Homeowners have until April 9 to apply for property tax exemptions

Chicago – Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi announced today that his office has extended the property tax exemption application deadline for tax year 2020 to Friday, April 9, 2021.

“By extending the deadline and providing online exemption filing this year, our goal has been to keep taxpayers home and safe while also working to ensure they receive all the money-saving exemptions to which they are entitled,” Assessor Kaegi said.

Assessor Kaegi sent notices in February to hundreds of thousands of households notifying them that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois legislature has allowed for the automatic renewal of many exemptions. For most property owners there is no need to reapply. (State law requires an audit of auto-renewed exemptions. Any households selected for audit were mailed forms that allow them to re-verify their exemptions online or by mail.)

The following exemptions will automatically renew for homeowners who received them last year (tax year 2019) and remained eligible this year (tax year 2020).

• Homeowner Exemption (annual auto-renewal)
• Senior Exemption (annual auto-renewal)
• Senior Freeze Exemption (2020 auto-renewal)
• Persons with Disabilities Exemption (2020 auto-renewal)                                                                 
• Veterans with Disabilities Exemption (2020 auto-renewal)

Please Note: Longtime and Returning Veterans Exemptions will not auto renew this year.

The Assessor’s Office also recently identified households who may be newly eligible for exemptions (such as homes that recently sold before January 1, 2020) and homes that have not received an exemption in the last two years. Purple booklets containing applications and instructions on how to apply for the Homeowner, Senior, and Senior Freeze Exemptions were mailed to these properties. Homeowners can either complete the paper application(s) or apply online on the Assessor’s website. If a Homeowner already successfully applied online for the exemption before receiving the purple booklet, responding again is not necessary.

With the recent changes and improvements to the exemption application process, the Assessor’s Office will host a Virtual Assistance Day on Thursday, April 1 to provide property owners with personalized exemption assistance. Taxpayers can learn how to ensure they are receiving both current and past year exemptions and information will also be provided to help first time exemption applicants.

Homeowners can reserve an appointment here: https://cookcountyassessor.setmore.com/.

“We continue to expand our outreach efforts so that we can reach homeowners across the county, making them aware of everything they need to know with regards to their exemptions and assessments,” Assessor Kaegi said. “Our ultimate goal remains the same – to ensure that no one pays more than their fair share of property taxes.”