Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is sending more than $30.5 million in automatic refunds beginning this week to about 9,000 property owners who overpaid their First Installment taxes last year. “This service is a huge convenience for homeowners who have overpaid their property taxes,” Pappas said. “Most will not have to file an application, fill out any forms or deal with any paperwork. They will get their money automatically.” About 48 percent of the refunds will be deposited directly into property owners’ accounts over the next three months. Visit cookcountytreasurer.com to see if you have an automatic refund coming. Select the purple box labeled “Your Property Tax Overview” and enter your address or 14-digit Property Index Number (PIN). A breakdown of automatic refunds shows:

• About 1,900 homeowners who paid their property taxes online will see a total of $13.1 million electronically deposited to their bank accounts

• About 4,000 homeowners who paid their taxes through a bank/mortgage escrow account will be mailed refund checks totaling $8 million

• About 2,900 homeowners who paid taxes totaling $9.3 million in cash or by check will receive an electronic refund or will be mailed a refund application to ensure the proper party receives the refund.

Property taxes are due in two annual installments. Taxpayers receiving automatic refunds paid First Installment amounts that exceeded the total due for the year.