Automatic property tax refunds for 30,000

Babu Tangewala
CHICAGO: The Cook County Treasurer’s Office is sending nearly 30,000 homeowners refunds totaling $8.3 million without requiring an application, another example of using technology to make things easier for taxpayers, Treasurer Maria Pappas said here.
“We’ve taken steps in the past to make the refund application process easier,” Pappas said. “Now we’re trying to eliminate the application altogether.”
Overpayments occur for a variety of reasons, including the simple mistake of paying more than is owed on the tax bill. More often, overpayments result from a reduction in property taxes after the bill was paid.

Here are details about the 29,752 refunds:

• The 8,947 homeowners who paid their taxes through a bank/mortgage escrow account are receiving refund checks
• The 20,805 homeowners who paid by check or online are automatically receiving refunds to their bank or credit card accounts

All who feel entitled to a refund need to visit cookcountytreasurer.com and take these steps:

• Select the purple box “Your Property Overview”
• Enter your address or Property Index Number (PIN)

The refunds are due to tax over payments made since 2013. Using bank, credit card and property records, the Office has electronically determined who made the overpayment in these cases, making refund applications unnecessary.