Illinois property taxes are more than double that of the United States, and rank behind only New Jersey for the No. 1 spot. This is exaggerated even more when it comes to Cook County. In many ways, Cook County is Illinois turned up to 11, with high property taxes, layered government competing for every dollar, and a brutal reassessment cycle. Cook County also has to deal with the strangest quirk in the Illinois tax code, the equalization factor. Equalization is an important metric for any taxpayer in Illinois, as it brings property across various counties and townships into a more uniform taxbase. Equalization has a great impact in Cook County, where it can change every tax bill immensely. In this article, we will see how the equalization factor works in Cook County and how it can influence the cost of taxable property. Equalization Factor in Brief We already discussed this... Read More

Illinois has a complex tax system when it comes to real property and real estate. Broken up over individual townships, taxes can vary quite widely from one town to another. Only New Jersey has higher property taxes on average, and navigating this complex web of rules and organizations can be hard for new residents and natives alike. Cook County may make headlines for outlandish spikes in property values and taxes, but the rest of Illinois is not immune to these extreme costs. All property in Illinois, outside of Cook County, is assessed every four years. This assessed value then acts as the basis for taxes levied until the next cycle, making it imperative to get it right. In this article, we will break down the basics of Illinois, highlighting some of the issues that need to be addressed. This will focus on everything outside of Chicago and Cook County. We... Read More

Cook County has become the center of interest across the country for those that are interested in property taxes. Cook County boasts some of the highest property taxes in the country, while also being beholden to a series of arcane rules that are difficult to come to grasp with. From the confusing equalization factor to blatantly unfair valuations that target working-class property owners to unburden others, Cook County and Illinois as a whole are interesting case studies on the demands that a government can put on a populace. A key aspect of this saga is reevaluations of property. Done every three years in Cook County, reevaluations change the base value of all real property in a set area. Recent history has shown that every reevaluation so far has resulted in more taxes being passed on to property owners. Alarmingly, property taxes and values can be raised outside of the cycle,... Read More

Federal Tax Day may have just been a week ago, but the people of Illinois living outside of Cook County, are about to get a fresh batch of taxes delivered to their door. It is about to be property tax season again, and taxpayers do not want to be caught unawares when deadlines hit. You are already paying taxes; the last thing you want to do is add a bunch of fees on top of it. Let’s do a quick overview of what to expect and when you need to get all your ducks in a row. Also, we will go over what can be done in the future to lower your taxes. Illinois Deadlines While Cook County makes its own rules, the rest of Illinois has a strict timetable that must be followed in order to property. Property tax bill will be mailed out twice this year, with each... Read More

Outside the San Francisco Bay Area, Cook County is currently in the worst property crisis in the United States. Starting in 2007 and continuing on into 2025, property taxes have been growing exponentially. A combination of population growth, neighborhood revitalization, and chronic mismanagement has produced an environment where property taxes have increased 78% in some areas to nearly 600% in others. In the same timeframe, most real property values only increased 7-8%. It was determined in 2025 that Cook County’s taxable value had increased by 23%, or roughly $9.5 billion. Taxpayers in Cook County are not helpless, and this growing issue has caused more residents than ever before to explore tax protests. Also known as property tax appeals, tax protests are a mechanism that every resident of Illinois has to defend themselves against unfair taxes. The unprecedented taxing quagmire in Cook County is pushing more taxpayers than ever to protest... Read More