John R. Lawson, M.S., CIAO
Assessor
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John R. Lawson, M.S., CIAO
Assessor
The Schaumburg Township Assessor's Office provides assistance to taxpayers, attorneys, real estate agents,
appraisers, and other governmental bodies on real estate and property tax related matters. Our office has
a direct computer hookup to the Cook County Assessor's records, giving us immediate access to a wealth of
information about any property in the Township of Schaumburg. Services offered include:
- Assistance in filing appeals with the Cook County Assessor's
Office.
- Assistance in verifying property ownership, addresses and legal
descriptions.
- Assistance in verifying exemptions.
- Assistance with filing Homeowner's, Senior's, and Senior
Freeze Exemptions.
- Computation of tax bills.
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Taxpayer Homeowners Exemptions
Homeowner Exemptions are automatically applied only if you received it the prior
year. The exemption will be applied on your 2nd installment of your tax
bill.
The best time to make corrections with the Cook
County Assessor is during the 30 day appeal period. The
Schaumburg Township Assessor’s office and the Cook County Assessor’s office in Rolling Meadows, will have
forms available to make corrections. Correct data should improve the overall fairness of the
reassessment.
For a fair distribution of the property tax burden, your home should have an
assessed value similar to comparable homes in your neighborhood. If you believe your proposed assessed
value is too high, you have a right to appeal by filing a valuation appeal.
Not all valuation appeals that are filed are successful. Your appeal has a better probability of
resulting in a lower assessment if you follow a few simple procedures.
The most difficult part of filing a successful appeal is selecting good
comparable homes, the better the comparable, the better chance you have of
having your appeal lowered. A good comparable would be if your home is on a
slab, select only slab homes, etc. You can verify the square footage, and other
characteristics if need be on your house and the other homes in your area. If
your appeal is based on incorrect square feet of living area, you will need
proof, such as:
- Recent Appraisal.
- Plat of Survey.
- Documentation from the builder showing square feet of living space above
grade.
Bring the addresses of your selected comparable
homes to the Schaumburg Township Assessor's office. We will help you verify the
square footage, number of baths, and other characteristics.
We will then assist you in completing the valuation appeal form. The County
Assessor will notify you in writing of the results of your valuation appeal.
You can either telephone us at : 847-884-0030 or
stop by our offices at One Illinois Blvd to inspect the data books that will have this information.
This information is also available through the Cook County Assessor’s office
online at:
www.cookcountyassessor.com
To view a sample of a "Notice of Proposed Assessed Valuation" document you
will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. This program is free and can be easily downloaded from the Adobe Web site.
Once you have downloaded Adobe Acrobat Reader you can
view the sample.
The most significant factor in determining your tax bill is the amount of
money your library, village, school district, etc. requests from property owners. These taxing agencies
hold public hearings where property owners may voice their concerns about services provided and proposed
budgets. Most Schaumburg Township residents have 17 different taxing agencies that request tax funds that
ultimately come out of your property tax dollar .
We’re here to help. Call the Schaumburg Township Assessor’s office at
847-884-0030,
Email:
assessor@schaumburgtownship.org
- Help you file an appeal if you feel a mistake has been made in your
assessed valuation.
- Help you file an appeal with the Board of Review or
Assessor.
- Request a change of name or address on your tax bill.
- Help you complete or file the Homeowners, Senior Homestead, Senior
Freeze, exemption applications.
Several tax breaks are available to Cook county property owners, but YOU
MUST APPLY in order to receive them. Check to see if you qualify for the
benefits listed below, then
call the Assessor’s Office, (847) 884-0030, if you need further information or assistance.
7% Expanded Homeowner Exemption
The History
In 2003, Cook County Assessor James M. Houlihan developed the 7% Expanded
Homeowner Exemption in an effort to provide immediate relief to homeowners
facing skyrocketing assessment increases and the resulting increases in their
property tax bills. This property tax relief legislation was signed into law in
July of 2004. The law is set to expire first for the 2006 City of Chicago
reassessment and will expire in the subsequent reassessments of the north and
south suburbs in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Currently, a proposal to renew this
provision is pending in the state legislature.
You can find more information about the 7% Expanded Homeowners Exemption by
going into the Cook County Assessor website:
www.cookcountyassessor.com
Home Improvement Exemption
The Home Improvement Exemption allows owners of single family residences to
make up to
$75,000
worth of
improvements to their property without having the value of the improvements added to the value of the
property for a four year period. You do not have to apply for a home improvement exemption, it will be
given automatically. You will be eligible for the exemption when you apply for a building permit to
improve your home. Once the permit is issued, a representative from the Assessor’s office will inspect
your home and notify you when the home improvement exemption will be applied.
The homestead exemption allows the Cook County Assessor to reduce the
equalized assessed valuation on the home of a senior citizen, 65 years of age or over, by
$3,000. This
reduction results in a tax savings of about
$200 per year, which will be deducted on the second installment tax bill.
You must show proof of age and residency in order to apply for the homestead
exemption, I.E.: driver’s license,
Medicare card, tax bill. Women who have submitted documents with their maiden name must also submit a
marriage certificate to show legal connection with the current name.
Please note: You must renew your Homestead Exemption
every year.
The County Assessor will freeze the assessment of senior households with
total gross income less then
$50,000. Taxes are calculated on
the prior assessment. The tax saving can be substantial over a number of years.
Each
year the household must
reapply
for this reduction. Application forms are similar to a U.S. 1040 and are
available at the Schaumburg Township Assessor’s Office. Even with an assessment
freeze, property taxes can rise if local governments increase their tax rates.
How is the Senior Freeze Exemption amount derived?
The amount of your exemption is based upon your household income amount computed
within the application.
A Household income amount of:
$45,000 or less receives a 100% exemption benefit
$45,001 - $46,250 receives 80% exemption benefit
$46,251 - $47,500 receives 60% exemption benefit
$47,501 - $48,750 receives 40% exemption benefit
$48,751 - $50,000 receives 20% exemption benefit
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