Save Money Appeal Your Cook County Property Taxes Now! 
Email: PropertyTaxAppeals4Less@gmail.com

More often than not, homes in your neighborhood are over assessed. Illinois property taxes are the second highest in the nation. Cook County assesses homes every three years and homeowners can appeal twice each year.

As each triennial period begins, Cook County issues assessment letters to all homeowners in the tax township. Many homeowners are in shock when they see the new assessed values. Just as in the real estate market, each home is not the same. As homeowners in your area decide to appeal their property assessed values and win, the assessed values in your area could be significantly different providing you with an opportunity to appeal and lower your assessed value which can result in property tax savings of hundreds to thousands of dollars.

This is mainly why I founded PropertyTaxAppeals4Less. As a Realtor, Accountant, and a Property Tax Advocate, I had numerous requests for help with property taxes from my community. The main reason I heard from those who did not appeal their property taxes was the high costs of hiring an attorney or tax service to file for them. Our list is affordable and customized to each client. No hidden fees. 100% of your savings remains in your pocket. And since it is affordable, you can appeal 2 times a year and maximized savings on your tax bill yearly. After each appeal period, new values are available and present new opportunities for you to appeal.

Prior to the second installment bill for your taxes, Cook County assigns an equalization factor for the year as well as the tax rate for that year. If your assessed value is never appealed, you will have a larger portion of taxes to pay as the assessed value is multiplied by the equalizer and the tax rate.

The answer is no. As a homeowner, you can appeal your property taxes without hiring an attornery or tax appeal service to file your appeal. That is the main reason I formed PropertyTaxAppeals4Less.com. With our customized, numerous databases of information, we can give you the best comps to use on your appeal, saving you the countless hours to research the qualifying comps and saving you money - no fee to us except for the $50 purchase of your specific comps or market information to file your appeal. Your tax savings are 100% yours. Tax services and attorney will charge a wide range of fees - some charge a flat fee ($150 - $500), others charge 33% or even 50% of your first years savings which can result in fees of $300 - $1,000 depending on your savings calculation.

In Cook County, homeowners have 2 opportunities to file a property tax appeal. The first appeal opportunity is at Cook County Assessor and the second is at Cook County Board of Review.

If you are not satisfied with your appeal results from the Cook County Assessors' office, you can request a re-review. Please Note - Due to Covid-19, the re-review process has been eliminated for all appeals filed in 2020. If the re-review if not satisfactory, then you can file an appeal with the Property Tax Appeal Board, and the last recourse is the Circuit Court. Each subsequent review or appeal requires additional new evidence to support your claim for a reduction of assessed value. You cannot use the same evidence that you used when you filed the property tax appeal with the Assessors' office.

Please note- if you file an appeal in 2019 and win, the new assessed value is for property tax year 2019 which is paid on your 2020 property tax second installment bill. The new assessed value is reflected on your second installment bill and taxes are calculated on the new lower assessed value.

The most common reasons to appeal are: 1.) Lack Of Uniformity,

2.) Overvaluation - Market Values (recent sales of your home or the area),

3.) Recent Purchase of your home is less than the assessed value of your home,

4.) Damage by Fire, Demolition, or force of nature - tornado, hurricane, flooding

5.) Major Factual or Mathematical error on your assessor property record.

In order to file an appeal, Cook County requires that you produce supporting documentation.

If you are filing an appeal based on lack of uniformity, Cook COunty will require comps as evidence.

Typically, the most common supporting documentation are "comps". Comps are the neighboring homes in your tax township, property class, neighborhood code, etc that have lower assessed values when compared to your property. They must be as close to your property's characteristics as possible. We look at over 90 characteristics on each residential property tax record at the Cook County Assessors' Office.In order to file an appeal, Cook County requires that you produce supporting documentation. Typically the most common supporting documenation are "comps". Comps are the neighboring homes in your particular tax township, proprty class, etc that have lower assessed values when compared to your property. They must be as close to your propertys' characteristics as possible. We look at over 90 characteristics on each residential property tax record at the Cook County Assessors' Office.

