How Do I Order an Estimate of the Cost of Redemption in Cook County?

An Estimate of the Cost of Redemption calculates the amount required to redeem a tax sale. The Clerk's guidance says to obtain it promptly if your taxes have been sold. It is not a receipt, a prior-payment certificate, or evidence that the taxes have already been redeemed.

The amount can include taxes, fees, penalties, and costs. Scheduled increases and other added charges can change the balance. Obtaining an estimate does not freeze the amount due or replace checking the last day to redeem.

Download the official Cost of Redemption or Other Delinquent Tax Bills Order Form from the Clerk's website. It asks for your first and last name, mailing address, phone number, email address, Property Index Number, and the tax years requested.

Select the Estimate Cost of Redemption option for taxes that have been sold. The same form also lists forfeited-tax and open-item bills, which are different requests. If you are unsure which document or years to choose, ask the Clerk at (312) 603-5645 before submitting the order.

Use your deed, tax bill, or purchase documents to find the PIN, and compare it with the legal description on the deed. If a property has multiple parcels or more than one tax sale, ask which PINs, years, and estimates your request needs to cover.

The official form lists a fee of $10 for one year of delinquency for each PIN searched, plus $3 for each additional year. For example, two requested years for one PIN would total $13 under that published schedule. Confirm the fee with the Clerk if the years, parcels, or document type are unclear.

The form directs checks, money orders, and cashier's checks for the document order to be payable to Cook County Clerk. It gives the mailing destination as the Clerk's Real Estate and Tax Services Division, 118 N. Clark Street, Room 434, Chicago, IL 60602. The Clerk's brochure also describes ordering tax bills and documents in person at the downtown office.

This fee pays for the search or document request; it is not the amount needed to redeem the sold taxes. Do not apply the order form's payment wording to the separate redemption payment, which has stricter accepted-payment rules and requires payment in full.

The linked official form is the place to check current instructions before ordering. This guide does not promise a document turnaround time; ask the Clerk how an order's timing relates to your actual redemption deadline.

When the estimate arrives, verify that it is for the correct parcel and that the documents cover all the relevant delinquencies. Review any scheduled penalty increases and ask the Clerk about the current total if you plan to pay after the estimate was issued.

For more than one tax sale, the Clerk advises checking priority and each last day to redeem. If the estimate includes taxes you believe you already paid, supply proof to the Clerk before making the redemption payment.

The payment page requires the original estimate, completed with the property owner's name, mailing address, and telephone number. It says that if the original amount has changed, you will be instructed to purchase a new estimate; photocopies are not allowed to redeem. See redemption payment instructions for that next step.

For information about an order already placed, the Estimate of Redemption page directs callers to the Accounting Department at (312) 603-3851. General tax redemption questions go to (312) 603-5645 or tax.redemption@cookcountyil.gov.

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.

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.