Taxpayers should note that the extension of the due date is a result of special circumstances surrounding last year’s tax bills and will be in effect for this year only.

Under state law, Cook County tax payments are supposed to be spread throughout the year, with first installment bills due on March 1 and second installment bills due August 1. But computer compatibility problems between Cook County’s tax appeal agencies caused significant delays in the mailing of last year’s second installment tax bills. The result was that second installment tax bills were due December 30, 2022, the latest-ever due date for such bills.

Concerned that this year’s first installment bills would be due just sixty-one days after last year’s second installment bills, Connie Carosielli and her colleagues in the Cook County Township Assessors Association were among those who advocated for the extension of the first installment due date with the state legislature. “I and my colleagues were concerned that a two-month interval between due dates was too short and would cause financial difficulties for some taxpayers,” Connie said in explaining her support. “We were especially concerned about property owners whose tax bills increased unexpectedly after reassessment and taxpayers who do not have tax escrow accounts with mortgage companies but instead pay property taxes on their own.”

The extension of the due date was approved by the state legislature with bipartisan support during its fall veto session and signed by the governor on December 21, 2022.