Cook County property taxes are billed in two installments each year, with specific due dates that can shift slightly from year to year, especially lately due to system delays and legislative tweaks.

Quick Scoop on Due Dates

  • For Tax Year 2024 (paid in 2025–26) , Cook County has announced:
    • First installment due : March 4, 2025.
* **Second installment due** : December 15, 2025.
  • Historically, the first installment is due in early March , and the second installment is due in the summer (often around August 1) when the schedule is running “on time.”

Why Dates Have Been Weird Lately

Cook County’s property tax timeline has been unstable because of:

  • A major software / system overhaul that delayed calculations and billing for multiple tax years.
  • Resulting delays pushed some second installments into December instead of mid‑year.
  • To soften the blow, lawmakers pushed back the following year’s first installment so taxpayers weren’t hit with two big bills back‑to‑back, often moving it into April instead of March.

Recent examples:

  • Tax Year 2023 :
    • First installment due: March 1, 2024.
* Second installment due: August 1, 2024 (first time back on a “normal” schedule since COVID‑era delays).
  • Tax Year 2024 :
    • First installment due: March 4, 2025.
* Second installment due: December 15, 2025 (pushed very late because of system issues).

Looking Ahead to Early 2026

Because the Tax Year 2024 second installment is so late (Dec 15, 2025), Cook County has indicated that the next cycle’s first installment (Tax Year 2025, paid in 2026) will likely be pushed back into April 2026 , rather than the usual March date.

An example local notice shows:

  • A projected first installment due date around April 1, 2026 for the next cycle, reflecting that one‑month delay.

How It Usually Works (Normal Year Pattern)

In a typical, non‑delayed year in Cook County:

  • First installment :
    • Due early March.
    • Equal to 55% of the previous year’s total tax bill as an estimate.
  • Second installment :
    • Due around August 1.
    • Includes the actual assessment, exemptions, and any adjustments.

If you’re budgeting, a safe rule of thumb (in a “normal” year) is:

  • Plan for a March payment (first installment), and
  • Plan for a late July / early August payment (second installment),
    while always double‑checking the Treasurer’s site for the exact year’s dates.

Where to Confirm Your Exact Bill

Because Cook County has had multiple off‑schedule years, always confirm your specific parcel’s dates:

  • Cook County Treasurer “Due Dates” page – shows official due dates by tax year and installment.
  • Cook County news releases – announcements when a year is delayed or shifted (e.g., the December 15, 2025 due date for Tax Year 2024 second installment).
  • Local township or village sites (like River Forest Township) sometimes post projected dates (e.g., “first installment due around April 1, 2026”).

If you tell me which tax year and whether you’re asking about the first or second installment , I can zero in on the exact due date that applies to you. What tax year’s bill are you looking at right now, and is it the first or second installment?