Key takeaway: The median Chicago homeowner paid $4,597 in property tax for tax year 2025, on bills sent in August 2026, up 3.2% from $4,457 the year before, and the Homeowner Exemption saves the typical Cook County owner about $950 a year.
Cook County property taxes look complicated, but homeowners have more control than most people think. You can make sure every exemption you qualify for is on your bill, and you can appeal your home’s value twice at the county level. Here’s how it all works.
What Chicago homeowners pay
| Tax year | Bills arrived | Median Chicago bill | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | August 2026 | $4,597 | Up 3.2% |
| 2024 | Late 2025 | $4,457 | Up 16.7% |
Source: tax year 2024 from WBEZ; tax year 2025 change from the Cook County Treasurer’s report as covered by WTTW. Chicago homeowners overall were expected to pay 3.2% more, compared with 2% for commercial property owners. Tax year 2025 median: Cook County Treasurer, Tax Year 2025 analysis.
The 2025 increases were modest and varied by neighborhood. Bridgeport and Logan Square saw median increases of $274, West Town and North Center a bit over $350, and Douglas the largest percentage jump at 6.23%, according to the Sun-Times.
How your bill gets set
- The Cook County Assessor values your home. Chicago’s townships are reassessed on a rolling three-year cycle.
- Exemptions come off. Each exemption lowers your home’s taxable value (its equalized assessed value), not the bill directly.
- Local tax rates are applied. Schools, the city, the county, parks and other agencies set how much they need to collect, which determines the rate.
- The Cook County Treasurer sends the bill in two installments.
A quick way to estimate what an exemption is worth: the exemption amount times your local tax rate equals your annual savings.
The exemptions that lower your bill
| Exemption | Who qualifies | How much | Renews automatically? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeowner | You own and live in the home | $10,000 off taxable value, about $950 a year in savings on average | Yes |
| Senior | Homeowners 65 and older | An additional $8,000 off taxable value | Yes |
| Senior Freeze | Seniors with household income of $65,000 or less (2024 income) | Freezes your taxable value | No, file every year |
| Others | People with disabilities, veterans, long-time homeowners, recent home improvements | Varies | Varies |
Source: Cook County Assessor’s Office; Senior Exemption amount from Hoodline. Good news for older homeowners: the Senior Freeze income limit rises to $75,000 for tax year 2026, which shows up on bills mailed in 2027, with further increases to $77,000 and $79,000 scheduled after that.
Check for a missing exemption
Look at the bottom left corner of your second-installment bill to see which exemptions were applied. If one is missing, you can claim it with a Certificate of Error through the Assessor’s office, which in 2026 covers tax years 2022 through 2025 (Cook County Assessor). Exemptions most often drop off after a name change, a transfer into a trust, or a purchase where the buyer assumed the seller’s exemption carried over.
How to appeal your home’s value
- Start with the Assessor. Your window opens after your township’s assessment notice goes out and typically runs about 30 days.
- Then the Board of Review. It’s a second, independent chance. The 2026 season opened July 27 (Cook County Board of Review), and you can file even if you didn’t appeal to the Assessor.
- Then the state, if needed. The Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board takes appeals within 30 days of a Board of Review decision (Ownwell).
Plan ahead: savings from a successful appeal show up a year later. A 2026 appeal lowers the second-installment bill mailed in summer 2027 (City of Evanston). Evidence that helps most is recent sales of similar homes nearby and any errors in how your home is described, such as square footage or an extra building.
Sources
- WBEZ: Chicago property tax increases
- WTTW: 2025 Cook County property tax report
- Chicago Sun-Times: 2025 bills by neighborhood
- Cook County Assessor: exemptions
- Cook County Assessor: check for missing exemptions
- Hoodline: senior exemption changes
- Cook County Board of Review: 2026 appeal season
- City of Evanston: appeal timing
- Ownwell: Cook County appeals