Upcoming Deadline for Property Tax Bills Expected to be August 1

For the first time in several years, second installment property tax bills in Cook County are expected to be mailed by July 1 and due on Thursday, August 1, in accordance with state law. If this expectation holds true, it may come as a surprise to taxpayers, according to Connie Carosielli, Elk Grove Township Assessor. This is because the due dates in recent years have been considerably later than August 1.

Second installment tax bills cannot be issued until the county’s two tax appeal agencies complete processing of all tax appeals. During the last two years, computer compatibility problems between the agencies delayed appeal processing by several months and as a result, second installment tax bills were not due until December.

This year, the appeal agencies made a concerted effort to complete their work earlier and they successfully processed all appeals as of May 5. Historically, appeal completion dates in early May have left enough time to complete the other steps necessary for bills to be issued on time. Unless there are unexpected delays in the remaining steps in the process, this year’s bills should be due August 1.

The budgets of schools and other local governments can be severely disrupted when the tax revenue they rely on arrives four or five months late, as has happened in the last two years. And the budgets of taxpayers also can be disrupted by unpredictable due dates for tax bills. The expected August 1 due date for this year’s second installment bills will be just eight months after the due date of last year’s second installment bills, and during those eight months taxpayers will have paid three property tax bills. This will cause hardship for some.

“For the sake of taxpayers and taxing districts, I hope there will be more certainty and predictability in tax bill due dates going forward,” said Assessor Carosielli.

If you believe your property has been over-assessed, Elk Grove Township will assist you in researching comparable properties and submitting the appeal. The Assessor’s office is currently open to take assessment appeals for filing with the Cook County Assessor's Office through Monday, July 1.

To make an appointment, please call the Township Assessor’s office at (224) 265- 6110 or send an email to [email protected]. If you choose to send an email, you must include your name, PIN or address, phone number, and email address. To learn more about submitting an appeal, visit https://elkgrovetownship.com/.