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Second installment 2025 tax bills for Cook County property owners will be at least two months late per a statement by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.  Second installment property tax bills are typically issued in July and due 30 days later in early August.  Last year, for tax year 2024, the bills were significantly […]

The Chicago Bears’ stadium legislation is still undecided and probably won’t be decided until the end of the spring legislative session in Springfield on May 31st. On April 22, 2026, the Illinois House passed a bill 78-32 which supports a new Bears stadium and which would include provisions for property tax relief where the Bears […]

The Illinois Department of Revenue announced a tentative 2025 Cook County Equalization Factor of 2.8683 on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.  This tentative 2025 Cook County Equalization Factor is 5.51% lower than the final 2024 Cook County Equalization Factor of 3.0355.  Every year, the Illinois Department of Revenue is legally required to calculate the equalization factor […]

Maria Pappas, the Cook County Treasurer, recently issued a report which explained that over a 30-year-period from 1995 to 2024, Cook County tax levies rose 182% from $6.8 billion to $19.2 billion, while inflation over that same period was 91%.  Further impacting taxpayers, average wages increased by about 161%. The study explains that voter-approved tax […]

A note from Glenn Guttman: Thank you to NBCS for covering a story I brought to their attention about a widow who was in fear of not being able to pay her real estate taxes due to a substantial increase in the market value of her home. Fortunately, there were programs she could take advantage […]

As a result of the Cook County’s implementation failures of Tyler Technologies’ system to upgrade its property tax systems, the second installment 2024 real estate tax payments were delayed four and a half months and were due on December 15, 2025.  In addition to the tax bill delays, all refund checks due Cook County taxpayers […]

This past Friday (11/7/25), Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced that the much-delayed 2024 Cook County second installment tax bills will be mailed out on Friday, November 14th with second installment bills due on Monday, December 15, 2025. You can go to the Cook County Treasurer’s website – www.cookcountytreasurer.com to pay your bill electronically. […]

A commonly asked question by Cook County property owners and taxpayers is when the second installment 2024 real estate tax bills will be issued and when will they be due?  Unfortunately, the 2024 second installment issuance and due dates are unknown as of the current date due to recurring problems with Cook County’s conversion to […]

On Thursday, May 29, 2025, the Illinois Department of Revenue announced a final 2024 Cook County Equalization Factor of 3.0355.  This final 2024 Cook County Equalization Factor is 0.64% higher than the 2023 Cook County Equalization Factor of 3.0163.  The final 2024 Cook County Equalization Factor is 6.56% higher than the tentative 2024 Cook County […]

At Rieff Schramm Kanter & Guttman, we take pride in our long-standing commitment to serving not-for-profit and religious organizations throughout Illinois. One of the most meaningful ways we support these organizations is by helping them obtain exemptions from real estate taxation—ensuring that critical resources are directed toward their missions rather than toward tax obligations. Our […]