Treasurer Maria Pappas and ABC7 to help homeowners seek refunds during Oct. 17 phone bank

CHICAGO, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and ABC 7 Chicago will host an "Our Homes Matter" phone bank Oct. 17 to help taxpayers learn if they are owed refunds.

Taxpayers may call (312) 603-5105 between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17 at the Cook County Treasurer's Office. Phone bank representatives will help taxpayers search for potential refunds by checking whether property taxes were overpaid for the past 20 years. Callers can also discover whether they are entitled to refunds for missed exemptions for the past four years.

Samantha Chatman and Jason Knowles, consumer investigative reporters with ABC7's I-Team, will report on the phone bank throughout the day.

Callers can provide their address to phone bank workers who will research:

• Eligibility for $93 million in potential property tax refunds for past overpayments going back 20 years;
• Potential eligibility for $57 million in missed property tax exemptions going back four years;
• Whether a property is on a tax sale list due to delinquent taxes.

"The phone banks with ABC7 have proven to be an immensely popular way of getting the word out to people about potential refunds for past overpayments and missed exemptions," Pappas said.

The Treasurer's Office and ABC7 have held eight phone banks since 2021 and helped 15,718 taxpayers identify more than $31.5 million owed for overpayments and missed exemptions.

Owners of residential properties may be eligible for six types of exemptions:

• Homeowner
• Senior Citizen
• Senior Freeze
• Person with Disabilities
• Disabled Veteran
• Returning Veteran

Callers who are unable to connect with phone bank representative may research eligibility for refunds at any time at cookcountytreasurer.com. They can use the purple box on the home page labeled "Your Property Tax Overview" and enter their address.

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SOURCE Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas