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1. I’m late paying my property taxes. What do I do?

Until those taxes are bought by a tax buyer, you can still make payments at the Lake County Treasurer’s office. But once they are sold, you will have to pay them with the Lake County Clerk instead. Payment of sold taxes is called “redemption.”
The time frame when taxes can be sold will vary:
- If there are no prior years’ sold taxes still owing, the current year’s taxes will be sold at the Treasurer’s delinquent tax sale at the end of November/beginning of December.
- If there are prior years’ sold taxes owing but you have more than six months remaining to redeem them, the tax buyer has the option of buying the current year’s taxes in mid-September and adding them to the redemption total.
- If there are prior years’ sold taxes owing and the deadline to redeem is within six months, the tax buyer can start the legal process to eventually receive the deed to the property. If they have started that process, the tax buyer has the option of buying the current year’s taxes as soon as tax bills are mailed at the beginning of May!

2. What is a “tax sale”? What does it mean that my taxes have been sold or that my property has been sold for delinquent taxes?

By state statute, any unpaid taxes plus interest and penalties go to a tax sale at the end of November or beginning of December. A registered tax buyer bids their fee for paying those taxes. The tax buyer’s fee is bid as a percentage of the amount owing, to be applied every six months. Bidding starts at 18% and goes down from there, in some cases to 0%; the County Treasurer must accept the lowest bid. If no tax buyer bids on a property, the County itself becomes the default tax buyer, at 18%.

The tax buyer whose bid is accepted then pays the amount owing in the Treasurer’s office. The taxes paid plus the additional fees are charged in the County Clerk’s office as a tax lien against the property. Additional fees will accrue until the homeowner or another financially interested party redeems them. Upon redemption, the lien is immediately removed and the tax buyer no longer has any vested interest in the property. If no redemption is made within the time allowed (2-3 years, depending on the type of property and the tax buyer’s decision), the tax buyer can petition the Circuit Court for the deed to the property.

The phrase, “your property has been sold for delinquent taxes,” is required by state statute and can be a bit misleading. During the redemption period, you are still the owner of the property. Only your unpaid taxes were sold. It is only after the redemption period expires that the property can change owners.

3. How long do I have to pay off sold taxes? Can the final deadline be extended?

That depends:
- For residential properties of one to six units, the final date to redeem is a minimum of two and a half years from the date of the original tax sale.
- For other properties, it is a minimum of two years from the date of the original tax sale.
- For all properties, the tax buyer has the option of extending the redemption period up to a maximum of three years. Once extended, the tax buyer cannot reduce it.

4. How do I find out the amount I now owe?

You can go to Lake Sold Taxes website for information on the sold taxes for a particular property, including a breakdown of amount owing, next scheduled penalty increase and last date to redeem. That information is updated nightly. For more information, view the Lake Sold Taxes website.

5. Whom do I pay? Do I have to pay in person? What forms of payment do you accept?

By state law, payment must be made to “Lake County Clerk” by cashier’s check, bank-certified check, money order or cash. No personal, business, mortgage company or title company checks are allowed. Payment can be made in person or mailed to the Lake County Clerk, 18 N. County Street, Room 101, Waukegan, IL 60085. Redemptions received by mail are processed the day we receive them, and a redemption receipt will be mailed back to you.

6. Can I make partial payments or set up a payment schedule?

State statutes do not allow us to receive partial payments or set up payment plans. Payment must be made in full.

7. I owe on prior years’ sold taxes and the current year’s tax bill; which should I pay off first?

That is your decision. The County Clerk’s office cannot offer legal advice. Since there is already a tax buyer on your property, that tax buyer does have the option of buying your current year’s taxes when the second installment goes delinquent in September. This is called “subtaxing.”
Warning! If the time is within six months before the last date to redeem previously sold taxes, the tax buyer may subtax the current taxes before September, even on the day the bills are mailed in May!

Subsequent years’ taxes are applied to the redemption total at a 12% annual penalty. Since the Treasurer’s Office is allowed to accept partial payments, any amount you can pay toward the current year’s bill will reduce the amount the tax buyer can buy at 12%.

If you redeem the previously sold taxes, the tax buyer is removed from the property and cannot subtax the current taxes. They will go to tax sale in December and start the whole process over again.

8. When will the quoted amount change?

The Estimate of Redemption shows the next scheduled penalty increase. Penalties are scheduled to increase every six months from the original tax sale and every year from the date of purchase of any subsequent years’ taxes.

However, there are several costs incurred by the tax buyer that can be added without advance notice. See Charges Accrued During Redemption Process for more information. For more information, view the Estimate of Redemption website.

9. What happens if I can’t pay by the deadline?

Then the tax buyer has the legal right to petition the Circuit Court for the deed to the property and you could lose ownership.

10. Who can I talk to about all this?

The Tax Redemption division of the Lake County Clerk’s Office is available Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can stop by at any time or call us at 847-377-2404.