ID Guide

If you are submitting an application for property tax savings from an exemption (or an exemption for a prior year) for your home, you must also supply document(s) that verify your identity and residency (that this home was your primary place of residence in the tax year you are applying for). A Photo ID is required for any exemption application. 

Your photo ID may be the only document you need to verify your identity and residency if it meets certain requirements.

If your photo ID does not meet all requirements, then our Office will ask you to submit other documents in addition to your photo ID.

Check our guide below to see what documents you should supply.

 

Photo ID: check the date of issue, the name, and address.

✔ If the name on the photo ID is the same as the name on the deed, no other document is required to verify the applicant's identity.

X If the name on the photo ID is not the same as the name on the deed, please also supply a document to link the name change.

Examples:

  • certified marriage certificate
  • certified divorce decree
  • court order demonstrating a name change

✔ If the address on the photo ID is the same as the property address on the application, no other document is required to verify residency.

X If the address on the photo ID is not the same as property address on the application, please supply another document to verify that the address on the application was your primary place of residence in the Tax Year you are applying for.

Examples:

  • Mailed bank statement
  • Mailed landline, cable, or internet bill 
  • Mailed pay stub or Social Security Award letter
  • Voting record from that Tax Year (from Cook County Clerk’s Office or Chicago Board of Elections)

 

Please note that an Illinois Drivers License is not the only kind of ID accepted by the Assessor's Office to verify identity for a homestead exemption application. Below are a list of accepted photo IDs:

  • Illinois Drivers License / ID Card
  • Matrícula Consular ID
  • City of Chicago ID Card
  • Passport
  • US Military ID
  • Certificate of Naturalization (N-550/N-570)
  • Permanent Resident Card (I-551)
  • Refugee Travel Document (I-571)
  • Employment Authorization Card (I-766)

 

Did you know? You can check the name on the recorded deed online with the Cook County Clerk here.

 

Please note that other exemptions, such as the Persons with Disabilities application, require other documents to demonstrate eligibility. Please review the exemption forms carefully, and contact us if you have questions.

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