Treasurer

Property taxes in Cook County can feel confusing and high-stakes, especially when you’re trying to figure out how much you owe, whether you qualify for a break, or if you’re due a refund. This guide walks through how the Cook County IL Treasurer’s Office fits into that picture, what the County Treasurer actually does, and how you can use official tools to pay your bill, check exemptions, avoid tax sales, and track refunds without wasting time or money.

Understand What the Cook County Treasurer Actually Does

The Cook County Treasurer is the county’s chief tax collector for property taxes. While the Assessor values property and other county offices handle appeals, the County Treasurer is the one who:

Issues and mails property tax bills
Collects and processes payments
Applies eligible exemptions and credits to the tax bill
Handles property tax refunds and overpayments
Manages tax sales when bills go unpaid
Invests and distributes property tax revenue to local taxing districts

You can learn more and access all core services directly from the official Cook County Treasurer’s Office website at Cook County Treasurer’s Office.

In practical terms, if you live or own property in Cook County, the County Treasurer is the office you deal with when you need to pay your property tax bill, confirm a payment went through, apply for a refund, or figure out if your taxes are delinquent.

Navigate Your Property Tax Overview in One Place

One of the most useful tools offered by the Cook County Treasurer is the online property tax overview page. Instead of jumping between multiple offices, this page lets you see key information about your property all in one spot.

Use the property overview page to handle key tasks

From the online overview, you can:

Look up your property by Property Index Number (PIN) or address
Make an online payment from your bank account
See whether a refund is available on your property
Download a copy of your most recent tax bill
Sign up to receive future tax bills by email
See if your delinquent taxes have been sold in a tax sale
Review local government debt and pension information tied to your property
Check and update your mailing address
Review the exemptions currently applied to your property

You can begin by going to the property tax overview search page at Check property tax overview and pay online.

Once you enter your PIN or address, you’ll see a detailed breakdown of your bill, payments, and any available savings or refunds.

Choose the Best Way to Pay Your Cook County Property Taxes

The Treasurer offers several official payment options so you can pick what fits you best. Each method has different timing and convenience factors, but all are routed through the County Treasurer.

You can see all official payment methods on the Ways to Pay page at Ways to pay Cook County property taxes.

Pay online directly from your bank account

Paying online is often the fastest and most convenient option. Key points:

You can pay using your checking or savings account.
There is no fee when you pay from your bank account through the Treasurer’s website.
You can confirm the payment status through your property tax overview.

Because the payment is processed through the County Treasurer’s system, you don’t have to worry about third-party services or unofficial portals.

Pay at a Chase Bank branch

If you prefer paying in person but want flexible locations, you can:

Pay at any Chase Bank branch in Illinois (even outside Cook County).

Bring your original tax bill or payment coupon so the bank can process your payment accurately.

Chase acts as a collection partner for the Treasurer, so the payment is treated as if it was made directly to the Treasurer’s Office.

Pay at a participating community bank

Some community banks in and around Cook County also accept property tax payments from their own account holders. If you already bank locally, this can be convenient:

You must typically have an account at the bank.
You should bring your tax bill or payment coupon.

The Treasurer’s site maintains a list of participating community banks so you can confirm whether your bank is included before you go.

Pay by mail

Mailing in your payment is still an option, particularly if you pay early and want a paper trail (for example, through a canceled check).

When paying by mail, it’s important to:

Include your payment coupon or clearly write your PIN on the check.
Allow enough time for mail processing before the due date.

Certain types of bills (like open-item or forfeiture redemption bills) may only be payable by mail or at the Treasurer’s Office, so always read the instructions on your tax bill.

Pay at the Cook County Treasurer’s Office

You can also pay in person at the Treasurer’s Office itself during official business hours. This can be helpful if:

You’re paying close to a deadline and want immediate confirmation.
You have questions that might affect how you pay.

The official site includes current office hours and other visit details.

Tap Into Property Tax Exemptions and Savings Programs

For many homeowners, the biggest way to lower their property tax bill is through exemptions. The Cook County IL Treasurer doesn’t decide whether your property qualifies—that’s typically handled in coordination with the Assessor and state law—but the Treasurer’s Office reflects those exemptions on your bill and helps you confirm they’re in place.

You can review the list of major exemptions and related savings programs at Property tax exemptions and savings.

Common exemptions that reduce your bill

Some of the most common exemptions that may appear on a Cook County bill include:

Homeowner Exemption – Reduces the taxable value for an owner-occupied home.

Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption – Adds savings for eligible seniors who own and occupy their home.

Senior Citizen Assessment Freeze Exemption – Helps eligible seniors by freezing the equalized assessed value of their home, limiting increases in taxable value.

Persons with Disability Exemption – Provides additional relief for qualifying individuals with disabilities.

