Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is taking action to rectify property tax overpayments. Pappas announced over $30.5 million in automatic property tax refunds to thousands of Cook County homeowners.
Pappas highlighted that almost half of the refunds will deposit directly and automatically into property owners’ accounts. This will happen within the next three months. These total a substantial $15.25 million.
In a statement, Pappas emphasized the convenience of this initiative. She said, “This service is a significant relief for homeowners who have inadvertently overpaid their property taxes. They won’t have to navigate through tedious paperwork, fill out forms, or file applications. Their rightfully owed money will be automatically returned to them.”
The Breakdown
Breaking down the automatic refunds, the Cook County treasurer’s office provided this account:
- Approximately 1,900 homeowners who utilized online payment methods will witness a substantial $13.1 million electronically deposited into their bank accounts.
- Around 4,000 homeowners who paid taxes through a bank or mortgage escrow account will receive refund checks by mail, collectively totaling $8 million.
- Another 2,900 homeowners who made tax payments in cash or by check, amounting to $9.3 million, will receive an electronic refund or a refund application to ensure accuracy in processing.
These refunds are most expected to benefit homeowners eligible for property tax exemptions. These exemptions, applicable to the Second Installment tax bill, are crucial in reducing the overall taxes owed. Eligible recipients include homeowners, older citizens, those with senior freezes, and individuals with disabilities.
The deadline for the second installment of 2022 property tax bills was December 1, 2023.
Check Your Status Online
For property owners eager to check the status of their automatic refunds, a user-friendly option is available at cookcountytreasurer.com. By selecting the purple box labeled “Your Property Tax Overview” and entering their address or 14-digit Property Index Number, individuals can easily track the progress of their refunds. Pappas encourages all eligible homeowners to take advantage of this streamlined process and stay informed about the status of their refunds.
Note: OpenAI wrote the rough outline for this article or completed the initial editing of a press release sent to eNews Park Forest. Other journalists of the Local News Alliance, a nascent organization of five local online publishers, and I decided to experiment with this technology and learn its possibilities and limitations. One requirement of using the technology we agreed on is acknowledging our use of this tech in articles it helps us produce.
The original copy is from the Village of Park Forest and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.
