New Trier Property Taxes

Formerly closed townships have been reopened for Board of Review appeals with a filing deadline of December 12, 2025.

One of the most exclusive townships in all of Illinois, New Trier is home to the likes of Wilmette and Winnetka. With some of the best amenities and schools in Illinois, New Trier is one of the most in-demand areas in the entire United States. Considering that Cook County already has some of the highest property taxes in the nation, this is magnified even more by the high property values found in Winnetka and other towns along Lake Michigan. Due to the resources available, along with rising costs, the people of New Trier extensively utilize property tax appeals to lower their taxes.

Cook County Property Tax

Triennial Reassessment

New Trier is one of the townships coming fresh off the 2025 reassessment. Every year, a third of Cook County residents are reassessed by the Cook County Assessor’s Office (CCAO), typically resulting in significant increases. New Trier was certainly hit hard, with the property value of homes increasing 39% in one year. Considering the initial value of these homes, $7.6 billion in value was added in just one year. Businesses, likewise, saw a significant 34% increase. This was compounded by the fact that the entirety of Cook County’s residential properties saw an average increase of 16% in property taxes to close 2025. While this means that the township will not undergo reassessment until 2028, taxes can still increase outside of reassessment due to jumps in tax rates and the equalization factor.

Methods Used to Lower Property Values and Taxes

Thanks to historic increases, homeowners and businesses are exploring how best to get a cut on their taxes. While Cook County has raised taxes for 30 straight years, there are still some options that taxpayers can use to help even the odds. With so much money in the balance, these techniques pay even higher dividends in New Trier than they do in the rest of Illinois. Many of these options have practically become mandatory when it comes to protecting homes and businesses from aggressive assessment.

Exemptions: The gold standard when it comes to reducing taxable value. This is applied after the equalization factor, but before tax rates. The standard homeowner’s exemption in Cook County cuts $10,000 in equalized assessed value (EAV). There are plenty of other options, including those for people over 65, those with disabilities, and veterans. Every last exemption that a taxpayer is eligible for should be applied.

Property Tax Appeals: These challenges to the CCAO generally go after the market value. These are used to fix issues with factual errors, lack of uniformity, or overassessment. These have become commonplace over the past decade, and even the CCAO recommends that every taxpayer appeal if possible.

Cost Segregation: This IRS-backed technique is targeted at federal income taxes instead of property taxes, but represents one of the best tax reduction options available to businesses. This utilizes the accelerated depreciation of real property to shield a business from income taxes, often eliminating them entirely. Often, a cost segregation study pays for itself more than a dozen times.

Cook County Appeals can Significantly Cut Taxes

While much of Cook County is catching on to the power of appeals, the homeowners and businesses of New Trier have been practicing them in volume for decades. Thanks to being loaded with premium properties, the township has always felt the gaze of the CCAO upon it and has seen some of the highest tax levies in America. By disputing the values of the CCAO every year, the people of New Trier ensure that they are only paying what they owe, and not a penny more.

An appeal starts by reviewing the assessment notice. It should be scanned for any factual errors first, as these are the easiest to remedy. Once factors like ownership, size, classification, and improvements are verified, it is time to check the values. If the market value looks incorrect or has recently spiked, then it should be protested for possible overassessment. By looking at the assessments of your neighbors, you can also see if your assessment is consistent with those that share your property’s characteristics. If your real estate is assessed higher, then you have grounds to appeal on the lack of uniformity. When choosing to appeal, you need solid grounds; you cannot protest simply because your taxes are too high.


Important Property Tax Deadlines

While being late on taxes can cost taxpayers more in penalties and interest, there are other deadlines that should be tracked as well. For instance, missing the appeal or exemption deadlines means missing out on those particular avenues of tax reduction for a whole year. Cook County taxpayers do have two chances to file appeals, which is better than the rest of Illinois. First, there is the assessor appeal, which is directly with the CCAO. Then, months later, there is a formal appeal with the Board of Review (BOR).

