Cook County homeowners rush to prepay 2018 taxes

The Cook County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office has been a busy place this week as local homeowners rush to pay their property taxes before 2018 arrives.

The surge to the county courthouse is largely a result of a new federal tax law that will cap the annual state and local tax deduction for Minnesota taxpayers at $10,000.

Meanwhile, the IRS says it might not be worth the hassle of rushing to prepay property taxes if your property has not been assessed for the year. Click here for their official statement. 

All the same, Cook County Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers told WTIP his office received 200 calls in the last couple of days for information on paying 2018 taxes in 2017. 

“We’ve probably received 75 or more prepayments through yesterday,” Powers said on Thursday, Dec. 28. “People should know that we have not assessed 2018 taxes yet. We don’t do that until March 2018.  So people are paying estimates of 2018 taxes.  Most of them are using the Truth-in-Taxation statement for their estimate.”

Powers also noted the fact “people can’t make a prepayment of 2018 taxes through (the county’s) website. The site won’t allow prepayments. But they can come to the auditor’s office or call us and we can help them make a credit card or debit card payment over the counter.”

WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Powers about the surge of property owners in Cook County looking to pay their taxes before Jan. 1.