More than 1,400 Cook County taxpayers may be eligible to receive $3.3 million in property tax refunds and exemptions after calling in to the Black and Latino Houses Matter phone bank hosted by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and ABC 7 Chicago Wednesday. A team of 50 researchers helped callers find refunds, apply for property tax exemptions and avoid the Tax Sale of delinquent taxes. During one particularly busy stretch at midday, there were more than 120,000 callers to the phone bank. “I said we would do this as long as people need money,” said Pappas. “Wednesday’s phone bank shows us that they do. We’re both glad and humbled at the response.” The last phone bank conducted by the Treasurer’s Office in December helped more than 1,500 taxpayers identify $3.5 million in potential refunds and missing exemptions. The first phone bank was held over a three-day stretch in March 2021. Over 6,000 thousand taxpayers were seeking $12.7 million in potential refunds. Property owners who did not call the phone bank can visit cookcountytreasurer.com to:

• Search $84 million in available property tax refunds

• Check if you are eligible for $34 million in missing property tax exemptions

• Verify if your property is on the Tax Sale list with delinquent taxes