Click here to subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania's Columns
Treasurer’s website offers easy way to update property tax bill address information
By Maria Pappas
My website, cookcountytreasurer.com, offers people an easy way to correct, change or update name and address information about where property tax bills are mailed.
The best option is to electronically request the change online. You may request a change in mailing address information by simply checking a box that certifies you own the property in question or are legally authorized to act on behalf of the owner.
It’s easy to request a change in mailing address on our website. On the homepage, go to the purple box that says, “Your Property Tax Overview.”
You can find your property by using your 14-digit Property Index Number (PIN) or search by property address. Results will show a picture of the property.
Then, under “Mailing Information” on the to right, you can click on the highlighted text that says, “Update Your Information.”
Once you fill out the form with corrected name and address information and provide a telephone number and email address, you can submit the form electronically.
That’s the best option. You may also request a change-of-address in person at the customer service counter on the first floor of the Cook County Building in downtown Chicago. Address changes, however, are not processed by phone. Callers are directed to the website.
You may also download a pdf copy of a change of mailing address form from the website, print it, fill it out and mail it to our office. However, that method requires notarization by an authorized third party. It’s easier to fill out the form electronically and check the box that certifies the information you provide.
There are several reasons why people request a mailing address change. Your name on your tax bill may be misspelled, or the address is listed incorrectly. Sometimes people want to update their information due to a name change because of marriage or other reason.
Sometimes people tell us they did not receive a tax bill in the mail during the first billing cycle after they purchased a property. You can check your mailing address information on our website and submit a request to update the information online.
When a property owner pays through escrow, the Treasurer’s Office mails the original tax bill to the property owner for payment monitoring purposes. We do not mail tax bills to mortgage companies. We offer them a way to pay tax bills electronically in bulk for their customers.
As a taxpayer, you should monitor your mortgage company. The tax bill alerts you to notices about delinquency, overpayment, refund or changes in assessed value. Your bill allows you to see whether you have received all available property tax exemptions that reduce your taxes. The mailing address on your tax bill is also used for annual applications for exemptions.
There is an important distinction between mailing address and property location address. Tax bills are commonly mailed to an address other than the property that is the subject of a bill. Vacant land is one example. While the Treasurer’s Office processes requests to update mailing address information, The Assessor’s Office handles requests to correct information regarding a property’s location.
Visit cookcountytreasurer.com to learn more about verifying and updating mailing address information. You can also sign up for electronic tax billing, or eBilling, to receive your tax bill via email instead of having your bill mailed to you.
Click here to subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania's Columns
His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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.
Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].
Follow RayHanania at Twitter
