Property tax in Effingham County, Illinois
In Effingham County, the property tax bill comes from the Effingham County Treasurer (the county collector). The 2025 Payable 2026 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due November 6, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Effingham County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Effingham County, Illinois is $2,823 a year, which is about 1.49% of the county's median home value of $189,500. That effective rate is lower than the typical Illinois county (1.81%) and higher than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Effingham County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Effingham County Treasurer (the county collector). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Effingham County Supervisor of Assessments, with the township assessors, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
Township assessors and the county Supervisor of Assessments set values, and one county bill carries the taxes of every local district the property sits in, such as school districts, cities, park districts and the junior college. The Treasurer offers an optional, free prepayment plan (Treasurer 9) that spreads next year's tax over monthly payments due the 15th of each month, currently January through August; sign up by October 15 by calling 217-342-6844. Online payments by card carry a convenience fee and can take up to 7 days to show on your account. A Board of Review decision can be appealed to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board within 30 days of the postmark date on the Board's written decision.
When are property taxes due in Effingham County?
For the 2025 Payable 2026 bill, Effingham County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due September 25, 2026 and the last November 6, 2026. The next one due is the second installment, on November 6, 2026. A penalty of 1.5% a month is charged on delinquent taxes, and it goes up every 30 days; the late amounts are printed on the payment stubs at the bottom of the bill. Certified delinquent notices will be mailed November 30, 2026, with a $10 fee per parcel for the certified mailing and newspaper publication. After those notices go out, personal and business checks are no longer accepted (cash, cashier's check or money order only), and online payments are accepted until December 27, 2026. Late taxes and penalties can be paid until one business day before the tax sale, which for these taxes will be held January 7, 2027.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | September 25, 2026 (passed) | Bills were mailed August 21, 2026; if yours has not arrived by September 11, 2026, call the Treasurer's office at 217-342-6844. You may pay both installments together by this date. A mailed payment must be postmarked on or before the due date. |
| Second installment | November 6, 2026 | Banks in the county take payments only until the due date; a late payment must be made at the Treasurer's office, by mail or online. |
From Effingham County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Effingham County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Effingham County's average effective rate of 1.49% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,824 / year
Property tax in Effingham County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,823 |
| Median home value | $189,500 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.49% |
| Typical Illinois county rate | 1.81% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Effingham County compare in Illinois?
Among Illinois's 102 counties, Effingham County has the 85th highest effective property-tax rate: 84 rank higher and 17 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Illinois. Nationally, it ranks 350th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Illinois county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Effingham County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Effingham County's 10,916 owner-occupied homes, 45% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 65.2% pay at least $2,000, and 9.1% pay under $800. Another 2.9% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 998 | 9.1% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,438 | 13.2% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 1,050 | 9.6% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 2,202 | 20.2% |
| $3,000 or more | 4,910 | 45% |
| No property tax paid | 318 | 2.9% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,988 and owners without one pay $2,594. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Effingham County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,823 is about 3% of the median income of Effingham County homeowner households, $94,347 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 78.2% of Effingham County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Effingham County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,302 in 2015-2019 to $2,823 in 2020-2024, a 22.6% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 32%, from $143,600 to $189,500. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Effingham County
Effingham County borders 5 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, IL | 1.95% | $2,448 | $125,500 |
| Cumberland County, IL | 1.59% | $2,004 | $126,000 |
| Shelby County, IL | 1.5% | $2,063 | $137,100 |
| Effingham County, IL (this county) | 1.49% | $2,823 | $189,500 |
| Fayette County, IL | 1.45% | $1,894 | $130,700 |
| Clay County, IL | 1.43% | $1,392 | $97,400 |
How is a home assessed in Effingham County?
Illinois assesses homes at 33.33% of market value in every county, Effingham County included. How Illinois assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Effingham County?
Yes. Illinois's General Homestead Exemption is $6,000 of equalized assessed value in most counties, $8,000 in counties next to Cook, and $10,000 in Cook County. That is the Illinois rule, and it applies in Effingham County. Illinois's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Effingham County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Illinois ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Effingham County property assessment
In Effingham County you appeal to the Effingham County Board of Review. The deadline: A complaint must be filed or postmarked within 30 calendar days after the county publishes the assessment changes for your township; the dates are also printed on the notice of change you receive by mail. For the 2025 assessments (the bills paid in 2026) the deadlines were May 13, 2026 for Banner, Liberty, Moccasin and Summit townships; May 16 for Jackson, Mound and West; May 23 for Bishop, Lucas, Mason, St. Francis, Teutopolis, Union and Watson; and May 30 for Douglas. The 2026 assessments had not been published as of September 23, 2026. Parcel-specific appeal forms come from the Supervisor of Assessments office (217-342-6711). How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Illinois's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Illinois rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Illinois page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Effingham County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Illinois income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Illinois actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Effingham County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Effingham County, Illinois: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.