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Before purchasing a property, it’s a good idea to view a copy of the most recent property tax bill. The property tax bill will tell you not only the current tax amount but also the assessed value, school district, and any exemptions. Did you know you can view a tax bill online?

Below I have included the steps to take to locate a property tax bill:

1. Type in the url address bar, the following: www.williamsoncountyil.gov This address is for residents in the Williamson County area of Illinois. Some other counties are online but not all.
2. Scroll down and you will see a few grey boxes. Click on “Pay Your Taxes”. This opens another window.
3. Scroll Down under “Resources” You will see a list of options. Click view your property tax bill, this will take you to a search window.
4. In this window you can search for the property by owners name or address. Remember less is more. Sometimes just putting in the house number will pull up a list and you may find the property or enter a last name. Click search.
5. Once your property has been found. On the right side of the search box a box will appear. You will click the magnifying glass and the document will open in the window. You can print it off, download, or save.
6. If it’s tax time and you are looking for instructions on paying online, look for this link and the the option to pay (Pay your tax bill online <<-- Click here)

A few things to remember when viewing the tax bill:

You are looking at last year's tax bill. The property taxes in Williamson county are paid a year behind, for example in 2017 we paid the 2016 property tax bill and as of this writing in March of 2018, we haven’t received the 2017 tax bill. That bill usually arrives in June or July.

The fair cash value listed on the property is not necessarily the real cash value, a current appraisal would have to determine the value at a given time. I’ve seen some that are really off, either because they haven’t been assessed in a long time or improvements have been made recently that haven’t been picked up by the courthouse.

Also, take note of the current exemptions or discounts given by the county. If you are the owner, make sure you apply for all the exemptions that you are eligible to receive in the next tax year. If you are not currently the owner but thinking about purchasing, remember the exemptions that are currently there may not apply to you and adjust your calculation to get a more accurate estimate of taxes for you. The courthouse or your Realtor can help you.