February 16, 2025
Property

Maria Pappas: How to pay your property tax bill


Property owners face an Aug. 1 due date to pay their second installment 2023 tax bills. 

Many homeowners authorize their mortgage company to pay their two annual property tax installments from an escrow account. They pay their mortgage company an amount every month to cover the cost of taxes as well as principal and interest on their home loan. 

But many others are responsible for paying tax bills themselves. Those property owners have several ways to pay their property taxes: 

  • Pay online (for free with your bank account) 
  • Pay at Chase Bank 
  • Pay at a community bank 
  • Pay by mail 
  • Pay at the Treasurer’s Office 
  • Pay by credit card 

Paying online is the quickest and easiest way to pay a tax bill. There is no fee to pay online by transferring funds from your bank account. The option is convenient because you can pay from home at any time, day or night. Plus, this method is secure and avoids the risk of someone stealing your check from a mailbox and draining funds from your bank account. 

A second option is to pay in person at any one of nearly 400 Chase Bank locations in Illinois, including those located outside of Cook County. You must present a tax bill payment coupon with your tax bill. Payment coupons may be detached from the bottom of tax bills that were mailed in early July to owners of nearly 1.8 million parcels or printed online. 

When paying at a Chase Bank, your check must include the following information: 

  • Property Index Number (PIN) 
  • Taxpayer name 
  • Property location, including unit number
  • Mailing address 
  • Telephone number 
  • Email address 
  • Tax year/installment 
A sample check with all the information you need to include. Credit: Cook County Treasurer’s Office

Another option is to pay at a community bank. Payment is accepted at more than 100 community bank locations. A list of community bank locations that accept tax bill payments is available online at cookcountytreasurer.com. Bring your entire original tax bill with you, and a cashier will give you a receipt for your payment. 

For those opting to pay by mail, your check must include a PIN and other information listed above for paying at a Chase Bank. Your canceled check is your receipt. Mail checks for current tax bills to the Cook County Treasurer’s Office, P.O. Box 805438, Chicago, IL 60680-4116. 



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