Cook County Issues $22M in Automatic Property Tax Refunds; Chicago Residents Weigh In

Over 10,000 property owners to receive refunds without application process

Photo byAvi WaxmanonUnsplash

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas has announced that more than $22 million in automatic refunds will be issued to over 10,000 property owners who overpaid their property taxes last year. This initiative aims to provide a seamless refund process, especially benefiting senior citizens and others who received tax exemptions.

"For many senior citizens and others, the value of tax breaks known as exemptions is greater than the amount of property taxes they were billed," Pappas explained. "Since they already made a First Installment payment in March, they are entitled to refunds that we send automatically as a convenience for taxpayers."

S.J. a senior living at The Breakers in Rogers Park was happy to hear the news about the potential refunds. "My wife and I bought our condo as a vacation home when I worked in Wisconsin. With two homes we didn't save a lot but we loved the place. After I retired we mved here full time. It's a lot to manage on Social Security and our limited savings alone. Even though we budget for taxes, the tax bill this year was far more than we thought possible. I really hope we'll be getting a refund."

Most recipients will receive their refunds without the need to file applications or fill out forms. Refunds will be directly deposited into bank accounts or mailed as checks, depending on the recipient's preference.

The $22 million in refunds will be allocated to the owners of 10,099 properties. Of these, 5,813 will receive direct deposits, and 4,286 will get checks in the mail by August 9. Homeowners can visit cookcountytreasurer.com to check their refund status by selecting the "Your Property Tax Overview" option and entering their address or 14-digit Property Index Number (PIN).

The majority of refunds will go to homeowners who have applied for property tax exemptions. These exemptions are applied to the Second Installment tax bill, reducing the total taxes due. Exemptions include those for Homeowner, Senior Citizen, Senior Freeze, and Disabled Persons. The Second Installment 2023 bills are due on August 1.

R.J. a home owner living on Chicago's South Side was relieved to find out he will be getting a refund. "I checked the site yesterday and I'm on the list!" he said happily. "The city's gone to far with this tax craziness and lots of people are having to sell around here because they just can't pay it. This won't fix things by a long shot but at least it's a start."

Other South Side residents, however, weren't as impressed, still having hefty bills to pay despite the refund. "Yeah, I'm getting a refund," said L.P "Big deal. I thought we'd get more back than just that one payment. What happens when the next bill rolls around? They've upped our home values and now taxes are forcing us out. It's fine to get the refund but I don't breath any easier because there's alway more to pay. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Since the automatic refund program's inception in 2018, approximately $143.2 million has been refunded to more than 165,114 property owners without the need for applications. Property taxes in Cook County are due in two annual installments. The First Installment bills are an estimate, calculated at 55% of a property owner’s total bill for the previous year. The First Installment 2023 bills were due on March 1.