In Cook County, first installment property tax bills are ordinarily mailed around Feb. 1 and due on March 1. This year, however, the first installment bills will not be mailed until late February or early March and will have an April 3 due date. Taxpayers should note that the extension of the due date is a result of special circumstances surrounding last year’s tax bills and will be in effect for this year only.
Under state law, Cook County tax payments are supposed to be spread throughout the year, with first installment bills due on March 1 and second installment bills due Aug. 1. But computer compatibility problems between Cook County’s tax appeal agencies caused significant delays in the mailing of last year’s second installment tax bills. The result was that second installment tax bills were due Dec. 30, 2022, the latest-ever due date for such bills.
Concerned that this year’s first installment bills would be due just 61 days after last year’s second installment bills, I and my colleagues in the Cook County Township Assessors Association were among those who advocated for the extension of the first installment due date with the state legislature. We were concerned that a two-month interval between due dates was too short and would cause financial difficulties for some taxpayers. We were especially concerned about property owners whose tax bills increased unexpectedly after reassessment and taxpayers who do not have tax escrow accounts with mortgage companies but instead pay property taxes on their own.
The extension of the due date was approved by the state legislature with bipartisan support during its fall veto session and was signed by the governor on Dec. 21, 2022.
Ali ElSaffar
Oak Park Township Assessor
