Second Installment Cook County Tax Bills

Second-installment property tax bills are usually due by August 1. However, the first-installment bills have been officially extended and are now due April 1, 2026. Please also note that, due to ongoing administrative delays in recent years, second-installment bills have often been issued later than expected.

While many property owners will be happy to hold on to their money a few months longer, school districts and other taxing bodies are frustrated that they may not be able to meet their financial obligations since they count on these tax dollars to fund their schools and government programs.

What do taxing bodies do when they can’t pay their bills? They borrow money and pay interest on that money. This borrowing and interest can impact future taxes paid by property owners.

These delays are being blamed on Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s implementation of a new county integrated property tax system. The old system did not link the Assessor, Board of Review, Cook County Treasurer and Cook County Clerk systems and data. Most agree that the previous system was very antiquated and needed to be replaced. The question is whether the new system should have been proven before it was implemented.

Hopefully, this will be a one-time event and things will go back to normal after the new property tax system has all of its glitches out. In the meantime, you should plan ahead for the new future property tax bill deadlines.