  • First installment of property tax payments is due: April 1, 2026
  • Assessment notices mailed: May 7, 2026
  • Exemption filing deadline: May 15, 2026
  • Assessor appeal deadline: June 22, 2026 (or 30 business days after the assessment was sent)
  • BOR appeal deadline: pending
  • Second installment of taxes due: pending

O’Connor Helps with Vital Evidence

In order for a property tax appeal to be successful in achieving a tax reduction, it needs to be backed by evidence. To show overassessment, you will need property sales dating back three years for homes or businesses that are similar to yours. To demonstrate to the CCAO or the BOR that you are being assessed unequally, you will need to collect the assessments of neighboring properties. Collecting this information and bundling it into a strong portfolio takes time, skill, and expertise.

We at O’Connor are here to help. For over 50 years, we have been gathering evidence, performing analysis, and advising clients on appeals. When you sign up with us, we will analyze your assessment for issues, dissect your values, and determine if you should appeal. Then, we will use data-driven techniques to gather the evidence needed, including using our patented databases to find the perfect comparisons in sales and assessments. Once gathered, we will coordinate an appeal with an expert attorney who knows how to impress the CCAO and BOR. You will pay nothing for this evidence unless you and your attorney can lower your taxes.

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Frequently Asked Questions About New Trier Property Taxes

No, this simply corrects issues in valuation by the CCAO and has no impact on what your home will sell for on the open market.

This is a multiplier that brings Cook County properties back into compliance with statewide requirements in assessment and taxation. It ensures that a property is assessed at 33.3% of its value.

For Cook County, the homeowner’s exemption is good for a reduction of $10,000. 

By Illinois law, you can only be represented by licensed attorneys. 

Property Tax Locations

Chicago Office

Chicago Office

(By appointment only)
75 Executive Drive,
Suite 349 Aurora, IL 60504 708-630-0944

Houston Office

Houston Office

(Corporate)
2200 North Loop West,
Suite 200 Houston, TX 77018
713-686-9955

Dallas Office

Dallas Office

(By appointment only)
4101 McEwen Rd, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75244 972-243-9966

San Antonio

San Antonio Office

(By appointment only)
8632 Fredericksburg Rd, Suite 105
San Antonio, TX 78240 210-226-0829

New York Office

New York Office

(By appointment only)
70 East Sunrise Hwy, Suite 500
Valley Stream, NY 11581 934-203-9917

Georgia Office
Georgia Office

Atlanta Office

(By appointment only)
4751 Best Road, Suite 316
College Park, GA 30337 770-835-4126

Property Tax Protection Program™ Benefits
  • No flat fees or upfront costs. No cost ever unless your property taxes are reduced.
  • All practical efforts are made every year to reduce your property taxes.
  • Never miss another appeal deadline.
  • Property taxes protested for you annually.
  • You do not have to accept the appraisal district's initial guesstimate of value.
  • We coordinate with you regarding building size / condition to avoid excess taxes.
  • Free support regarding homestead exemptions.
  • Some years are good - typically 6 to 7 out of 10 will result in tax reduction for you.
  • The other 3 to 4 years out of 10 we strike out. Most often due to people issues in the hearing process. Some years we get an easy appraiser at the informal; some years someone who is impossible to settle with.
About O'Connor
Property Tax Help Specialists

O’Connor provides property tax appeal services to over 100,000 clients in over 40 states. Client tax savings totaled over $120 million in 2020. O’Connor has been serving property owners since 1974, almost 50 years. Client tax savings total over $1,000,000,000.

O’Connor measures its success in client property tax savings, not billings. Our goal is to save clients $1 billion annually.

With over 200 property tax experts, many of whom have worked with us for 10+ years, O’Connor has the expertise to help with your property tax questions and appeals. We literally wrote the books on property tax reduction:

  1. Mass Appraisal for Commercial – What Every Commercial Property Owner Should Know!
  2. What You Need to Know about Business Personal Property
  3. Cut Your Texas Property Taxes

The steps to appeal are complicated and may seem like too much work, but when O'Connor represents your property for appeal, we handle the details. We provide a property tax reduction service to residential homeowners in exchange for a contingency fee of 30 percent of all property taxes saved through administrative hearings or judicial appeal, for that tax year.