Disabled Veteran Homestead Exemption – Offers significant savings for eligible disabled veterans.

Home Improvement Exemption – Temporarily protects certain home improvements from increasing your property’s assessed value.

Property tax relief for military personnel – Designed for certain military members who meet program criteria.

First responder’s surviving spouse abatement – Offers relief when a first responder dies in the line of duty and a surviving spouse remains in the home.

Use the Treasurer’s tools to confirm your exemptions

Through the property tax overview and exemption-specific pages, you can:

See which exemptions are currently applied to your PIN
Search exemption history on your property
Identify missing exemptions that might qualify you for a refund or adjustment

Even if applications for new exemptions often go through the Assessor or other agencies, the Treasurer’s Office is where you see how those exemptions actually affect your bill and payments.

Track and Claim Property Tax Refunds from the Treasurer

Overpayments happen more often than many homeowners realize—especially when both a mortgage company and a new owner pay the same installment, when a tax bill is paid twice, or when an exemption is applied retroactively.

The Cook County Treasurer has a structured process for identifying and issuing property tax refunds. A detailed overview is available at How to apply for a property tax refund.

Some refunds are automatic

In many cases, you don’t need to do anything. If the Treasurer can clearly determine:

Who made the overpayment (for example, through bank, credit card, or property records), and

That the payment exceeds what was owed

then the office may process the refund automatically. When that’s possible, you’ll typically see a refund issued without a formal application.

When you must apply for a refund

You’ll need to submit an application if the Treasurer’s Office can’t tell exactly who made the overpayment or needs documentation to confirm it.

The general steps are:

Search for potential refunds
Use your PIN to check for overpayments tied to your property. If an overpayment appears, it will show up in the refund search results.

Start the online refund application
From the search results, you can launch an electronic application tied to that overpayment.

Provide proof of payment
You’ll need to upload documentation showing that you or your organization actually made the payment. Depending on how you paid, that might be:
Copies of canceled checks
A receipt from a cashier
A paid tax sale redemption bill
A real estate closing statement plus the title company’s check
A bank statement showing the tax payment and your name
A credit card statement showing the tax payment and your name
For mortgage-company payments, an IRS Form 1098 for the relevant tax year or a letter from the mortgage company with details about the payment

Provide direction if someone else should receive the refund
If another party (such as a prior owner, builder, title company, or co-owner) paid the taxes, the Treasurer may require a letter of direction from that party authorizing the refund to be issued to you.

Certain business applicants, like mortgage lenders and loan servicers, may also have to pay a fee per refund application under county ordinance, and must follow detailed instructions when submitting those applications.

Being thorough and accurate with your application and attachments helps the Treasurer’s Office process your refund more efficiently.

Protect Seniors and Vulnerable Homeowners with Specialized Treasurer Programs

The Cook County IL Treasurer coordinates important protections for older adults and other vulnerable homeowners, often working alongside other county offices.

Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral Program

This program allows qualifying seniors to defer payment of part or all of their property taxes, essentially turning those taxes into a lien that is repaid later (often when the property is sold or transferred). While the details are technical, the Treasurer’s Office provides:

Application forms and instructions
Information about eligibility and limits
Assistance with where to submit completed forms

This can be a critical lifeline for seniors who are “house-rich but cash-poor” and struggling to pay rising property taxes on a fixed income.

Third-party notification for at-risk homeowners

For seniors and others who might miss payment notices, the Treasurer offers a third-party notification program. With this setup:

You designate another person (like a family member, friend, or advisor) to receive copies of important tax bills or delinquency notices.

The goal is to prevent missed payments from turning into costly penalties or tax sales simply because someone overlooked a mailing.

These programs don’t eliminate your tax responsibility, but they can prevent avoidable crises.

Stay Out of Tax Sales and Understand What Happens if Taxes Are Sold

If property taxes go unpaid long enough, the Cook County Treasurer is required by law to move those delinquent taxes into one of two official tax sales. These processes can eventually threaten ownership if they’re not addressed.

You can read a plain-language explanation on the county site at Cook County tax sale general information.

Two main types of tax sales

Cook County conducts two different tax sales:

Annual Tax Sale – For recent delinquent taxes. Buyers purchase the right to collect the overdue taxes plus interest and penalties.

Scavenger Sale – For properties with more severely delinquent taxes, often spanning multiple years.

In both cases, the Treasurer’s role is to administer the sale of the delinquent taxes—not the property itself at first—but failure to redeem those taxes can ultimately lead to loss of the property through a deed process handled by other offices.

Use Treasurer tools to check if your taxes are in danger

The Treasurer’s website lets you:

See if your taxes are delinquent from your property overview
Check if your delinquent taxes have already been sold
Learn the deadlines and costs to redeem delinquent taxes

Because tax sale timelines are strict and penalties grow over time, it’s crucial to check early and contact the appropriate offices if you see any sign of delinquency.

