Property taxes are determined by two separate annual cycles, the assessment cycle and the levy cycle. The Supervisor of Assessments and the Board of Review perform certain mandated functions within the assessment cycle. The following is a brief outline of some of these mandated functions presented in the context of how they interrelate with other assessment entities.
County Clerk -- Prior to January 1st of the Assessment Year
The County Clerk prepares a complete inventory list of all parcels including billing address and taxing body jurisdictional boundaries by January 1st of the assessment year. In DuPage County, this is information is maintained in a County provided assessment administration computer system. (35 ILCS 200/9-100)
Supervisor of Assessments -- Prior to January 1st of the Assessment Year
The Supervisor of Assessments meets with the Township Assessors to provide assessment administration guidelines before January 1st of the assessment year along with facilitating the Township Assessors access to the assessment administration computer system for the entry of their valuation information. (35 ILCS 200/9-15)
Township Assessor -- Beginning January 1st, Completed by November 15th of Assessment Year
- (General Assessment Year Procedures including 2019, 2023 . . . ) The Township Assessors record in the assessment administration computer system an assessed value for each property noting the applicability of General homestead Exemptions, Homestead Improvement Exemptions and the eligibility of preferential farm valuations where applicable.
- (Non-General Assessment Year Procedures) The Township Assessors record in the assessment administration computer system an assessed value for each property that has experienced a physical change or at their discretion, requires and individual revaluation, noting the applicability of General homestead Exemptions, Homestead Improvement Exemptions and the eligibility of preferential farm valuations where applicable.
For both General and Non-General Assessment Years, the Township Assessor is required to complete the entry of their revaluation information into the assessment administration system by November 15 of the assessment year. (35 ILCS 200/9-230)
Supervisor of Assessments -- Date Dependent on Completion of Prior Step
The Supervisor of Assessments grants applicable preferential assessments. The Supervisor of Assessments measurers the amount of reassessment changes caused by normal re-evaluation, the adding or removing property from the assessment rolls, and the reclassification of property. This information is used to prepare an estimate of the overall relationship between the assessed values and actual market values demonstrated by statistical analysis of a three year history of sales for each township. This ratio is known as the level of assessment. If it is determined that the assessments are not at the statutory level of assessment, an equalization factor is applied to all property within the township to globally increase/decrease the assessed values to the statutory level of assessment. The Supervisor of Assessments mails change of assessment notices and prepares assessment publication data for all properties that experience an individual valuation change. If as assessment was only adjusted by a Supervisor of Assessment's Equalization Factor, individual notices and publication data is not required. The Supervisor of Assessments receives assessment appeal petitions and schedules assessment appeals to be heard by the Board of Review. (35 ILCS 200/9-210)
Illinois Department of Revenue -- Date Dependent on Completion of Prior Step
The Illinois Department of Revenue reviews aggregate assessment data combined with historical sales data and prepares a tentative State Equalization Factor. If the Department determines that the County's overall level of assessment is not at the statutory level of assessment, this factor will be something other than a 1.0000. Public notice and a public hearing on this tentative factor are administered by the Department. (35 ILCS 200/Art. 17)
Township Assessor -- Date Dependent on Completion of Prior Step
Copies of assessment appeals are forwarded to the appropriate Township Assessor. The township reviews the evidence submitted by the taxpayer and prepares a response to the complaint that will be presented during a Board of Review hearing.
Board of Review -- Date Dependent on Completion of Prior Step
The Board of Review conducts the individual hearings and renders a decision in each case. The Board of Review also acts upon all assessment revision petitions including omitted assessments, granting of certain preferential assessment classifications as provided by State Law along with compiling initial applications for non-homestead tax exemptions for final determination by the Illinois Department of Revenue. After completing the required revisions, the Board of Review certifies the assessment roll to the County Clerk. Aggregate assessment data is provided to the Illinois Department of Revenue for their review. (35 ILCS 200/Art. 16)
Illinois Department of Revenue -- Date Dependent on Completion of Prior Step
The Department reviews the aggregate assessment data and independently compiled property sales information from the three years prior to the assessment year to measure the level of assessment. If the State determines that the county overall level of assessment is not at the mandated level, an equalization factor is issued to globally increase or decrease all assessed values within the county to the statutory level of assessment. (35 ILCS 200/Art. 17)
County Clerk -- Date Dependent on Completion of Prior Step
The County Clerk applies the State Equalization Factor, if applicable. Accounting for value loss associated with the granting of the various homestead exemptions, the County Clerk calculates the net taxable assessed value total for each taxing body area. The actual tax rates are calculated by dividing each taxing body's revenue request by the total taxable value within the taxing districts. These calculations are subject to Property Tax Levy Limitation Law which restricts the amount of the tax increase certain taxing bodies may receive. The assessment, homestead exemption and tax rate data for each parcel of forwarded to the County Collector. (35 ILCS 200/Art. 18 Div. 3)
County Collector -- Deadline: May 1st of Following Year
The County Collector prints and mails the tax bills. Typically this takes place during the last week of April, in the year following the assessment year. The bill is payable in two installments, with the first being normally due on June 1st, and the second becoming due on September 1st. (35 ILCS 200/Title 7)
