s office. The Board is governed by three Commissioners elected in three separate districts in Cook County. The current Board of Review Commissioners are Commissioner Larry Rogers, Commissioner George Cardenas, and Commissioner Samantha Steele. District 12’s Board of Review representative is Commissioner Samantha Steele. Her main office is located in the County Building at 118 N Clark St in Room 601. Her office can be reached at 312-603-5560.

You may choose to appeal with the Board of Review if you miss the filing period for the Assessor’s office appeal or if you are dissatisfied with your assessment after your appeal with the Assessor’s office. 

Typically, the reason to file an appeal with the Board of Review is for an issue with uniformity. This means that your property is assessed higher per square foot than similar properties in the same neighborhood. The Board of Review reviews all evidence pertaining to your property’s assessment both from the homeowner and the Cook County Assessor’s Office to determine a fair value for your home. Individual taxpayers may represent themselves before the Board of Review. However, if the property is owned by a corporation or LLC, the property must be appealed by an attorney.

You can choose to submit a Board of Review appeal during the appeal window of your township, which can be found by going to https://www.cookcountyboardofreview.com/dates/dates-and-deadlines. Please note that appeal windows for each township are released at different times. If you do not see your township on the list, you can check https://appeals.cookcountyboardofreview.com to see if your township is available for pre-filing. If your township does not appear on either webpage, please check both websites again every two weeks until your township is listed.

Individual taxpayers may request a hearing for a unique situation or to present information that cannot be understood without a hearing. Requesting a hearing is done at the time of the complaint filing. For additional information on filing an appeal through the Board of Review, Residential Hearings and what information could be useful to your appeal, please visit https://www.cookcountyboardofreview.com/what-we-do/residential.

We are more than happy to help you completing your appeal with the Board of Review. Please call our office at 773-283-7873 to request an appointment.

The Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) is a quasi-judicial body that is made up of five Board members, appointed by the Governor. PTAB was created to provide an appeal venue outside of the Cook County system for taxpayers who are dissatisfied with their property assessments.

You may appeal to the Property Tax Appeal Board if you have appealed to the Cook County Board of Review and are unhappy with the result of your appeal. A petition to file for PTAB must be filed within 30 days of the Board of Review’s written decision.

Visit this page to start your appeal: http://www.ptab.illinois.gov/efile/

• Your appeal must be completed in its entirety, contain the basis for your appeal and provide evidence to support your claim. 
• For properties seeking a change for less than $100,000 in assessed value, comparable properties (residences similar in age, construction, location and square footage to yours) or an appraisal is often sufficient evidence for an appeal. 
• Submission of your Board of Review final written decision or a favorable prior PTAB decision is required.
• Taxpayers are not required to hire an attorney to appeal but may choose to if desired. 
• Petitions, evidence and appeal forms sent by fax machine are NOT accepted  

 Please view this page from the PTAB website for step-by-step instructions on completing your appeal: http://www.ptab.illinois.gov/filing.html#tabs-2  

More questions? Visit http://www.ptab.illinois.gov/faq.html for PTAB FAQs or call the PTAB office at 217-782-6076 for help.