What Should I Do If My Cook County Property Taxes Have Been Sold?

The Clerk's tax redemption brochure describes sold taxes as the lien for unpaid taxes, penalties, costs, and fees purchased by a tax buyer. It is not the same as someone automatically receiving your house as soon as a bill is missed. However, the tax buyer's interest can lead to loss of the property if the taxes are not redeemed within the permitted period.

Treat a tax-sale notice as a time-sensitive issue. Locate the property records and notices, establish which tax years and sales are involved, and contact the Clerk about the current redemption status. Do not use a general timeline from a brochure as the deadline for your parcel.

Your Property Index Number, or PIN, identifies the tax parcel. The Clerk lists the deed, tax bill, and purchase documents as useful places to find it. An address search through the Assessor can help, but the Clerk warns that address matches are not guaranteed. Compare the PIN with the legal description on your deed.

The brochure describes a Delinquent Property Tax Search for sold, forfeited, or unpaid taxes. Check the official site's current availability notices before relying on that tool. If it is unavailable or the results are unclear, ask the Clerk directly; an unavailable search is not evidence that the parcel has no delinquency.

If you cannot interpret the legal description, the Clerk's Real Estate & Tax Services Division can help examine official county tax maps. If your property has been involved in more than one tax sale, ask about each sale's priority and its last day to redeem.

The Clerk's Estimate of Redemption page says to obtain an Estimate of the Cost of Redemption immediately after learning that taxes have been sold. This calculates the amount needed to redeem the sale. Use the official order form and confirm that the documents cover the delinquencies on your property, rather than assuming one tax year or one sale tells the whole story.

Check the PIN, relevant sale, and scheduled penalty increases on the estimate. The Clerk explains that additional charges can also arise, including unpaid current taxes paid by the tax buyer and certain notice-related costs. Do not assume that an earlier quoted amount is still enough for a later payment.

If the estimate includes taxes you believe you already paid, bring proof to the Clerk's Tax Redemption Unit before paying. The Clerk's guidance describes circumstances in which a tax buyer's later payment can be removed after evidence of the owner's earlier payment is supplied.

See the step-by-step guide to ordering a redemption estimate for the form, information, and document-order fee.

The Clerk requires full payment and the original Estimate of the Cost of Redemption, completed with the owner's name, mailing address, and telephone number. The payment instructions allow a certified or cashier's check, money order, or cash; never mail cash. Personal checks, debit cards, and credit cards are not accepted for redemption.

The payment instructions distinguish in-person, U.S. Mail, and delivery-service deadlines. Review how to make a redemption payment and confirm the current instructions with the Clerk well before your final day. Buying an estimate, asking a question, or discussing a possible house sale does not itself complete redemption.

After paying, retain your records and check the Clerk's certificate process. A prior-tax-payment certificate and proof of redeeming a particular tax sale serve different purposes; use the guide to ordering proof of payment to choose the appropriate request.

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.

The brochure states that the Clerk and Treasurer cannot give legal advice. If you have received court papers, face an imminent deadline, dispute an ownership interest, or are considering a sale of the property, consult an Illinois attorney about the specific facts. Do not treat a buyer's promise or an unofficial calculator as a substitute for the Clerk's records and legal advice.