Understanding Your Tax Bill

These terms, items and categories appear on your tax bill.

Property Description (top of bill)

Parcel number, Township. Legal description of property, and site address. The parcel number is an identification number assigned to the property by the Supervisor of Assessment's office.

Payment Information

Denotes amount for each installment and due date for taxes. Taxes must be paid by this date to avoid statutory penalty for non-payment.

Mailing Address

Address that the homeowner requests the bill to be mailed to. This is not always the property address. Mailing address change forms need to be mailed to the Supervisor of Assessments office.  The form can be found here .

Tax Computation

Calculation for which your taxes are based. Fair property is an estimate of the highest price the property would bring between willing buyers and sellers. The total value is the assessed value of the property, which for most types of property equates to 1/3 of the fair market value. The State of Illinois then applies an "equalization factor" to the assessed value in an attempt to equalize assessment practices throughout the state. Various exemptions and the value of tax increment finance districts are then deducted from the equalized assessed value to yield the taxable assessed value. The County Clerk calculates the tax rate, which is the amount of tax due in terms of a percentage of the tax base.

  • HIE Exemption: The Home Improvement Exemption reduces an increase in assessed valuation attributable solely to a new improvement of an existing residential structure for up to four years.
  • Senior Freeze Exemption: Provides tax relief for those individuals meeting the following criteria: over age 65 with a combined income of less than $65,000 for the tax year (needs to be applied for every year). 
  • Owner Occupied Exemption (Home Revaluation Exemption): The Owner Occupied Exemption reduces the assessment up to a maximum of $6,000 above the 1977 base year assessment. Owner must live in the dwelling. No application is required. There is no age or income requirement.
  • Senior Exemption: Homestead exemption for those individuals meeting the following criteria: over the age of 65, residing at the property listed on the tax bill and responsible for paying the taxes.
  • Veteran's Freeze: The Veteran's Organization Assessment Freeze is granted to qualifying organization (not individuals) and freezes the assessment at 15% of the 1999 assessment for property that qualifies in tax year 2000. For all properties qualifying for the first time after tax year 2000, the assessment is frozen at 15% of the assessment for the year in which the application is made.
    • Returning Veterans’ Homestead Exemption: Provides a one-time $5,000 reduction in a property’s equalized assessed value (EAV) to qualifying veterans who return from active duty in an armed conflict involving the armed forces of the United States. To receive this exemption, the veteran must file an application upon their return home.
    • Disabled Persons’ Homestead Exemption: Provides a $2,000 reduction in a property’s EAV to a qualifying property owned by a disabled person. A disabled person must file an annual application by the county’s due date to continue to receive this exemption.
    • Disabled Veterans’ Standard Homestead Exemption: Provides a reduction in a property’s EAV to a qualifying property owned by a veteran with a service-connected disability certified by the U. S Department of Veterans’ Affairs. If the veteran has a service-connected disability of 30% or more but less than 50%, then the annual exemption is $2,500; if the veteran has a service-connected disability of 50% or more but less than 70%, then the annual exemption is $5,000; and if the veteran has a service connected disability of 70% or more, then the residential property is exempt from taxation under this Code. . A disabled veteran must file an annual application by the county’s due date to continue to receive this exemption.
  • Please direct additional questions regarding exemptions to the Supervisor of Assessments office at 672-6910.  Forms can be accessed here .

Tax Amount by Taxing Bodies and Tax Rate

List of all Taxing Bodies for the parcel number and their corresponding tax rates and tax amounts.

First Installment/Second Installment Coupons

The two coupons located at the bottom of your tax bill should accompany the corresponding payment being made. You may pay each installment by its respective due date or you may both installments by the 1st installment due date.

Penalty Dates and Amounts

If tax payments are made or postmarked after each due date, penalty is added on at 1.5% per month.