Cook County Property Tax Appeal Attorney
Tax attorney and CPA representation at the Assessor, the Board of Review, the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board and the Circuit Court, for homes and commercial property across all 38 townships. Fee: 25% of the first year's savings. No reduction, no fee.
Check your property, free
By Hani Khatib, JD, CPA, LL.M. · Tax Attorney and CPA
You appeal the assessed value, not the tax bill, and you do it township by township inside a window of about six weeks at the Assessor and about 30 days at the Board of Review. You do not need an attorney at the Assessor. At the Board of Review and at PTAB, an owner who is a person can file alone. A company, such as an LLC or corporation, must be represented by an attorney, and so must a condominium association appealing for the whole building. What an attorney changes is the case: which argument is made, what evidence carries it, and what happens when the first venue says no.
What representation involves at each venue
Cook County Assessor
The first look, decided on paper. We file the uniformity case (your assessed value per square foot against comparable homes in your neighborhood code) or the overvaluation case (a recent purchase or appraisal), with the property-characteristic corrections that the model got wrong.
Board of Review
The venue that matters. Independent of the Assessor, three elected commissioners, most residential cases decided on the papers, commercial cases with hearings. We file here whether or not the Assessor reduced, with the comparables and, for commercial property, the income and expense analysis a CPA prepares.
PTAB and the circuit court
For the cases worth taking further, mostly commercial and multi-parcel: the state Property Tax Appeal Board, or a specific-objection case in the circuit court. Evidence rules apply; this is attorney work.
What the venues actually decided last year
These figures cover every residential (Class 2) appeal decided in Cook County for tax year 2025, from the Assessor's and the Board of Review's public records. They are not our firm's results, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
| Venue | Appeals decided | Received a reduction | Average cut (winners) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessor | 335,919 | 49,454 (14.7%) | 9.2% |
| Board of Review | 447,784 | 189,516 (42.3%) | 6.4% |
By region the Board reduced 55.6% of north suburban appeals (the 2025 reassessment area), 37.7% in the south and west suburbs, 26.4% in the city. Township-by-township figures are in the Board of Review guide, and the case for and against representation, venue by venue, is in When Representation Matters.
When you should have an attorney
- Commercial, industrial and multi-unit property. Valued on income; the argument is a capitalization analysis, not a list of comparable homes.
- A reassessment year. In 2026 that is the south and west suburbs, where median home assessments rose 20–27%. The whole field moved; the case is about your share of it.
- After the Assessor said no. The Board is independent and reduced three times the share of appeals last year; a Board case is built, not re-sent.
- Multiple parcels, condominium associations, or a prior year with an error that needs a Certificate of Error rather than an appeal.
The fee
25% of the first year's tax savings, invoiced after the reduction shows on the second-installment bill for that tax year. No retainer, no filing fee, nothing if there is no reduction. Terms are on the pricing page.
How it works
Check your property free. It takes under a minute.
Sign up online in a few minutes. Nothing to pay up front.
We build the evidence and file your appeal in your township's windows, usually at the Cook County Assessor and then at the Board of Review.
The county decides. If your assessment is reduced, the lower tax shows on your second-installment bill the following year. We invoice our fee, 25% of the first-year savings, after that bill is issued.
If the Board's decision is still too high, we tell you whether an appeal to PTAB, or a tax objection complaint in the Circuit Court, is worth filing; you decide, on the same fee terms. You can appeal every year, not only in your reassessment year.
How a Cook County property tax appeal works, step by step ->
Questions
Do I need an attorney to appeal my Cook County property taxes?
Not if you own the property in your own name: filing is free, and you can file at the Assessor, the Board of Review and PTAB yourself. If a company, such as an LLC or corporation, owns it, or a condominium association appeals for the whole building, the Board of Review and PTAB require an attorney. Representation matters when the evidence is contested: commercial and multi-unit property valued on income, a reassessment year when the whole township moved, a Board of Review case after the Assessor said no, or an appeal taken to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board.
What does a property tax appeal attorney cost in Cook County?
Our fee is 25% of the first year's tax savings, charged only if the assessment is reduced. There is no retainer, no filing charge and no fee if there is no reduction.
Which venue matters most?
The Board of Review. For tax year 2025 the Board reduced 42.3% of the residential appeals it decided county-wide, against 14.7% at the Assessor. The two venues are independent; a case can be filed at the Board whether or not it was filed with the Assessor.
How long does an appeal take?
Each township's window is about six weeks at the Assessor and about 30 days at the Board of Review. The Assessor decides after your township's window closes, usually within a few weeks to a few months. The Board of Review decides later the same assessment year, before second-installment bills are issued. PTAB cases often take two years or more. If your assessment is reduced, the lower tax shows on your second-installment bill the following year. For a home, a reduction usually stays in place for the rest of your township's three-year reassessment cycle. The county can change it in a later year, so we review your assessment each year.
Windows are open now in 14 townships. See where yours stands.