Assessment FAQ

Q: What is an Assessment (or Assessed Value)?

A: An assessment is the value placed on your property for property tax purposes. In all Illinois Counties (other than Cook County) your assessed value should represent 1/3 of your Market Value or “Fair Cash Value”.

Q: How do I know what my assessment is?

A: Your assessment information can be found by contacting your Township Assessor, the Fulton County Assessment Office, or by using our Parcel Inquiry System at: https://fultonil.devnetwedge.com/

Q: Why did my assessment increase?

A: There are a variety of reasons as to why your assessed value may have increased.

Most common include: a new structure was recently built, an omitted structure was discovered and added to your assessment, an equalization factor/multiplier was applied across the board in your township or property class to uniformly increase the value. Your assessment is directly tied to the “Market Value” of your property. If your Township Assessor or County Assessor felt that your property was undervalued in relation to its market value, they may have revalued it. This generally takes place in your Quadrennial Assessment Year.

Q: My assessed value has decreased, so why have my taxes increased?

A: Local government spending plays the most significant role in whether or not your taxes increase or decrease. If taxing districts increase their spending (i.e. their tax levy), the tax rate will often increase to cover their expenditures. Therefore, even if your assessed value goes down, your taxes can go up. Conversely, if taxing districts decrease spending, your taxes may decrease even if your assessment goes up.

Q: What do I do if I feel like my assessed value is too high?

A: First, if you live in a Township that has a Township Assessor, you can start by contacting him/her. They will probably want to make a site visit to get updated photos/information. From there, they can let you know if they will be revaluing your property accordingly. If you live in a Township that does not have a Township Assessor, you need to call the Fulton County Assessment Office at (309) 547-3041 and request that the Deputy Assessors view your property when they do their yearly fieldwork.

If you have contacted your Township Assessor and/or County Assessment Office and are still not in agreement with your assessed value, you may file a formal complaint with the Fulton County Board of Review during the filing window AFTER assessments have been published for your Township. For more information on this, please contact the Fulton County Assessment Office.

Q: What are your office hours?

A: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We are open through lunch. Closed on all federal holidays.

Q: How do I change the mailing address on my tax bill?

A: The Change of Address form is available online. Or, you can send a letter stating the parcel number and new address to: Supervisor of Assessments, Fulton County Courthouse, 100 N. Main Street, PO Box 283, Lewistown, IL 61542.

Letters must be signed and dated by the owner, and their signature must be notarized.

Q: What is my “Parcel Number”?

A: Your parcel number, also known as the PIN number, parcel ID number, index number, or tax ID number, is on the top left corner of your tax bill. This number can also be obtained by using our Parcel Inquiry System at: https://fultonil.devnetwedge.com/ or calling the Fulton County Assessment Office.

This number is like a social security number to your specific parcel, each number is the sequence represents a physical location in the real world.

For example: 18-19-22-347-001 can be read as: Political Township – Geographic Township – Section – Block Number (or Quarter Section) – Individual Parcel Number

Q: Is there any tax relief available for homeowners? What exemptions are there?

A: Yes! There are several exemptions available that taxpayers may be eligible for. Check your tax bill yearly to verify that you are receiving all exemptions that you are eligible to receive.

Taxpayers are responsible for applying for their own exemptions.

Currently Available Exemptions

Owner-Occupied residences may be eligible for a General Homestead Exemption.

Senior citizens (over age 65) may be eligible for a Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption.

Senior Citizens (over age 65) may also be eligible for the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption, which freezes a property’s assessed value at the base year value to prevent increases due to inflation (income restrictions apply). Note: This exemption DOES NOT freeze your tax bill amount.

The Homestead Improvement Exemption is for parcels that: 1. Receive the “General Homestead Exemption” & 2. Have had their assessment increase due to an “improvement” resulting in a value increase.

The Returning Veteran’s Homestead Exemption is for homeowners who are returning from active duty.

The Disabled Veteran’s Homestead Exemption is for homeowners who have at least a 50% service-connected disability certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

The Disabled Persons’ Homestead Exemption is for homeowners who are disabled or become disabled during the assessment year.

