FAQ
A New System Designed To Meet Your Expectations
We listened to what our clients were saying. You wanted more information, quicker responses, status updates—a more interactive property tax appeal experience. Our new PTS client portal provides this and more.
Instantly check tax savings with our proprietary algorithm. Register in mere clicks. E-sign required forms. Then, receive email automatic updates throughout the process.
All is at your fingertips. Sign up today. See how tax appeals work in the new decade.
To save money. Your neighborhood’s official assessment information is like an ocean of potential arguments to lower your taxes. Our calculator organizes and leverages this mass of information to protect taxpayer interests.
Why not give it a whirl? It only takes few seconds. Everyone knows the taxes are too high. Let’s at least make sure they’re fair.
Without a doubt. Official data and precise calculations go into each savings projection. The calculator compares your property’s assessment against that of all applicable neighboring properties. Savings show if and only if we can prove you were over-assessed. Odds are, we will fight for exactly that number in our appeal.
All that you need to manage your property tax liability is here in one place in our client portal, including:
- Your forms, with convenient e-sign box;
- Instant updates on your appeal's filing and evidentiary status;
- Document upload space for special appeals;
- First-look appeal results, posted as soon as they arrive;
- Invoice access with e-pay option;
- Notifications of open dates and appeal deadlines;
Anytime our calculator comes back with a savings projection.
Of course, there’s ample reason to appeal on grounds other than fairness/uniformity. Such appeals, however, require more complex analysis. Properties deemed uninhabitable, recent sales which fetched less than their assessed values, and commercial properties doing less business than expected are just a few examples.
In every case, our analysts and CPA Greg Hilton have the knowledge and method to maximize potential tax savings.
Non-attorneys can only appeal taxes at one of four available forums: the Cook County Assessor, the same office that values properties in the first place.
To maximize savings, PTS appeals most clients’ assessments at both the Assessor and the Board of Review. However, our data show that the Board grants more—and more generous—tax reductions. To appeal at the Board, you’ll need an attorney.
Licensed attorneys not only have accountability to property owners but also the state’s professional and regulating commissions. Our attorney and CPA Greg Hilton’s experience and certifications qualify him to handle the most complex property tax issues at the highest levels.
Beyond those reasons, attorneys have access to more and better data and the eye to select it wisely to ensure your appeal effort wastes no potential.
Emphatic “No.” We do not share or sell information with other companies or groups. Never have, never will.
Not when you appeal at the Assessor or the Board of Review.*
PTS charges no upfront fee and clients whose appeals fall short owe us nothing. We survive and thrive only by delivering results.
Appeals can earn clients as much as three years’ worth of savings. Once we save you money, our fee is half of the first-year savings. (Learn More.)
No. Savings achieved at appeal show in your Second Installment Tax Bill, which comes due Aug. 1. The First Installment Tax Bill, due March 1, is always 55% of your prior year's bill.
Winning appeals invariably result in you paying less than you would have had you not appealed your taxes. However, if you appealed during a reassessment year in your Township, you may still see a year-over-year increase. In these cases, clients should know: It’s about the new tax bill you avoided, not last year’s bill. (Learn More.)
In most cases, until your Township’s next reassessment—one, two or three years. If you appealed on grounds other than uniformity, it is, on the other hand, possible to receive a reduction for only part of a reassessment cycle.
Expect to wait 100 to 125 days after filing before results come back. The wait time doubles if you appealed your taxes at both the Assessor and the Board. (Learn More.)
No. Clients recently persuaded us to expand our business into the commercial, industrial and condominium markets, after years of success in residential appeals. If you own a business, sign up! (Learn more.)
No. Our law firm only handles Cook County properties.
If you plan on selling your home, then yes. An appeal will help sell your property. Otherwise, you already hold the most valuable exemption in the property tax code.
*At the State of Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB), decisions are rarely rendered within two to three years, if not longer. Contrary to Cook County Assessor and Cook County Board of Review appeals, the State occasionally decides that taxes are under assessed, which can cause your taxes to increase.