Public Act 098-0286
 
SB1737 EnrolledLRB098 06651 HLH 40661 b

    AN ACT concerning revenue.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Property Tax Code is amended by changing
Sections 14-41, 21-15, 21-20, and 21-25 as follows:
 
    (35 ILCS 200/14-41)
    Sec. 14-41. Notice and collection of arrearages of property
taxes. If a taxpayer owes arrearages of taxes due to an
administrative error, the county may not bill, collect, claim a
lien for, or sell the arrearages of taxes for tax years earlier
than the 2 most recent tax years, including the current tax
year. If a taxpayer owes arrearages of taxes due to an
administrative error, the county collector shall send the
taxpayer, by certified mail, a notice that the arrearages of
taxes are owed by the taxpayer. If the notice is mailed to the
taxpayer on or before October 1 in any year, then (i) the
county collector may send a separate bill for the arrearages of
taxes, which may be due no sooner than 30 days after the due
date for the next installment of taxes or (ii) the arrearages
of taxes may are to be added to the tax bill for the following
year, in which case the taxes and are due in 2 equal
installments on June 1 and September 1 in the following year
unless the county has adopted an accelerated method of billing
in which case the arrearages of taxes may be billed separately
and shall be due in equal installments on the dates on which
each installment of taxes is due in the following year. If the
notice is mailed after October 1 in any year, then the
arrearages of taxes are to be added to the tax bill for the
second year after the notice and are due in 2 equal
installments on June 1 and September 1 in the second year after
the notice unless the county has adopted an accelerated method
of billing in which case the arrearages of taxes may be billed
separately and shall be due in equal installments on the dates
on which each installment of taxes is due in the second year
after the notice. In no event shall the due dates on the
arrearages of taxes be in more than one tax year. The
arrearages of taxes added to a tax bill under this Section are
to be listed separately on the tax bill. "Administrative error"
includes but is not limited to failure to include an extension
for a taxing district on the tax bill, an error in the
calculations of tax rates or extensions or any other
mathematical error by the county clerk, or a defective coding
by the county, but does not include a failure by the county to
send a tax bill to the taxpayer, the failure by the taxpayer to
notify the assessor of a change in the tax-exempt status of
property, or any error concerning the assessment of the
property.
(Source: P.A. 89-617, eff. 9-1-96.)
 
    (35 ILCS 200/21-15)
    Sec. 21-15. General tax due dates; default by mortgage
lender. Except as otherwise provided in this Section or Section
21-40, all property upon which the first installment of taxes
remains unpaid on the later of (i) June 1 or (ii) the day after
the date specified on the real estate tax bill as the first
installment due date annually shall be deemed delinquent and
shall bear interest after that date at the rate of 1 1/2% per
month or portion thereof. Except as otherwise provided in this
Section or Section 21-40, all property upon which the second
installment of taxes remains due and unpaid on the later of (i)
September 1 or (ii) the day after the date specified on the
real estate tax bill as the second installment due date,
annually, shall be deemed delinquent and shall bear interest
after that date at the same interest rate. Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, if a taxpayer owes an arrearage of
taxes due to an administrative error, and if the county
collector sends a separate bill for that arrearage as provided
in Section 14-41, then any part of the arrearage of taxes that
remains unpaid on the day after the due date specified on that
tax bill shall be deemed delinquent and shall bear interest
after that date at the rate of 1 1/2% per month or portion
thereof. All interest collected shall be paid into the general
fund of the county. Payment received by mail and postmarked on
or before the required due date is not delinquent.
    Property not subject to the interest charge in Section
9-260 or Section 9-265 shall also not be subject to the
interest charge imposed by this Section until such time as the
owner of the property receives actual notice of and is billed
for the principal amount of back taxes due and owing.
    If an Illinois resident who is a member of the Illinois
National Guard or a reserve component of the armed forces of
the United States and who has an ownership interest in property
taxed under this Act is called to active duty for deployment
outside the continental United States and is on active duty on
the due date of any installment of taxes due under this Act, he
or she shall not be deemed delinquent in the payment of the
installment and no interest shall accrue or be charged as a
penalty on the installment until 180 days after that member
returns from active duty. To be deemed not delinquent in the
payment of an installment of taxes and any interest on that
installment, the reservist or guardsperson must make a
reasonable effort to notify the county clerk and the county
collector of his or her activation to active duty and must
notify the county clerk and the county collector within 180
days after his or her deactivation and provide verification of
the date of his or her deactivation. An installment of property
taxes on the property of any reservist or guardsperson who
fails to provide timely notice and verification of deactivation
to the county clerk is subject to interest and penalties as
delinquent taxes under this Code from the date of deactivation.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when any unpaid
taxes become delinquent under this Section through the fault of
the mortgage lender, (i) the interest assessed under this
Section for delinquent taxes shall be charged against the
mortgage lender and not the mortgagor and (ii) the mortgage
lender shall pay the taxes, redeem the property and take all
necessary steps to remove any liens accruing against the
property because of the delinquency. In the event that more
than one entity meets the definition of mortgage lender with
respect to any mortgage, the interest shall be assessed against
the mortgage lender responsible for servicing the mortgage.
Unpaid taxes shall be deemed delinquent through the fault of
the mortgage lender only if: (a) the mortgage lender has
received all payments due the mortgage lender for the property
being taxed under the written terms of the mortgage or
promissory note secured by the mortgage, (b) the mortgage
lender holds funds in escrow to pay the taxes, and (c) the
funds are sufficient to pay the taxes after deducting all
amounts reasonably anticipated to become due for all hazard
insurance premiums and mortgage insurance premiums and any
other assessments to be paid from the escrow under the terms of
the mortgage. For purposes of this Section, an amount is
reasonably anticipated to become due if it is payable within 12
months from the time of determining the sufficiency of funds
held in escrow. Unpaid taxes shall not be deemed delinquent
through the fault of the mortgage lender if the mortgage lender
was directed in writing by the mortgagor not to pay the
property taxes, or if the failure to pay the taxes when due
resulted from inadequate or inaccurate parcel information
provided by the mortgagor, a title or abstract company, or by
the agency or unit of government assessing the tax.
(Source: P.A. 97-944, eff. 8-10-12.)
 