Review Your 20-Year Tax History and Local Government Debt

The County Treasurer also gives you deep transparency into how your taxes have changed over time and how local debt affects your bill.

Look back at 20 years of tax bills

If you want to see how your bill has evolved, line by line, you can use the Treasurer’s official 20-year tax bill history tool at 20-year tax bill history search.

This tool lets you:

Review past tax years for your property

See how much each local taxing district charged in prior years

Compare trends over time (for example, whether a specific district’s share is growing faster than others)

It’s especially useful when you’re:

Considering buying or selling a property
Checking the impact of referendums or new levies
Trying to understand why your current bill feels higher than in the past

See how local debt ties to your tax bill

Through specialized reports and interactive tools, the Treasurer also lets you:

See debt and pension obligations for taxing districts that appear on your bill
View executive summaries and detailed debt reports
Explore maps showing how those obligations are distributed around the county

This information can help you understand not just what you’re paying, but why those tax rates exist.

Coordinate with Other Cook County Property Tax Offices

The Cook County Treasurer is one of several agencies involved in the property tax process. For many issues, the smoothest path is understanding who does what and then using official channels to coordinate.

Cook County Government and central services

The broader county government site provides information about countywide services, board decisions, and departments that interact with the Treasurer. You can explore these resources at Cook County Government.

County Assessor: where your property value comes from

The County Assessor determines the assessed value of your property, which is a key building block for your tax bill. If you believe your property is over-assessed, or if you need to correct property characteristics, the Assessor is usually the first stop.

Learn more at the official Cook County Assessor’s Office.

Board of Review and tax appeals

If you’ve filed or are planning to file an appeal on your assessment, you’ll often work with the County Assessor and the Board of Review. Successful appeals can lower your assessed value, which eventually passes through to a lower tax bill calculated and collected by the Treasurer.

Cook County Property Tax Portal

For a broad overview that connects multiple agencies—including the Treasurer, Assessor, Clerk, and Board of Review—you can use the official Cook County Property Tax Portal.

This portal centralizes property information and links out to the specific offices involved in your tax situation.

Go Paperless and Keep Your Contact Information Up to Date

To avoid missed bills and penalties, it’s important that the Treasurer has the right mailing address and a reliable way to reach you.

Update your name and mailing address

If you’ve moved or changed your mailing address (even if the property itself hasn’t changed hands), you should:

Use the Treasurer’s online tools to update your mailing information
Confirm that the change appears in your property overview

Keeping this up to date ensures your bill and any delinquency notices are sent to the correct place.

Sign up to receive your bill by email

If you prefer digital delivery or want a backup to mailed bills, you can sign up to receive your property tax bill electronically. This can reduce the chance of missing a due date because of postal delays or misplaced mail.

The Treasurer’s site offers a secure sign-up flow that ties your email to your property information and billing history.

Treasurer-Related Offices and Contact Information

Cook County Treasurer’s Office – 118 North Clark Street, Room 112, Chicago, Illinois 60602 – (312) 443-5100

Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas – 118 North Clark Street, Room 212, Chicago, Illinois 60602 – 312.603.6202

Cook County Treasurer FAQs

How do I look up my property tax bill and pay it online?

You can see your latest bill, payment history, and make a payment in one place using the Treasurer’s secure online portal. With your Property Index Number (PIN) or property address, you can go to the Cook County Treasurer’s site and use Check Your Payment Status or Make an Online Payment. There you can review installments due, download a copy of your tax bill, sign up for email billing, and pay directly from your bank account without a fee.

How can I pay at a bank, by mail, or at the Treasurer’s Office?

If you prefer not to pay online, the Treasurer’s Office lists several official options. You can review details and any requirements for paying at Chase Bank branches in Illinois, participating community banks where you already have an account, by mail, or at the downtown office by visiting Ways to Pay. That page explains which types of bills can be paid where, what to bring with you, and when in-person payments are accepted.

How do I check if I’m owed a property tax refund or track one?

The Treasurer’s Office lets you search for overpayments tied to your PIN and apply electronically when needed. Start with the Overpayment Refund Search to see if a refund is available. If you find one, you can follow the link to the online application and upload proof of payment. After you apply, you can use the Overpayment Refund Status Search page from the same Refunds section to monitor progress on your claim.

Where do I manage exemptions and senior property tax relief?

Exemptions and senior relief programs are handled through the Treasurer’s website in coordination with other county offices. To see which exemptions are on your PIN and whether you may have missed savings, use the Exemption History Search. For seniors interested in deferring part or all of their real estate tax, the Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral Program page explains eligibility, forms, and how the deferral appears on your tax bill.