For more details, call us, or stop by our office.

• “Board of Review” – Under “FAQ”, please edit the info to reflect what is written below:

Q: What if I think my tax bill is too high?

A: Once you have received your tax bill, it is too late to appeal your assessment for that levy year. Assessments should be appealed within 30 days after the assessment notices are published and mailed for the previous assessment year. Only actual errors of fact (e.g., missing exemptions, incorrect square footage, miscalculation of tax rate, etc.) can be corrected after you receive your tax bill. If you believe an actual error of fact was made on your tax bill, please contact the Assessment Office.

Q: What if I think my assessment is too high?

A: To make a complaint on your assessed value, you may ask for an informal review by your Township Assessor or the County Deputy Assessors. If you do are not happy with your assessment after the informal review, you may file an appeal with the Fulton County Board of Review. Commercial, residential, and farm appeal forms are available on this website. You have 30 days from the date of publication in order to file a complaint with our office.

Q: How do I file an appeal?

A: Every year you have 30 days from the publication date for the township the property is in to file an appeal. This date of publication varies from year to year. During this step, you are appealing the CURRENT year assessed value ONLY. This will affect the tax bill payable in the following year. (For example, the 2021 Assessment Year is the basis for the tax bill payable in 2022)

Determine if your appeal is to be on equity or on market value. When filing on equity you are comparing assessments of comparable properties in your neighborhood. In a market value complaint, you can find recent sales data to support the fact that your home may be over-assessed. Remember, you need to use comparable properties. That means properties of similar size, story height, quality of construction, and style.

Along with the Board of Review Complaint form, evidence should be supplied. It is up to the taxpayer to find the information needed to make your appeal convincing. Examples of evidence are: A market analysis from a licensed realtor; A certified appraisal; Comparable sheet; Closing/Settlement statement; and Pictures.

The Board of Review Complaint forms are available in the Supervisor of Assessments Office and on this website. Also, real estate transfer declarations and property record cards for you to support your appeal by address and parcel index number are in the office for taxpayers to view.

Note: The Board of Review Rules and Regulations can change every session. The rules will be available in the Supervisor of Assessment Office or posted online.

Q: When will I hear from the Board of Review?

A: Complaints are reviewed after the filing deadline. All communications are by mail. Make sure you put the right mailing address on the Board of Review Complaint form. There are three different replies you could receive. First, they could agree with your evidence and send you a tentative notice with the values matching what is stated on your appeal. A reply is not required if you agree. Second, they could send you a response with what they think the property is worth. The letter states that you have 10 days to reply in writing that you would like a hearing if you do not agree with the value. Third, they could send you a notice of a hearing date. The hearing can only be rescheduled once if you are unable to attend.

Q: What happens at the hearing?

A: The hearing is somewhat informal. The three members of the Board of Review and the Chief County Assessment Officer will be present, as well as the Township Assessor (if there is one for your jurisdiction). You may be represented by an attorney if you choose. Most residential property owners choose to represent themselves. The Board of Review will ask you to talk about the evidence that you submitted to prove your assessment should be changed. The Board of Review has no jurisdiction over your tax bill, tax rates, or tax amounts, they can only rule on the assessed value on your property, in relation to the Market Value. They will not respond to complaints about the tax bill amount.

Q: When will I know the decision of the Board of Review?

A: After all appeals are reviewed and the hearings have been held, a final notice is mailed to everyone who filed an appeal. Usually this is in January.

Q: What if I don’t agree with the final decision from the Board of Review?

A: Once you receive the final notice, you have 30 days from the postmark date to file with the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB). These forms are available in the Supervisor of Assessments office or on the Illinois Department of Revenue website. The hearings will be held in the same place as the county hearing. The Board of Review, Chief County Assessment Officer and a hearing officer from the Illinois Department of Revenue will attend the hearing. There may be other County and/or Township officials in attendance as well.

When filing with PTAB, it is a whole new case. New evidence can be provided.

Q: What if I don’t agree with PTAB?

A: Since you have exhausted all of your administrative remedies, you can now file a court action. Contact an attorney.