Cook County leaders announced the second installment of property tax bills will be mailed by Nov. 14 with a Dec. 15 due date.
Nearly four months later than usual thanks to a vendor’s software mess, Cook County property tax bills will be mailed by Nov. 14 and be due by Dec. 15, county leaders said.
Because the second installment of this year’s property taxes is so late, the first installment of next year’s property tax bills will also be delayed. The Illinois General Assembly decided homeowners should have at least until April before the next bill comes due.
Cook County tax collectors blamed a 10-year-old contract with a Texas-based company called Tyler Technologies for the delays. The contract inked in 2015 was supposed to modernize the billing system within three to five years.
The months-long delay left local taxing districts, such as Chicago Public Schools, struggling to bridge costs while the tax bills sat in limbo. CPS borrowed $450 million to cover anticipated property taxes, requiring it to budget $23.2 million for interest on those loans in fiscal year 2026.
The delay also means 1.8 million taxpayers will be making hefty payments to the taxman as the holidays hit.
Illinois residents pay the highest property tax rate in the nation. Illinois Policy Institute research shows Cook County property tax bills have risen 78% since 2007, despite median property values rising just 7.3%.
The treasurer reported last year’s collections were $706 million higher, totaling $18.3 billion. That nearly 4% increase marked at least the 30th year Cook County property taxes have increased.
The second installment of property tax bills will be available on the Cook County Treasurer’s website. You can check yours here.
