Some Cook County homeowners are being harassed by ads and solicitations from companies offering to help them get their property tax refunds.
My office has approximately $93 million in potential refunds for property tax overpayments going back 20 years, plus an additional $57 million in potential payments for exemption leaks from the past four years.
Filing your tax refund is very easy and doesn’t require any help from a third party. It’s probably better to file it yourself, so you can receive your full refund tax-free and avoid having to pay a percentage to someone to file it for you.
A key aspect of applying for a refund of an overpayment is that you must provide proof of payment. This requirement protects you by ensuring that the overpayment is paid to you, and not to any previous or subsequent owner of the property.
This simple process starts by going to my website at cookcountytreasurer.com and on the home page you will see a purple box that says, “Your Property Tax Summary” Click on that box and it will tell you if you are eligible for a refund on your property.
You will need to enter your 14-digit Property Index Number (PIN). If you don’t know your PIN, you can search using the property’s address. Enter the house number, street name, and town. You don’t need to enter street directions (north, south, east, west) or abbreviations such as avenue, road, etc.
Next, you’ll see a photo of your property, so you know you’ve found the right place. Click on the words “View Property Tax Information” and you’ll be taken to a page with a wealth of information about your property and the taxes you’ve been charged.
Scroll down and you will see a section titled “Do you have an overpayment on your PIN?” If the answer is yes, the estimated refund amount and information about the year in which the overpayment occurred will be highlighted in red.
It will say “Refund Available, Application Required, Apply Now.” Click “Apply Now” and your refund application will appear. Your information, such as your PIN, the tax year for which the refund is available, and your taxpayer name, will already be filled in the form fields.
You will be asked to provide additional information, such as your phone number and email address. You will be asked to check a box to verify that you are entitled to a refund and have not yet received one. You can then submit the form electronically. Refunds should arrive in approximately 6-8 weeks.
That’s it. That’s all you need to know if you are eligible for a refund and how to apply for it. It’s simple. My office provides this information, which is publicly available, free of charge. You do not have to pay a fee to any person or company to apply for a refund on your behalf.
Before you leave the website, check the grid titled “Did you receive any exemptions in these tax years” located just below “Do you have any overpayments on your PIN?” The grid will show you whether your property has received any Homeowners, Senior Citizen, Senior Freeze and other exemptions in recent years.
You can use the website to apply for refunds for missed exemptions going back four years.
