On August 22, 2014, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 2854 into law as Public Act 98-1026 (PA 98-1026), amending the Property Tax Code’s provision concerning property tax refunds for erroneous assessments and overpayments. Prior to said amendment, claims for property tax refunds were limited to those filed within 5 years of the date on which the right to a refund arose. PA 98-1026 provides that, effective January 1, 2015, claims may be filed for refunds the right to which arose within 20 years of the date the claim is filed. Furthermore, pursuant to Public Act 98-1026, if any such refund would cause the aggregate total of taxes and interest refunded pursuant to Public Act 98-1026 to exceed $2,500,000 in any calendar year, then such refund must be paid in the next calendar year.

The Cook County Treasurer’s Office will implement the following procedures with respect to property tax refund claims filed pursuant to PA 98-1026:

1. Beginning at 9:00 AM on January 2, 2015 (the first business day of 2015), this Office will accept claims delivered in person to the Customer Service counter located at 118 North Clark Street, Room 112. All claims delivered in person will be stamped as received on the date they are delivered.
2. Claims delivered by mail will be deemed to be received on the date the mailing is postmarked. Please note that claims postmarked prior to January 2, 2015 will not be accepted.
3. Claims will be identified by applicant name, Property Index Number, tax year, and tax installment. Duplicative claims submitted by or on behalf of the same taxpayer will be treated as a single claim.
4. At a date to be determined, this Office will conduct a random lottery amongst all claims that are received in person on January 2, 2015 or postmarked on January 2, 2015. Claims will be evaluated in the randomized order determined by the lottery. Refunds will be paid on claims for which the applicant is determined to be the proper claimant until the aggregate total of taxes and interest refunded pursuant to PA 98-1026 equals $2,500,000.
5. In the event that the aggregate total of taxes and interest refunded with respect to claims received on January 2, 2015 is less than $2,500,000, a separate such lottery will be conducted for all claims received on each subsequent calendar day until the aggregate total of taxes and interest refunded pursuant to PA 98-1026 equals $2,500,000.

Public Act 98-1026 can be read here. Instructions on submitting a refund claim can be read here.