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Top 10 tips that help homeowners better understand their property taxes
By Maria Pappas
Homeowners have taught me a few things about property taxes while I have served as Cook County Treasurer.
One lesson is that the property tax system is complicated. Many people unfamiliar with the process have told me that they wished there was a simpler, easier way to keep track of their property taxes and pay their bills.
With that goal in mind, here are 10 tips for helping homeowners better understand their property taxes and potentially save money:
1.) Website. You can use cookcountytreasurer.com to pay your bill, check for available refunds, search a 20-year tax history of your property, discover how much debt taxing bodies owe and perform many other services.
2.) PIN. Your property has a specific 14-digit number that identifies it as unique from all the other 1.8 million parcels of land in Cook County. You need to know your Property Index Number, or PIN, and refer to it when paying your bill or contacting our office. Your PIN is printed on your tax bills and is listed on your property’s deed.
3.) Phone. Call our automated phone system at (312) 443-5100, any time, day or night, for helpful tax information such as verifying payments and checking for refunds. The phone system offers services in English, Spanish and Polish.
4.) Payment locations. You can conveniently pay your property tax bill in person at more than 400 Chase Bank locations throughout Chicago and at more than 160 community bank locations.
5.) Avoid duplicate payment. When you buy or sell a home or refinance a mortgage, check to ensure that there are no duplicate property tax payments. Often, representatives of a buyer and seller both pay a tax bill, or two members of a household may both pay a tax bill by mistake.
6.) Mortgage escrow. If you pay your taxes through a mortgage escrow account, verify that your tax bill is paid on time and on the correct PIN.
7.) Exemptions. Be sure to receive all exemptions for which you are eligible. Homeowner, senior citizen and senior freeze are the most common exemptions, which are substantial tax breaks that lower tax bills. Visit cookcountytreasurer.com to learn more.
8.) Refunds. Discover whether you are eligible for up to $150 million in potential refunds owed to Cook County property owners because of overpayments going back 20 years or missed exemptions for the past four years. Visit cookcountytreasurer.com to find out if you are owed a refund and to apply online. There is no need to have a third party file for you.
9.) Pappas Studies. Read our latest study, “The Few Decide for the Many: Referendums and Voter Turnout,” that showed how a relatively small number of voters often decide taxation and spending questions that affect an entire community. Additional studies have analyzed tax bills, redlining, debt by taxing bodies and other topics.
10.) Name/Address change. Notify us of any changes in your name or mailing address atcookcountytreasurer.com. You can also sign up for eBilling to go paperless and receive your next tax bill via email.
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Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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