Show All Answers

1. How can assessments go up if the market isn’t going up?

Even in a down market, assessments can rise for the following reasons: By state law, assessments reflect the past three year’s sales and are based on a valuation day of January 1st of the current year. Therefore, they would not reflect the current market conditions.

If you had a recent addition or improvement to your property, the assessment will change accordingly. On homestead property, a home improvement exemption will be granted for 4 years, this reduction will be reflected on your tax bill.

2. How does my assessment relate to market value?

State of Illinois requires that all property be assessed at one-third (33.3%) of market value for property tax purposes. To determine your home’s market value, based on the assessment, simply multiply your equalized assessed value by three.  

3. What is the “Supervisor of Assessments Equalized Assessed Value?"

The state property tax code requires that the Supervisor of Assessments apply an equalization factor to all property within a township (except for farmland or farm buildings) to make assessment levels uniform among Whiteside County’s 22 townships. This factor can increase the valuation, decrease the valuation, or leave it unchanged. The “Supervisor of Assessments Equalized Assessed Value” is your property’s valuation after equalization is applied. Your tax bill is calculated by applying a tax rate to this equalized value.

4. How is my tax bill calculated?

Your property tax bill is calculated as follows: Final Equalized Assessed Value minus Exemptions X Current Tax Rate = Total Tax Bill. 

5. What can I do if I feel I am being over-assessed?

The first step is to determine if your assessment is out of line with the market by using an appraisal, or reviewing sales of comparable homes. Remember that these sales should have occurred within the prior three years. If your assessment reflects a value higher than the market, contact the Whiteside County Supervisor of Assessments office. 

6. How do I file an Assessment Appeal with the Board of Review?

All appeals to the Board of Review must be submitted in writing within 30 days of township publication. 

How to File an Assessment Appeal

7. Will my assessment increase because I recently purchased my home?

Typically, your assessment will not be increased simply based on a recent sale. Assessments generated for taxation purposes are to be valued using mass appraisal techniques, not on an individual property basis. This means we are required to look at trends in the market of similar homes. An individual sale may have unique influences that do not apply to other homes. 

8. Why does my neighbor pay different taxes when we have similar homes?

It is important that you compare assessed values instead of tax bills, because:

1. There are different exemptions available and they do not apply to all taxpayers. Your neighbor’s taxes may be lowered due to an exemption that you are ineligible to receive.
2. Newly constructed homes are assessed based on a completion date. If the house was completed in the middle of a calendar year, the home will be assessed on a prorated basis for that first tax billing cycle.
3. Even if you have the same model of home as someone else, the property’s value can vary due to location and amenities. Developers often make upgrades/options available to their base homes. We need to account for these differences. 

9. What will happen to my assessment if I put on an addition or add an improvement?

Any new construction to your property that increases its market value must be reflected in your assessed value. This may include decks, patios, sun rooms, finished basements, expanding living space, etc. Our office receives copies of building permits which initiates a field inspection to verify the details of the new construction. The State of Illinois allows for an exemption on these improvements for a term of 4 years. The adjustment for this exemption will be applied on your tax bill. There is a $25,000 cap in assessed value (or $75,000 if full value) on the amount of value to be exempted.