31,000 Cook County seniors could qualify for lower property taxes

County Treasurer Maria Pappas: 31,000 senior citizens could apply for money-saving Cook County property tax exemptions

As many as 31,000 senior citizens could save hundreds of dollars immediately on their property tax bills due August 1 by applying for exemptions they previously received, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said today.

Those homeowners received the Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption last year but have not reapplied, according to an estimate by the Treasurer’s Office. Of those seniors, roughly 21,000 received the Senior Freeze Exemption last year but also have not reapplied, Pappas added.

To check the status of your tax exemptions—or to make a payment—visit cookcountytreasurer.com and:

Select “Your Property Overview”
Enter your address or Property Index Number (PIN)

State law requires that senior citizens reapply every year for these exemptions, which are available to homeowners who are 65 years of age or older. The Senior Freeze is limited to seniors with annual household incomes of $65,000 or less. Some of the homes may no longer be eligible for the exemptions.

Applications for tax exemptions are available from the Cook County Assessor’s Office. If the Assessor’s Office grants the application, it will issue an adjusted bill for the Second Installment of Tax Year 2017, due August 1, 2018.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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