Cook Co. homeowners rush to pre-pay property tax bills before new tax law takes effect

CHICAGO (WLS) -- People looking to pre-pay property taxes in Cook County will have their final chance Sunday.

Some taxpayers are rushing in an effort to beat the new tax bill that President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this month. It limits how much can be deducted for state, local and property taxes at $10,000 combined.

Apparently, it was enough motivation for more than 113,400 people who have prepaid the first installment of their property tax bill since December 12 when online payment became an option. That brought in more than $692,329,744. That's huge compared to last year when early payments brought in just $14 million.

"This is like online shopping, this is online tax bill. People no longer want to deal in cash, checks, mail, stamps, and they don't want to talk to anybody," said Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.

Homeowners are hopeful they can save big.

"I don't know what the impact will be on my refund for this year, but anything I could get extra is worth it," said Maria Mendoza.

The deadline is the stroke of midnight Sunday. You can prepay online until then or you can visit the treasurer's office between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Residents can also submit payments to the after-hours mail slot at the Clark Street office.

You can download your Cook County property tax bill at cookcountytreasurer.com.