Property tax in McHenry County, Illinois
In McHenry County, the property tax bill comes from the McHenry County Treasurer. Every due date for the 2025 Property Taxes Payable in 2026 bill has passed, and the county had not posted the next cycle's dates when we checked. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from McHenry County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in McHenry County, Illinois is $7,274 a year, which is about 2.36% of the county's median home value of $308,100. That effective rate is higher 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 McHenry County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the McHenry County Treasurer. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the McHenry County Assessments Office (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 value homes and the county Supervisor of Assessments reviews them, with appeals to the county Board of Review. One county bill carries the taxes of every local district the property sits in. Paying online by electronic check is free; credit cards, debit cards and digital wallets carry a 2.4% fee that goes to the processor, not the county.
When are property taxes due in McHenry County?
Every due date for the 2025 Property Taxes Payable in 2026 bill has passed, and McHenry County had not posted the next cycle's dates when we checked on September 23, 2026. If that bill is still unpaid, the late-payment rules below apply to it. Counties usually repeat the schedule, but confirm the new dates on your next bill. For the 2025 Property Taxes Payable in 2026 bill, McHenry County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due June 9, 2026 and the last September 9, 2026. Under state law an unpaid installment carries interest of 1.5% a month or part of a month starting the day after its due date. Taxes left unpaid are offered at the county's annual tax sale; the last one was held in November 2025, and the county had not posted the 2026 sale date when this was checked.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | June 9, 2026 (passed) | Already past for this cycle. June 9, 2026 was a Tuesday. Under state law a mailed payment postmarked on or before the due date is on time. |
| Second installment | September 9, 2026 (passed) | Already past for this cycle. September 9, 2026 was a Wednesday. |
From McHenry County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. The county had not posted a calendar labeled for this cycle when we checked, so these dates come from state law and the county's standing schedule; the date on your bill is the one that binds you.
Estimate the property tax on a home in McHenry County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at McHenry County's average effective rate of 2.36% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $7,271 / year
Property tax in McHenry County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $7,274 |
| Median home value | $308,100 |
| Effective tax rate | 2.36% |
| 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 McHenry County compare in Illinois?
Among Illinois's 102 counties, McHenry County has the 6th highest effective property-tax rate: 5 rank higher and 96 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 25th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Illinois county ranked.
How much do homeowners in McHenry County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across McHenry County's 97,259 owner-occupied homes, 89.5% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 93.2% pay at least $2,000, and 1.6% pay under $800. Another 2.3% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 1,556 | 1.6% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,752 | 1.8% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 1,100 | 1.1% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 3,558 | 3.7% |
| $3,000 or more | 87,035 | 89.5% |
| No property tax paid | 2,258 | 2.3% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $7,467 and owners without one pay $6,870. That is within 10% either way, so in McHenry County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the McHenry County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $7,274 is about 6.1% of the median income of McHenry County homeowner households, $118,391 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 82.7% of McHenry 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 McHenry County?
Yes. The median bill went from $6,416 in 2015-2019 to $7,274 in 2020-2024, a 13.4% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 37.2%, from $224,500 to $308,100. 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 McHenry County
McHenry County borders 7 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, IL | 2.58% | $8,923 | $345,700 |
| DeKalb County, IL | 2.45% | $5,974 | $243,600 |
| McHenry County, IL (this county) | 2.36% | $7,274 | $308,100 |
| Kane County, IL | 2.26% | $7,382 | $327,000 |
| Boone County, IL | 2.18% | $4,735 | $216,900 |
| Cook County, IL | 1.91% | $6,191 | $324,500 |
| Kenosha County, WI | 1.57% | $4,179 | $265,500 |
| Walworth County, WI | 1.33% | $4,036 | $302,700 |
How is a home assessed in McHenry County?
Illinois assesses homes at 33.33% of market value in every county, McHenry County included. How Illinois assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in McHenry 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 McHenry County. Illinois's exemptions and relief programs in full.
How to appeal your McHenry County property assessment
In McHenry County you appeal to the McHenry County Board of Review. The deadline: File with the Board of Review within 30 days after your township's assessments are published in the newspaper, so each township has its own deadline; the county lists them by township. For 2026, McHenry Township's assessments were published Saturday, September 5, 2026, and its last day to file is Monday, October 5, 2026. Other townships publish on their own dates, and a window may already have closed, so check your township's date with the county or your township assessor. A decision of the Board of Review can be appealed to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board within 30 days of the written decision. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against state law, because McHenry County does not restate them on its own pages.
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
-
How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with McHenry County's tax rate to hand.
-
Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
-
Illinois income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Illinois actually taxes.
-
Sales tax in McHenry County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for McHenry 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.