A Guide to the Delinquent Tax Process

What is a Tax Sale?

By Illinois Compiled Statutes the Will County Treasurer is required to sell any taxes that have not been paid in full for the current tax year.

• Only the unpaid balance of tax is sold; your house is not sold, and the Will County Treasurer’s Office does not report to any credit agencies.
• At the sale, tax buyers buy (“pay”) the unpaid tax. This is required by law so the different taxing bodies (like Libraries, School Districts, Fire Departments, etc.) receive the funds for which they levied.
• After the Tax Sale, you will deal directly with the Will County Clerk’s Office for tax redemption (“paying back the taxes”). You will not need to deal with the tax buyer.

• (35 ILCS 200/22-5)
  You must redeem your taxes within one year of the Date of Sale for the following classifications: 
          (1) vacant non-farm property;
          (2) property containing an improvement consisting of a structure or structures with 7 or more residential units; 
          and
          (3) commercial or industrial property. 
      
  You must redeem your taxes within 2 1/2 years of the Date of Sale for the following classifications: 
          (1) all residential property with less than 6 units; 
          and
          (2) all other property not covered by the 1-year redemption period outlined above. 

• The longer the time between the Tax Sale and redemption, the higher the penalty is likely to be.