Ask Andy by E-Mail

Inquiring taxpayers and clients are increasingly using the TaxesTooHigh.com website and the Raila & Associates, Inc. e-mail address to determine their prospects for tax relief ,and to learn more about the tax appeals and assessment system.

If you want to confidentially provide information to see if an appeal of your property taxes makes sense for you, go to our free research link.

If you’d like to ask specific or general questions about our property tax and assessment system, particularly in Cook County, e-mail Andrea here. 

If you want to read some of the current questions and answers from clients, go to Ask Andy by E-Mail.

Answers to Other FAQs

The answers to these questions are especially important for owners with mortgages held in escrow, with delinquent unpaid taxes, and clients wanting a status update on appeals in progress.

Who gets the tax bill - the property owner or the mortgage company?

Tax bills are mailed twice each year, usually in the first week of February and August. Tax bills are sent 30 days prior to the actual due date on the bill. It is very important that a tax bill reflect the property owner's name and mailing address. You are responsible for changing your name on your tax bill in order to receive your triennial reassessment notices, supplemental notices of changes to your assessment, a copy of your tax bill and any potential tax delinquent notices. Call us if you would like us to make name changes to your tax bill.

The tax bill contains important information. For example, the August or second installment tax bill shows a tax dollar savings if you qualify for the homeowner or senior citizen exemption. If no dollar value appears to the left of the exemption, the county may not have received your annual homeowner application exemption card and you may be entitled to a refund of up to $425 with interest. Your mortgage company is not responsible for monitoring your tax bill for any special deductions or refunds for which you may qualify. You do not need to mail a copy of your property tax bill to the mortgage company that handles your property tax bill payments through your escrow account.

How is my escrow account notified that we have received a property tax reduction?

When your property tax consultant reduces your property tax assessment, that adjustment is always reflected on your second installment tax bill. Additionally, once a reduction has been achieved, and the taxpayer's township is closed for appeal, the Assessor's Office notifies the taxpayer with an official "supplemental notice" of a change in the property's assessment level. This notification is mailed before the second installment tax bill. Taxpayer notifications of adjusted assessments do not indicate your actual property tax liability. Actual tax liability is determined by applying tax rates to the newly adjusted assessment.

The tax rates change each tax year and are only determined in late July. The new rates are applied to that year's adjusted assessment on the second installment tax bill. Your escrow account is adjusted when the second tax bill (delivered on magnetic tape) is received by your mortgage company. The property owner should not expect the mortgage lender to acknowledge the Assessor's reduction, even if the property owner provides a copy of the written notice received by the Assessor's Office. However, if the reduction is significant, the property owner may attempt to negotiate monthly escrow adjustments with his lender. If the escrow account has accumulated excessive funds, your lender refunds the overage.

What happens if both the taxpayer and mortgage holder pays the tax bill?

Property owners "double pay" their taxes when they receive a copy of their bill and pay it, when their mortgage company has already arranged to pay the taxes through their escrow account. The property owner must wait for the county to refund this tax overpayment. "refund" is written in small letters on the right hand side of your next tax bill when this situation occurs.

I received a property tax delinquent notice...How did this happen?

Sometimes, people who have paid off a mortgage forget to pay their own tax bill, thus incurring interest and penalty payments, because they were accustomed to their mortgage company paying the tax bill. Sometimes, payments(checks, money orders or wire transfers) are not accurately written. Even of your payment is wrong by 25 cents or if it is one day late, you will be tax delinquent and will have to pay a penalty.

How serious are the penalties for paying my taxes late?

If you pay late, but before the annual tax sale, you must pay your unpaid tax bill plus a penalty of 1.5% per month, or any part of the month. If your taxes go unpaid through the end of the year and are sold at the tax sale, you will have to pay the original taxes, plus monthly interest, plus interest on the buyer's investment, plus various penalties. Interest rates for taxes sold to a tax buyer at the tax sale are very high. You could end up paying as much as 36% interest per year.

What does it mean when my property is "sold for taxes"?

It could eventually mean that you loose legal title to your property, but it usually doesn't because most property owners will pay their late taxes and penalties rather than risk losing their properties. Nonpayment of the original taxes, with interest and penalties. permits tax buyers to acquire legal title to a property when the legal period to pay you taxes -- the "redemption period" -- is over. The property then becomes the buyer's, not yours. The "redemption period" after the tax sale varies with the type of property you own (from six months for commercial properties, to two and one half years for homes).

What will happen if I only pay part of my property taxes?

You are required to pay all of your taxes by the 30 day due or penalty date. Some owners get more than one tax bill for their property. The owner's entire property eventually will be auctioned for sale at the county's annual tax auction or "scavenger" sale, if there in nonpayment on any one tax bill. You have to pay all of the original tax, the interest and the penalties. If you do not pay the penalties, even if you paid the original taxes, your property can be sold at the county tax auction.

How do I pay for unpaid taxes or penalties from the previous years?

To determine if there are any unpaid taxes on your property call the Cook County Clerk at
312-603-5644 or the Cook County Treasurer at 312-603-5100 and ask for the total amount you need to pay, up to and including the very date of payment. Taxes unpaid from previous tax years require a "redemption notice" with payment. You must request a "redemption notice" from the County Clerk. This notice will list all the unpaid taxes, interest and penalties required to "redeem" your property. You are required to have this original redemption document with your full payment at the time you pay the delinquent bill. Call our office if you would like us to order a redemption notice for you.

Property tax appeals are very lengthy endeavors that can take up to 5 months but can produce long lasting savings.

Appeals are normally processed through two county agencies - the Cook County Assessor's Office and County Board of review.

You are not required to file first at the assessor's office to seek relief at the Board of Review. However, you must at least file at the Board of review to seek tax relief at the State Property Tax Appeal Board.

You may file with any appeal agency as often as you feel necessary to achieve a fair tax adjustment on any given year, not just in the first triennial reassessment year.

The appeal reviewers may take 3 to 5 months to finalize a decision on your tax complaint, but your tax savings can last as long as 3 years.

All tax savings granted by the Assessor and Board of review will appear on your second installment tax bill. PTAB reductions can only be granted in refunds.

What is the status of my tax appeal?

There are 38 townships in Cook County with 2 specific deadlines for each - initial filing deadlines and re-review deadlines. Because we must monitor and meet 76 deadlines within 6 months, it is impossible to contact each taxpayer while cases are actively undergoing the review processes.

While a neighbor may have already received a decision, your case may have been resubmitted for a re-review request.

When appealing property taxes, patience is a must! You will be informed, once your case is finally decided. You will then be advised whether it is necessary to go for more tax relief at the next agency.

Feel free to contact us at 312-587-9494 (24 hr. fax 312-587-9484) for a quick status update, or with additional information on the condition of your property that could help us with the tax break you deserve!

Illinois Property Tax Link Sites

Cook County Assessor
http://www.cookcountyassessor.com/

Cook County Treasurer
http://www.cookcountytreasurer.com/

Cook County Board of Review
http://www.cookcountyboardofreview.com/

Illinois State Department of Revenue
http://www.revenue.state.il.us/LocalGovernment/PropertyTax/

Illinois State Property Tax Appeal Board
http://www.state.il.us/agency/ptab/

Cook County Property Tax Classification Facts
http://www.propertytax.com/services_classifications.cfm

USEFUL LINKS