Homeowners have taught me a couple of issues about property taxes whereas I’ve served as Cook County treasurer.
One lesson is that the property tax system is sophisticated. Many individuals unfamiliar with the method have advised me that they wished there was an easier, simpler technique to maintain observe of their property taxes and pay their payments.
With that objective in thoughts, listed here are 10 tips for serving to homeowners better understand their property taxes and doubtlessly lower your expenses:
1) Website. You can use cookcountytreasurer.com to pay your invoice, test for accessible refunds, search a 20-year tax historical past of your property, uncover how a lot debt taxing our bodies owe and carry out many different companies.
2) PIN. Your property has a selected 14-digit quantity that identifies it as distinctive from all the opposite 1.Eight million parcels of land in Cook County. You must know your Property Index Number, or PIN, and confer with it when paying your invoice or contacting our workplace. Your PIN is printed in your tax payments and is listed in your property’s deed.
3) Phone. Call our automated telephone system at (312) 443-5100, anytime, day or night time, for useful tax data akin to verifying funds and checking for refunds. The telephone system affords companies in English, Spanish and Polish.
4) Payment places. You can conveniently pay your property tax invoice in particular person at greater than 400 Chase Bank places all through Chicago and at greater than 160 neighborhood financial institution places.
5) Avoid duplicate cost. When you purchase or promote a house or refinance a mortgage, test to make sure that there aren’t any duplicate property tax funds. Often, representatives of a purchaser and vendor each pay a tax invoice, or two members of a family could each pay a tax invoice by mistake.
6) Mortgage escrow. If you pay your taxes by a mortgage escrow account, confirm that your tax invoice is paid on time and on the proper PIN.
7) Exemptions. Be certain to obtain all exemptions for which you’re eligible. Homeowner, senior citizen and senior freeze are the most typical exemptions, that are substantial tax breaks that decrease tax payments. Visit cookcountytreasurer.com to be taught extra.
8) Refunds. Discover whether or not you’re eligible for as much as $150 million in potential refunds owed to Cook County property house owners due to overpayments going again 20 years or missed exemptions for the previous 4 years. Visit cookcountytreasurer.com to seek out out in case you are owed a refund and to use on-line. There isn’t any must have a 3rd get together file for you.
9) Pappas research. Read our newest research, “The Few Decide for the Many: Referendums and Voter Turnout,” that confirmed how a comparatively small variety of voters typically determine taxation and spending questions that have an effect on a complete neighborhood. Additional research have analyzed tax payments, redlining, debt by taxing our bodies and different subjects.
10) Name/Address change. Notify us of any modifications in your title or mailing tackle at cookcountytreasurer.com. You also can join eBilling to go paperless and obtain your subsequent tax invoice through e-mail.