Senior citizens can get a break on their property tax bills, but they need to apply when seeking savings for the first time. The popular tax break is known as the Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption. For homeowners already receiving the break, Senior Citizen Homestead Exemptions are automatically renewed for properties[Read More…]
Author: Maria Pappas
Column: Pay your property tax bill online to avoid risk of check-washing fraud
As the March 1 due date approaches for Cook County property owners to pay their First Installment 2023 tax bills, I encourage people to pay online. It’s more convenient — and much safer. People who still pay their bills by mailing a check are at risk of falling prey to[Read More…]
Money from your property taxes pays for essential local services
My office recently mailed property tax bills to owners of nearly 1.8 million parcels in Cook County. First installment tax bills are due March 1. Local governments, such as school districts and municipalities, count on my office to collect about $18 billion a year from property owners. We then distribute[Read More…]
Technology helps county treasurer serve multilingual residents
Our complex property tax system confuses many taxpayers. Many have a tough time understanding assessments, exemptions, tax levies and other terms we use to describe parts of the system. Paying taxes can be even more difficult for people who primarily speak a language other than English. There are a lot[Read More…]
Taxpayers get help finding refunds for tax overpayments, missed exemptions
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Maria Pappas is Cook County Treasurer. This guest column appears in the Chronicle as an information piece.) Cook County owes refunds to thousands of property owners because of past overpayments and missed exemptions. Many homeowners who could use the extra money to pay bills, buy groceries and meet[Read More…]