The Cook County Board of Commissioners has established eligibility criteria for the Homeowner Relief Fund, which is a $15 million program to assist homeowners who have experienced a substantial increase on their property tax bills in recent years.

The program is aimed at providing relief to residents as Cook County continues to pursue long-term property tax reform efforts at the state and local levels. The efforts are being led by the Property Tax Reform Group, which includes the separately elected offices that make up the property tax system, as the county works to identify and advance system-wide reforms.

Under the direction of the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development, the Homeowner Relief Fund will provide one-time payments of $1,000 to eligible households. The application process is expected to open this summer, with the payments issued shortly thereafter.

“It is vital that we provide relief to homeowners throughout the county who are experiencing hardship due to their property tax bills increasing,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “This fund will provide short-term support to those who need it most while my administration continues to work with the PTAX Reform Group to develop long-term solutions.”

In order to be eligible, households must have an income at or below 100 percent of the Area Median Income for their respective household size. Under the guidelines, a four-person household making $119,900 or less would be eligible. Applicants must have also seen their property tax bill increase by at least 50 percent in any year since the 2021 tax year.

AidKit, Inc., will serve as the administrator for the program, creating the application website, offering applicant support, reviewing applications and providing the $1,000 payments. If needed, the Bureau of Economic Development and AidKit will implement a lottery system to select applicants.

Cook County 10^th District Commissioner Bridget Gainer convened a public hearing in September to discuss the issue and hear directly from homeowners.

“As we’ve met with over a thousand homeowners during the last few years to assist with property taxes, we’ve heard firsthand the need for a lifeline. Property taxes are rising faster than homeowners’ ability to pay, forcing people to leave neighborhoods they love and undermining the best ability to build wealth — home ownership,” said Commissioner Bridget Gainer. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done to launch the Homeowner Relief Fund and provide much-needed relief in the short term, while we seek solutions for sustainable property tax relief in Springfield.”

Following that public hearing, in October, the County Board approved the creation of the $15 million Homeowner Relief Fund, which was then included in the county’s 2025 budget approved in November.