Cook County Property Tax System
From Levy to Tax Bill
No single office controls your property-tax bill. The system is a sequence of separate decisions and responsibilities. Here is who does what.
Stage 1
Taxing Bodies → Set Levies
School districts, municipalities, park districts, Cook County and other taxing districts determine the property-tax revenue they seek to collect.
Stage 2
Cook County Assessor → Establishes Assessments
The Assessor estimates property values, establishes assessed values and administers qualifying exemptions.
Stage 3
Board of Review → Hears Assessment Appeals
The independent, quasi-judicial Board reviews appealed assessed valuations and may affirm or correct the assessment based on evidence and law.
Stage 4
Illinois Department of Revenue → Equalization
The State calculates Cook County's equalization factor, or multiplier, to promote uniform assessment levels across Illinois.
Stage 5
Cook County Clerk → Calculates Rates & Extends Taxes
The Clerk uses taxing-district levies and taxable equalized assessed values to calculate tax rates and extend property taxes.
Stage 6
Cook County Treasurer → Bills, Collects & Distributes
The Treasurer prints and mails bills using information provided by the other agencies, collects payments and distributes the revenue to taxing districts.
Role Clarity
The Board of Review reviews assessments. It does not set tax rates, determine government levies, or issue property tax bills.
The Key Distinction
An assessment determines part of how the tax burden is allocated. A levy is the amount a taxing body seeks to collect. A tax rate is calculated by the Clerk using levies and taxable values. A tax bill is issued and collected by the Treasurer. These terms are related, but they are not interchangeable.