DeKalb County Real Estate Bills Mailed

Christine J. Johnson, DeKalb County Treasurer, mailed 42,477 DeKalb County real estate tax bills Wednesday, May 3, 2017. This year’s bill is being mailed in a letter-size envelope. The envelope is clearly identified with the phrase “This is Your Tax Bill” in large, white letters highlighted in a blue box on the front. Taxpayers only receive one bill per year with two payment stubs. Bills have been printed, processed and mailed using a first class, presort rate permit saving taxpayers money and improving office efficiency.

The Treasurer’s office will be collecting a total dollar amount of $213,322,478.96. A breakdown of this total is:

• DeKalb County
  $21,247,567.16 10.07 percent
• Forest Preserve
  $1,485,427.82 .70 percent
• Townships
  $9,097,616.87 59.57 percent
• School Districts
  $125,664,404.25 57.60 percent
• Community College Districts
  $12,116,688.02 5.74 percent
• Cities and Villages
  $14,463,156.39 6.86 percent
• Park Districts
  $8,142,602.37 3.86 percent
• Library District
  $5,016,392.03 2.38 percent
• Fire Districts
  $4,340,923.68 2.06 percent
• TIF Districts
  $9,180,831.31 4.35 percent
• Drainage
  $204,947.04 .10 percent

The DeKalb County Treasurer’s Office continues to offer the option of paying your tax bill by credit card. “We are very pleased to be able to offer our taxpayers the convenience of charging their real estate taxes. The Treasurer’s office accepts Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover Card credit cards on-line and in the office as a means of payment for property taxes. We also accept Visa and Master Card debit cards as well,” Johnson said.

Please note that a convenience fee of 2.35%, which is charged by the credit card service provider, will be added for those wishing to charge their real estate taxes on their credit cards or MasterCard debit cards. For those using Visa debit cards, there is a convenience fee of $3.95. No portion of these fees are received by DeKalb County.

Taxpayers may also pay their taxes online with a direct debit from their bank account by visiting the county’s website, www.dekalbcounty.org. The online payment service provider charges a $1.00 convenience fee for direct debit payments. Taxpayers will be able to enter payments online up to 30 days prior to the date they want the payment to be deducted from their account, and will receive an e-mail confirmation that their payment has been sent. “This feature is particularly helpful for those who will not be in the area around the time taxes are due.” Johnson said.

Taxpayers may also pay their taxes at most banks in DeKalb County during the bank’s normal business hours, on or before the due date of the installment. Taxpayers should bring the entire tax bill to the bank and put their parcel number on their check. Banks cannot accept payments after the due date.

If paying by mail, taxpayers should make the check payable to DeKalb County Collector. Taxpayers should make sure to include their parcel number(s) on their check, make sure their check is signed, and that the numeric amount they have written matches the written-out dollar amount on the second line of their check.

Taxpayers should note that the payment stubs are located on the bottom of the bill. They should return either the first or second installment stub with the corresponding payment, or both stubs if they are paying both installments.

Taxpayers will notice that bar coding appears on the stubs. This feature will allow the Treasurer’s Office to scan payments into the property tax collection system. This will decrease the time needed to post payments, which translates into funds being distributed to the taxing bodies more quickly. Taxpayers are asked not to mark on the payment stubs so that the bar coding remains readable.

Those taxpayers who intend to pay at the Collector’s Office should be aware that parking is extremely limited due to the jail expansion project. In order to avoid the congestion, taxpayers are encouraged to make their payments online, to pay at a local bank on or before the due date, or to mail their payments so that they are postmarked on or before the due date.

The tax bill contains a Site Address. This is the actual location of the property. “This feature will assist taxpayers with multiple parcels in determining which bill is for which parcel,” Johnson said.

The information printed to the right of the site address is the calculation of this year’s tax bill. It displays the Equalized Assessed Value, itemizes exemptions, shows the tax rate, and provides the total bill amount. This is where taxpayers can check to make sure they have all the exemptions to which they are entitled. If a dollar figure is listed after the exemption name, the taxpayer is receiving that exemption.

Taxpayers will notice that the Homestead Exemption Limited amount for properties that are owner-occupied is $6,000, which provides an approximate savings of $600 in taxes paid based on a 10.00% tax rate. In addition, the Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption for those 65 years of age and over is $5,000, which provides an approximate savings of $500 in taxes paid based on a 10.00% tax rate. Taxpayers may contact the Chief County Assessment Office to determine if any additional exemptions may apply to their bill.

The information just below the calculation information contains statutory data, required by law, to be included on the tax bill.

A useful piece of information found on the right side of the calculation information is the 2015 Equalized Assessed Value. Having this information will assist the taxpayer in determining what caused their tax bill to change from the prior year. They can compare the Equalized Assessed Values, and the prior years and current year’s tax rates to see what changed.

Drainage taxes are billed directly on the real estate tax bill. Drainage taxes are levied as a lump sum and are not included in the regular tax calculation.

Please examine your tax bill carefully upon receipt. Taxpayers should note that the bills are not due on the same date each year. This year the first installment due date is June 2, 2017, and the second installment is due September 1, 2017. This is the only bill taxpayers will receive.

If you receive a bill for property you have sold, please mail the bill to the new owner.

If you have questions regarding your tax bill, please contact the DeKalb County Treasurer at 815-895-7112, or visit our website at www.dekalbcounty.org.