Paying your tax bill online is easy and safe, but you can also pay by mail or in person

Column: Your Property Taxes with the Cook County Treasurer

In 1789, Ben Franklin wrote that nothing was certain “except death and taxes.”

Let’s focus on the taxes part of the great American statesman’s uncomfortable reminder:

The due date for Cook County property owners to pay their First Installment 2025 tax bills is April 1. And there are numerous ways to pay.

Homeowners have the option to:

Pay online (for free with your bank account)
Pay at a Chase Bank location
Pay at a community bank
Pay by mail
Pay at the Treasurer’s Office
Pay by credit card

Paying online is the quickest and easiest way to pay a tax bill. There’s no fee to pay online by transferring funds from your bank account. It’s the most convenient option because you can pay any time, day or night. Plus, this method is secure and avoids the risk of someone stealing your check from a mailbox.

A second option is to pay in person at any one of nearly 400 Chase Bank locations in Illinois, including those outside Cook County. You must present your tax coupon with your payment. Payment coupons can be printed online or detached from the bottom of tax bills.

When paying at a Chase Bank, your check must include the following information:

Property Index Number (PIN)
Taxpayer name
Property location, including unit number
Mailing address
Telephone number
Email address
Tax year/installment

Another option is to pay at more than 100 community bank locations. A list of participating local banks where tax payments are accepted is online at cookcountytreasurer.com. Bring your entire original tax bill with you, and a bank representative will give you a payment receipt.

For those opting to pay by mail, your check must include a PIN and the same information listed above for paying at a bank branch. Your canceled check is your receipt. Mail checks for current tax bills to the Cook County Treasurer’s Office, P.O. Box 805438, Chicago, IL 60680-4116.

The Treasurer’s Office welcomes walk-ins who prefer to pay in person at 118 N. Clark St., Room 112, in downtown Chicago.

You also can pay via credit card online at cookcountytreasurer.com. There’s a 2.1% convenience fee with credit card payments that goes to the credit card company.

State law requires those who fail to pay their bills in full by the due date to be charged 0.75% a month in interest, or 9% a year. The Treasurer’s Office allows taxpayers to make partial payments over time. But taxpayers are responsible for paying the total tax amount owed, along with any interest on late tax payments.

While what Ben Franklin wrote about taxes 237 years ago is nothing we look forward to, when the proverbial “taxman cometh,” it should be easy to comply. The above shows it can be.

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