Property tax bills mailed out in McHenry County with new look and ways to pay

Property tax bills were due to be mailed out to home and business owners in McHenry County on Friday as county Treasurer Donna Kurtz announces the VIP Taxpayer Program.

The program will allow property owners to schedule electronic payments, get reminders of due dates and sign up to receive next year’s bill electronically. Taxpayers still can pay by electronic check without paying any processing fees as a VIP taxpayer or as a one-time online payer.

To sign up as a VIP taxpayer or make a one-time payment, scan the QR code on the upper right of your property tax bill or visit treasurer.mchenrycountyil.gov. Installments for this year’s property taxes are due June 10 and Sept. 10.

The tax bills have a new look this year, which officials said is an easier-to-understand format that offers property owners “a transparent accounting of where their tax dollars are going,” according to a news release from Kurtz’s office. The various governmental agencies that issue a property tax levy for a particular address are listed on the bill in descending order based on the increase in taxes from the previous year. Contact information for each taxing body also is provided, and a pie chart next to the list shows the percentage of the bill that is applied to each unit of local government serving that property owner.

The back of the bill includes contact information for the township assessors and county assessment office, which handles property tax exemptions and assessment appeals.

To pay your property taxes electronically via E-Check, visit treasurer.mchenrycountyil.gov and click on “Look Up/Pay Your Tax Bill.” Once you look up your tax bill, you can click on “Pay Taxes” to begin the process. To pay by phone, call 877-220-2247 and follow the prompts. When you pay via E-Check, write down the payment confirmation code you receive so you have it for your records.

Payments by mail must include the payment coupon and can be sent to McHenry County collector, P.O. Box 8730, Carol Stream, IL 60197-8730. If paying by check, write your property parcel number on it. Do not send cash.

Payments also can be made in person by visiting the treasurer’s office at 2100 N. Seminary Ave. in Woodstock from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. The treasurer’s office accepts check, cash and debit/credit card payments.

In addition, the treasurer’s office has two 24-hour dropboxes, one walk-up and one drive-up. Drop-off payments can be a check or money order made payable to the McHenry County collector and placed in an envelope with the payment coupon. No cash is accepted in the dropboxes.

Many local banks also accept walk-in property tax payments. A list of these participating McHenry County banks can be found on the treasurer’s website. Tax bills, or copies of them, will be needed, and credit and debit card payments are not accepted at banks, which may require other procedures.