Tax Levy

In May of each year, residents receive their tax bills (payable in two installments: June and September). Information about tax bills for any property in the county is available at dupagecounty.gov.

The 1991 Property Tax Limitation Act limits any increase in property tax dollars to 5% or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is less. The overall impact of the tax cap has been to slow the rate at which taxes rise. New construction contributes additional dollars. Note that the cap limits the actual dollars received, not a percentage. The tax cap applies to the total dollars received by the district; taxes on individual properties may change by various percentages, depending on the value of their property.

The county clerk calculates taxes by applying a rate to each property value; the owner of a million-dollar home pays the same rate as the owner of a $150,000 condominium, but the total dollars are more for the higher-value property.

After the county clerk calculates the capped amount of tax dollars the district may receive, new construction is factored in; the total amount becomes the base for the calculation the following year.

School districts must ask voters for permission before they can levy (request tax revenues) funds beyond what the tax cap allows; this is done by referendum.

The difference between the value of the existing structure and the value of the rebuild is exempt from the cap, minus any applicable exemptions. The taxes generated by the property value before alteration or rebuild is calculated under the cap. After one year, the dollars generated by the entire property come under the cap.

Your taxes are based on the EAV of your home (one-third fair market value). Increased EAV does not increase the dollars Woodridge 68 receives beyond what the cap allows, but it does affect how much each property owner pays.

Appreciation does not increase the tax dollars coming to the district beyond what the tax cap allows.