$47M in Cook County property tax refunds to be issued automatically

COOK COUNTY, Ill. - More than $47 million in property tax refunds will be sent over the next few months to more than 53,000 Cook County homeowners who overpaid last year.

The refunds will be sent automatically to 53,007 homeowners who made overpayments on their First Installment taxes last year, according to a statement from the Cook County treasurer’s office.

No application will be required to receive the refunds, which will be issued starting next week and will continue over the next three months, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said.

"If you have a refund coming, we’ll find you and return your money," Pappas said in the statement. "By putting refunds on automatic pilot, we’re eliminating a lot of unnecessary paperwork and applications."

Overpayments often result from a reduction in property taxes after the bill is paid, according to the treasurer’s office. Refund checks are being sent to 22,241 homeowners who paid taxes through a bank or mortgage escrow, while 30,766 homeowners who paid by check or online are automatically having the refunds credited to their bank or credit card accounts.

Most of the refunds will go to homeowners receiving property tax exemptions, which are applied to the Second Installment tax bill and reduce the total taxes due. The exemptions include homeowner, senior citizen, senior freeze and disabled persons.

SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 ON YOUTUBE

Taxpayers can see if they are entitled to refunds by visiting the treasurer’s office website, clicking the purple "Your Property Tax Overview" box and entering their address or 14-digit Property Index Number.

Second Installment 2021 property tax bills were due on Dec. 30.

Pappas launched the automatic refund program in 2018, which has issued $129 million in refunds to more than 174,000 property owners.