“31,000 senior citizens could apply for moneysaving Cook County property tax exemptions”.
CHICAGO: Maria Pappas, Cook County Treasurer informed audience about the property tax bills for 2017 – for Cook County property owners – have already been posted online at www.cookcountytreasurer.comwebsite two weeks before they will be mailed. Her remarks were presented during the meeting of the Polish American Congress-Illinois division on June 25th, 2018.
Michael Niedzinski, President of PAC-Il. welcomed Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and he expressed appreciation for her attendance and willingness to share important remarks.
Modern technology transforms the ways how different governmental institutions provide their services for their taxpayers in rapidly changing environments.
Treasure Pappas mentioned that there were several thousand people waiting in line to pay their property taxes a few decades ago to meet the property tax deadline.
Right now, the rapidly growing trend from the property owners is to look for the convenient way of paying “their taxes at cookcountytreasurer.com, where payments now exceed those made at bank branches”, informed Pappas.
“No cash. No check. No stamp. No line,” said Cook County Treasurer stated in her prior statement published by her office. This is the following advice, how to find, review and pay property taxes online in Cook County:
“There is no longer a charge for owners who pay online from their bank accounts. Fees do apply to credit card payments. To make a payment, go to cookcountytreasurer.com and:
• Select “Make an Online Payment”
• Enter your address or Property Index Number (PIN)
You may also use the website to:
• Download a copy of your Tax Bill
• Search $94 million in available refunds
• Check property tax exemptions, which can lower your taxes”.
Other important fact that Maria Pappas shared with audience is related to Older Adults in Cook County: “31,000 senior citizens could apply for moneysaving Cook County property tax exemptions . As many as 31,000 senior citizens could save hundreds of dollars immediately on their property tax bills due August 1 by applying for exemptions they previously received,” Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas has announced this week.
“Those homeowners received the Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption last year but have not reapplied, according to an estimate by the Treasurer’s Office. Of those seniors, roughly 21,000 received the Senior Freeze Exemption last year but also have not reapplied”, Pappas added.
More directions about the ways to find, review and pay property taxes are provided in the Cook County Treasurer’s release:
“To check the status of your tax exemptions—or to make a payment—visit cookcountytreasurer.com and: • Select “Your Property Overview” • Enter your address or Property Index Number (PIN) State law requires that senior citizens reapply every year for these exemptions, which are available to homeowners who are 65 years of age or older. The Senior Freeze is limited to seniors with annual household incomes of $65,000 or less. Some of the homes may no longer be eligible for the exemptions. Applications for tax exemptions are available from the Cook County Assessor’s Office. If the Assessor’s Office grants the application, it will issue an adjusted bill for the Second Installment of Tax Year 2017, due August 1, 2018”.
The Cook County Treasurer Office made a coordinated effort to help property owners who speak different languages and translated the content of the page into dozens of languages spoken by property owners. It allows them to better understand important facts related to property ownership and how property taxes are counted and distributed.
@ Text and photos Andrew (Andrzej) Mikolajczyk
