It’s property tax time again.  In February, every year, the Cook County Treasurer releases new tax bills to the public.  The first installment in Cook County is generally considered a “deposit” against the full year tax bill.  The County always takes 55% of last year’s bill.  This year, the Cook County Treasurer has added a nice little feature to her website when you check on a property’s tax payment status – the actual tax bill!

I have to admit, this is a nifty little feature.  About a year ago, for maybe two or three weeks, in July, 2017, this feature made a short-lived appearance on the Tresurer’s website and then disappeared.  It is now back and better than before.  In fact, website visitors can even get a copy of last year’s tax bill!

How is this beneficial?  To a property owner, checking on tax payment status is great because those owners who pay property tax escrows to their lender can make sure that the bill is paid.  For real estate attorneys and real estate buyers, the information is invaluable.  With the bill, it can be discovered whether or not the property is in a special service area tax that is collected on a tax bill.  The tax calculation can be discovered and verified.

The Cook County Assessor already provides a lot of great information, but the actual tax bill is yet another great tool available online to assist property owners and their attorneys.  Congratulations to Maria Pappas for keeping up with the times!