You may not look forward to receiving your property tax bill, but it’s crucial that you get it. Not getting it can lead to missing the payment due date, which can cost you money. That’s exactly what happened to a taxpayer who didn’t update her mailing address after buying a home in Cook County. By the time she discovered the issue, her bill had ballooned by an additional $800.00 due to interest for late payments. Although I sympathized with her predicament, my office was bound by law to collect what was owed. The Illinois Property Tax Code, 35 ILCS 200/20-15, states even if you don’t receive your bill, you’re still responsible for payment and any interest.

Fortunately, my website, cookcountytreasurer.com, offers an easy way to correct, change or update name and address information about where property tax bills should be mailed so you can try to ensure that doesn’t happen to you.

You can download your bill online and check for accuracy before the nearly 1.8 million letters are mailed out. The first installment bill is posted the prior November for people that live out of state for part of the year. The second installment bill is posted in late June although it arrives in mailboxes around July 1.

If something must be changed, the best option is to request the change online on my website by checking a box that certifies you own the property or are authorized to act on behalf of the owner. On the homepage, go to the purple box that says, “Your Property Tax Overview.” Find your property with your 14-digit Property Index Number (PIN) or property address. Results will show a picture of the property. Then, under “Mailing Information” on the right, click on the highlighted text that says, “Update Your Information.” Fill out the form with the correct name and address and provide a telephone number and email address, then submit the form electronically. You will then receive an email from my office with a link which you must click on to confirm your changes.

You may also request a change of address in person on the first floor of the Cook County Building at 118 N. Clark Street, Room 112 in downtown Chicago.

Note: address changes are not processed by phone to prevent the growing problem of identity theft.

To use mail, just download a pdf copy of the change of mailing address form from our website, print it, fill it out and put it into a mailbox. Remember, this method requires notarization.

There are several reasons why people request address changes. Your name on your bill may be misspelled or the address may be incorrect. Some people want to update their information due to marriage or divorce.

Others tell us they didn’t receive a tax bill in the mail during the first billing cycle after purchasing a property. Check your mailing address on our website and submit a request to update the information.

When an owner pays through escrow, the Treasurer’s Office mails the original tax bill to the owner. We don’t mail tax bills to mortgage companies.

The bill we send alerts you to delinquency, refunds or changes in assessed value allowing you to monitor your mortgage company to see whether you’ve received all tax exemptions that reduce what you owe.

There can be a distinction between mailing address and property location address. Tax bills are commonly mailed to addresses other than that of the property. Vacant land is one example.

Visit cookcountytreasurer.com to learn more about verifying and updating mailing address information. Sign up for electronic tax billing, or eBilling, to receive your bill via email instead of having it mailed to you.

While receiving your tax bill can be unwelcome, not receiving it can be more costly and ultimately even worse.