The median homeowner’s bill went up by a record-setting 16.7%. To help cope with what they call “unprecedented circumstances,” the Cook County Board of Review, the office tasked with settling appeals, announced that everyone who lives in a Cook County township that’s already closed its 2025 property tax appeal window will have another shot to file an appeal.

While these appeals will not change what is owed on the record-setting second installment for 2025, they do have the potential to reduce what will be owed on the first installment for 2026, which has been delayed until April 2026.

Effective immediately, taxpayers have until December 12th to file an appeal in the following townships: Berwyn, Evanston, Norwood Park, River Forest, Riverside, Rogers Park, Cicero, Oak Park, Palos, Elk Grove, Lakeview, Lyons, New Trier, Barrington, Maine, Northfield, Stickney, West Chicago, Bremen, Calumet, Hyde Park, Lemont, Leyden and Worth.

This is incredibly short notice for such a complex process, which could leave desperate taxpayers scrambling to get everything done by the deadline. Lots of evidence and processing is required, so I recommend you hire a professional to do the appeal for you. Just google it, they usually file for free and then receive percentage of savings as their fee.