Ordinarily, first installment tax bills are mailed around the first of February and are due on March 1. This year, however, the bills will not be mailed until early March and will be due on April 1.
The state legislature enacted this one-time-only extension to give taxpayers more time between tax bill payments. The due date for last year’s second installment bills should have been on Aug. 1, 2025, but was delayed to Dec. 15 because of problems with Cook County’s new computer system.
Without the extension, there would have been just two and a half months between tax bill due dates. I, along with my colleagues in the Cook County Township Assessors Association, felt that this short gap between tax bills would cause financial hardship for many. So we advocated for an extension with Senate President Don Harmon’s Office while officers from Cook County agencies worked with the House.
Fortunately for taxpayers, the legislature worked long hours on the final day of the fall veto session, approving the extension at 3:30 in the morning. And fortunately for me, I was sound asleep when this climactic vote happened!
Ali ElSaffar
Township Assessor
