Treasurer’s Office Issuing Refunds for Overpayments Without Requiring Refund Applications

By Steven Kandelman

The Cook County Treasurer’s Office is issuing nearly 30,000 homeowner refunds without requiring refund applications to be completed and submitted by the taxpayers. The refunds are the results of overpayments made for a number of reasons causing homeowners to pay more than the amount owed on the tax bill.  The overpayments could have resulted from a reduction in property taxes after the bill was paid.  Of the 29,752 refunds, 8,947 involve homeowners who paid their taxes through a bank/mortgage escrow account.  20,805 homeowners who are entitled to refunds paid their taxes by check or online and are automatically receiving refunds to their bank or credit card accounts.  The refunds are due to overpayments made since 2013.  The Treasurer’s Office determines the refund recipients through bank, credit card and property records.

To check if you are entitled to a refund, go to the Treasurer’s website (www.cookcountytreasurer.com), click on the purple box titled “Your Property Overview” and enter your address or PIN (Property Index Number) number.

On another note, the Cook County Assessor’s Office is now accepting 2018 exemption forms.  The Homeowner’s Exemption automatically renews every year if you received the homeowner’s exemption last year.  However, the Assessor has recently mailed out the 2018 Senior Citizen’s Exemption Form for seniors to complete and submit for those who qualified for this exemption in 2017.  The Senior’s Exemption has to be renewed every year.  If the 2018 assessment year is the first time you qualify (i.e. applicant must have turned 65 at any point in 2018), you can download the form at the Cook County Assessor’s website.

For a list of the exemption forms and the forms to be completed if you are eligible, please go to https://www.cookcountyassessor.com/PdfForms/Exemption-Forms.aspx.