The application deadline for Cook County’s new Homeowner Relief Fund, under which some applicants can receive property tax rebates of $1,000, has been extended to Oct. 31. In addition, more people are now eligible for the program, as the tax increase needed to qualify has been reduced from 50% to 30%. The revised Eligibility Requirements are:
1. Owners of single-family homes, condominiums or small apartment buildings must have experienced a year-over-year property tax increase of 30% or more in tax year 2021 (paid in 2022), tax year 2022 (paid in 2023), or tax year 2023 (paid in 2024).
2. The combined 2024 income for all members of the applicant’s household cannot exceed the Area Median Income. For a single person, the maximum income is $84,000, and it is $119,900 for a family of four.
3. The property must be the primary residence of the applicant.
The Homeowner Relief Fund only has enough money to issue rebates to 13,600 households in Cook County. Since it is expected that there will be more than 13,600 households eligible for the program, a lottery will determine who among the qualifying households will receive the rebate.
Oak Park residents were most likely to have experienced annual tax increases of 30% or more in tax year 2023. This is because Oak Park was reassessed in 2023, and many taxpayers experienced significant tax increases when the 2023 tax bills came due in calendar year 2024.
Taxpayers interested in applying can do so online at https://hrf.cookcountyil.gov/apply. Taxpayers may also call the Oak Park Township Assessor’s Office at 708-383-8005 to ask questions about the program and to get help applying for it.
Ali ElSaffar
Oak Park Township Assessor