Level of Assessment

In the State of Illinois in all counties except Cook County, Real Property is assessed at 1/3 of Market Value. (Market Value multiplied by .3333) Specifically, the estimated Market Value the assessor has placed on a property except farmland can be calculated by multiplying the total assessed value by 3 or dividing it by .3333. Farmland is an exception, because it is assessed according to the criteria determined by the Will County Farm Specialist.

Market Value

The State of Illinois Department of Revenue definition of "Market Value" is paraphrased as follows: The most probable price in terms of money the property would bring exposed for sale for a reasonable length of time in the open market in an arms length transaction between a willing and knowledgeable buyer and a willing and knowledgeable seller. (some examples of non market value sales include sales between related parties and forced sales due to foreclosure).

Tax Rate

The Tax Rate is determined by dividing the Levy (the amount of money the various taxing bodies need to meet their budget) by the Total Equalized Assessed Value of the Township. Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) is the Total Assessed Value minus all exemptions. Taxing Body Example: Levy = $8,000,000; EAV = 100,000,000; 8,000,000 divided by 100,000,000 = Tax Rate of .08 or 8% or $8 per $100 of assessed value. Taxpayer Example: EAV = 30,000 x .08 = $2,400 on their Tax Bill