Cook County property owners have until Tuesday (March 4, 2003) to pay current property taxes to avoid penalties, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said.

About 500,000 property owners had not paid as of today.

Payments received after Tuesday will be charged interest at the rate of 1.5 percent per month.

The Treasurer's Office mails about 1.5 million bills on which more than $8 billion is collected in two installments, one early and one late in the year. Some 500,000 property owners had not paid the first installment of tax year 2002, on which more than $4 billion is to be collected and then distributed to local taxing agencies.

To meet Tuesday's deadline, taxpayers can pay Monday (March 3) at any LaSalle Bank by 5 p.m. (the Treasurer's Office is closed for the Casimir Pulaski Holdiay); at LaSalle or the Treasurer's office by 5 p.m. Tuesday (March 4); or electronically from a banking or checking account at www.cookcountytreasurer.com until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday

Late bills mailed to the Treasurer's office must be postmarked March 4 at the latest to avoid interest charges. A taxpayer mailing a bill is advised not to drop the envelope into a mailbox, but to go to a Post Office and get a mailing receipt for a nominal fee to ensure proof of timely payment.

All checks must contain the 1) taxpayer's name, 2) Property Index Number (PIN), 3) property location (with any unit number), 4) taxpayer's phone number, and 5) taxpayer's e-mail address (if available).