Cook County homeowners may reduce their tax bills by hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year by taking advantage of the Homeowner Exemption.

Exemptions reduce the Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) of your home, which is multiplied by the tax rate to determine your tax bill. Homeowner Exemption reduces the EAV of your home by $10,000 starting in Tax Year 2017 (payable in 2018).

Exemptions are reflected on the Second Installment tax bill. To check the exemptions you are receiving, go to Your Property Tax Overview.

Taxpayers whose primary residence is a single-family home, townhouse, condominium, co-op or apartment building (up to six units) are eligible.

First-time applicants must have been the occupants of the property as of January 1 of the tax year in question. The Cook County Assessor’s Office automatically renews Homeowner Exemptions for properties that were not sold to new owners in the last year.

New owners should apply to: