How Do I Make a Tax Redemption Payment in Cook County?

Start with the original Estimate of the Cost of Redemption for the correct property and tax sale. The Clerk requires it to be completed with the property owner's name, mailing address, and telephone number. Its payment page expressly says photocopies are not allowed to redeem.

If the original amount has changed, the Clerk says you will be instructed to purchase a new estimate. Review scheduled increases and ask about additional charges before purchasing a check or sending a payment. An old amount that falls short of the current total is not a full redemption payment.

For a parcel involved in multiple tax sales, confirm which sales must be addressed and the deadline for each. If you do not yet have the necessary document, follow how to order a redemption estimate and ask the Clerk about your timing.

The Clerk's Redemption Payments page accepts a certified or cashier's check, money order, or cash. The Estimate of Redemption page says personal checks, credit cards, and debit cards are not permitted for redemption. Do not send cash through the mail.

Make the redemption payment to the Cook County Clerk's office, not the Assessor's or Treasurer's offices. The document-order forms may describe ways to pay a smaller search or certificate fee; those instructions do not expand the payment types permitted for the redemption itself.

The payment must cover all required taxes, fees, penalties, and costs. Partial payments are not accepted and will not redeem the delinquent taxes. The Clerk's estimate guidance also states that there are no payment plans for redemption of a tax sale.

The Clerk accepts tax redemption payments in person at its downtown Chicago location or by mail. Its instructions specifically say no payment is accepted at suburban locations.

Cook County Clerk's Office, Real Estate & Tax Services Division, 118 N. Clark Street, Room 434, Chicago, IL 60602. Published office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; check the official site for closures before visiting.

Check the Clerk's current closure notices and contact its Tax Redemption Unit if a holiday, office closure, delivery issue, or deadline could affect your payment. Do not assume a closure or a postal delay automatically changes the last day to redeem.

In person: the Clerk's published rule requires payment by 5 p.m. on or before the last day to redeem.

U.S. Mail: the Clerk's published rule requires payment to be postmarked the day before the last day to redeem. Do not substitute a postmark on the last redemption day, and do not assume the date you prepare an envelope proves its postmark.

Delivery service: when using a service such as FedEx or UPS, the Clerk says the payment must be received in its office no later than 5 p.m. on the last day to redeem. A shipping receipt or a label date is not the same as receipt by the office.

These are summaries of the Clerk's published instructions, not a determination of your parcel's deadline or whether a particular shipment qualifies. Confirm the deadline, required documents, current amount, and delivery plan directly with the Clerk before relying on a last-minute submission.

The payment page says a Certificate of Redemption will arrive by mail approximately four weeks after the payment has been received. This is the Clerk's published approximate timing, not a delivery guarantee from this website.

The certificate-ordering page separately says no certificates are issued until three weeks from the date the payment was processed. The receipt and processing milestones are not identical; confirm your payment's status with the Clerk if you need proof for a transaction or deadline.

A duplicate redemption certificate can be requested through the official proofs-of-payment process. See how to order payment and redemption certificates for the form and published fees.

For tax redemption questions, call the Clerk at (312) 603-5645 or email tax.redemption@cookcountyil.gov. This website is an independent educational resource, not the Cook County Clerk. Our property-sale contact form does not order county documents, submit a redemption payment, or provide legal advice.