Yes, it is. The Cook County Assessors' office and the Cook County Board of Review have online portals where you can register your information, submit your evidence, and complete your appeal. The challenging part is to locate the best solutions for your appeal. With 100+ homes to review and 90 characteristics per home, it can be a very time-consuming and daunting process. When you order our service, we provide you with the best scenarios for the current time you are appealing from our various databases of information and then it's a simple matter of registering online, following the instructions we send you, using the info we send you, and submitting your appeal. No need to hire an attorney and pay high fees, no need to take time off work and visit the assessors' office for assistance.

It typically takes 30-90 days for the Cook County Assessor and the Cook County Baord of Review to process your appeal and determine your results. You will receive a letter with your results from the Assessors' office or the Board of Review - depends on which agency you filed an appeal.

You can also check the status of your Cool County Assessors' appeal online at Cook County Assessors Property Search. Enter your PIN #, click on the magnifying glass icon. Your property will load, scroll down to the section "Appeal History". If you file a current appeal, it will appear at the top, with a status.

If you filed your Cook County Assessor appeal online, you can check the status of your appeal by logging into your account at: https://propertytaxfilings.cookcountyil.gov/

Log In, click on "My Appeals", You will see the status of your appeal. Please note - if status is Published to the Property Tax System, that indicates it's being processed and is listed on your property tax record with status "Appeal Work in Progress".

If you filed an appeal with the Cook County Board of Review, log into your account, select "My Appeals" and you can check the status of your appeal. The Cook County Board of Review will issue a letter of the determination which will be mailed to you. That final valuation will be updated on the Cook County Assessors site approx. 60-120 days after the decision.

No, the county does not refund taxes. In Cook County, we pay real estate taxes in arrears. When a homeowner receives the triennial assessment letter, it is for 3 years. The change in the assessed value of your home will appear on the second installment of your property tax bill in the following year. If you win the appeal and the assessed value is lowered, the new lower assessed value will appear on your second installment property tax bill in the following year and your taxes will be calculated on the new lower assessed value.

The short answer is no. If you appeal and win the appeal, the new lower assessed value is picked up on your property tax second installment bill. The mortgage company, upon receiving that bill (which is typically almost a year later after your appeal) will update their records and adjust you escrow account accordingly. Each lender varies on their escrow process. Check with your mortgage company.

However, if you have already paid your property taxes ahead for the year that you won the appeal, you will receive a refund. This is rare, since, in Cook County, we pay real estate taxes in arrears. For example, if you appeal and win in the current year, 2020, the tax bill for 2020 will occur in 2021.

Absolutely! This is the smart way to maximize your savings. You will want to use current updated information for your new appeal. The appeals that won from the first round at the Cook County Assessors' Office may present more opportunities for a reduction of your current assessed value. Simply order a new list from PropertyTaxAppeals4Less and file your Board of Review property tax appeal when your township is open for appeals.

here is a savings in assessed value example of a homeowner appealing more than once

There is no charge to you if we cannot locate information to support your appeal. Sometimes, this will happen for various reasons:

1.) If you live in an area where residents don't actively appeal, there may not be lower comps to support your appeal. Cook County requires at least 5-6 lower comps that are in your tax township, your property class, your tax neighborhood code, and that have the same characteristics as your home as sufficient evidence to file a lack of uiniformity appeal.

2.) If you actively appeal and win your appeals, you may be amongst the lowest comps for that particular area. Cook County restricts the appeal to various factors. We look at all those factors for you and only give you the information if it supports your appeal.

3.) If you live in an area where the real estate market values have escalated, there are not as many sale listings to provide evidence of over valuation.

All property tax appeal reductions in assessed value show up on the second installment property tax bill.

If your reduction came from filing a Certificate of Error and it was approved by the Assessors' office or the Cook County Circuit office before Nov. 30 of the prior year, you will receive a corrected tax bill. If it is after that date, the Assessors' office will inform you of the steps to take to receive a refund.