The deadline for Chicago homeowners to get up to a $200 rebate on their annual property tax bill has been extended to Friday, Dec. 30th, the city announced this week.
The deadline was originally set for today (Nov. 3oth), but after just 7 percent of eligible homeowners applied for a share of the $20 million in rebates intended to soften the impact of a sharp rise in property taxes, Mayor Rahm Emanuel moved it back, reported the Chicago Sun-Times.
About 11,000 eligible homeowners have applied for the rebate, which is averaging $109, out of 155,000 eligible homeowners, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In all, the city has about 425,000 homeowners, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Just $1.2 million has been tapped, leaving nearly $19 million unclaimed.
If you are a Chicago homeowner with a household adjusted gross income in 2015 of $75,000 or less and the city portion of your most recent property tax bill (received in July 2016) increased from the previous year’s property tax bill (received in July 2015), you may be eligible for a rebate.
There’s also a “senior supplement” for eligible elderly homeowners and an “enhanced grant” for homeowners experiencing significant hardship.
If you do not have a copy of your property tax bill, you can obtain it on the Cook County Treasurer’s website.
Homeowners can apply in person at one of the more than 20 locations throughout the city, including the Austin Library branch at 5615 W. Race. The hours at that location are 12 to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
For more information about the rebate program, click here.
Rebate checks to those 11,000 homeowners who’ve already applied for the savings will be sent out this week, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.