Why some Cook County property owners are getting tax refunds
Nearly 30,000 Cook County property owners are receiving tax refunds from Treasurer Maria Pappas' office.
The refunds are due to overpayments made from 2012 to 2016 and amount to more than $8.3 million overall, according to a news release from Pappas' office.
In August, Pappas refunded more than $19.5 million to roughly 53,000 taxpayers who had overpaid their tax bills caused by the values of various exemptions increasing.
This round of refunds is due to reductions in assessments after bills were already paid, according to officials in Pappas' office. Workers in the treasurer's office used new technology to track to down who was owed the refunds and how to issue them.
"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."
In all, 8,947 homeowners who overpaid taxes through a bank or mortgage escrow are receiving refund checks mailed to their homes, according to the release. Also, 20,805 other homeowners who paid online or via check will have refunds automatically issued into their bank accounts.
To learn whether you're entitled to a refund or have been issued one, go to the treasurer's website cookcountytreasurer.com and click on the purple box titled "Your Property Tax Overview." Enter the property identification number where prompted, and the property tax history will show up along with refund information.