    (35 ILCS 200/21-20)
    Sec. 21-20. Due dates; accelerated billing in counties of
less than 3,000,000. Except as otherwise provided in Section
21-40, in counties with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants in
which the accelerated method of billing and paying taxes
provided for in Section 21-30 is in effect, the estimated first
installment of unpaid taxes shall be deemed delinquent and
shall bear interest after a date not later than June 1 annually
as provided for in the ordinance or resolution of the county
board adopting the accelerated method, at the rate of 1 1/2%
per month or portion thereof until paid or forfeited. The
second installment of unpaid taxes shall be deemed delinquent
and shall bear interest after August 1 annually at the same
interest rate until paid or forfeited. Payment received by mail
and postmarked on or before the required due date is not
delinquent. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a
taxpayer owes an arrearage of taxes due to an administrative
error, and if the county collector sends a separate bill for
that arrearage as provided in Section 14-41, then any part of
the arrearage of taxes that remains unpaid on the day after the
due date specified on that tax bill shall be deemed delinquent
and shall bear interest after that date at the rate of 1 1/2%
per month or portion thereof.
    If an Illinois resident who is a member of the Illinois
National Guard or a reserve component of the armed forces of
the United States and who has an ownership interest in property
taxed under this Act is called to active duty for deployment
outside the continental United States and is on active duty on
the due date of any installment of taxes due under this Act, he
or she shall not be deemed delinquent in the payment of the
installment and no interest shall accrue or be charged as a
penalty on the installment until 180 days after that member
returns from active duty. To be deemed not delinquent in the
payment of an installment of taxes and any interest on that
installment, the reservist or guardsperson must make a
reasonable effort to notify the county clerk and the county
collector of his or her activation to active duty and must
notify the county clerk and the county collector within 180
days after his or her deactivation and provide verification of
the date of his or her deactivation. An installment of property
taxes on the property of any reservist or guardsperson who
fails to provide timely notice and verification of deactivation
to the county clerk is subject to interest and penalties as
delinquent taxes under this Code from the date of deactivation.
(Source: P.A. 94-312, eff. 7-25-05.)
 
    (35 ILCS 200/21-25)
    Sec. 21-25. Due dates; accelerated billing in counties of
3,000,000 or more. Except as hereinafter provided and as
provided in Section 21-40, in counties with 3,000,000 or more
inhabitants in which the accelerated method of billing and
paying taxes provided for in Section 21-30 is in effect, the
estimated first installment of unpaid taxes shall be deemed
delinquent and shall bear interest after March 1 at the rate of
1 1/2% per month or portion thereof until paid or forfeited.
For tax year 2010, the estimated first installment of unpaid
taxes shall be deemed delinquent and shall bear interest after
April 1 at the rate of 1.5% per month or portion thereof until
paid or forfeited. For all tax years, the second installment of
unpaid taxes shall be deemed delinquent and shall bear interest
after August 1 annually at the same interest rate until paid or
forfeited. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a
taxpayer owes an arrearage of taxes due to an administrative
error, and if the county collector sends a separate bill for
that arrearage as provided in Section 14-41, then any part of
the arrearage of taxes that remains unpaid on the day after the
due date specified on that tax bill shall be deemed delinquent
and shall bear interest after that date at the rate of 1 1/2%
per month or portion thereof.
    If the county board elects by ordinance adopted prior to
July 1 of a levy year to provide for taxes to be paid in 4
installments, each installment for that levy year and each
subsequent year shall be deemed delinquent and shall begin to
bear interest 30 days after the date specified by the ordinance
for mailing bills, at the rate of 1 1/2% per month or portion
thereof, until paid or forfeited.
    Payment received by mail and postmarked on or before the
required due date is not delinquent.
    Taxes levied on homestead property in which a member of the
National Guard or reserves of the armed forces of the United
States who was called to active duty on or after August 1,
1990, and who has an ownership interest, shall not be deemed
delinquent and no interest shall accrue or be charged as a
penalty on such taxes due and payable in 1991 or 1992 until one
year after that member returns to civilian status.
    If an Illinois resident who is a member of the Illinois
National Guard or a reserve component of the armed forces of
the United States and who has an ownership interest in property
taxed under this Act is called to active duty for deployment
outside the continental United States and is on active duty on
the due date of any installment of taxes due under this Act, he
or she shall not be deemed delinquent in the payment of the
installment and no interest shall accrue or be charged as a
penalty on the installment until 180 days after that member
returns to civilian status. To be deemed not delinquent in the
payment of an installment of taxes and any interest on that
installment, the reservist or guardsperson must make a
reasonable effort to notify the county clerk and the county
collector of his or her activation to active duty and must
notify the county clerk and the county collector within 180
days after his or her deactivation and provide verification of
the date of his or her deactivation. An installment of property
taxes on the property of any reservist or guardsperson who
fails to provide timely notice and verification of deactivation
to the county clerk is subject to interest and penalties as
delinquent taxes under this Code from the date of deactivation.
(Source: P.A. 96-1297, eff. 7-26-10.)