The Illinois Department of Revenue has announced a tentative property assessment equalization factor of 0.9800 for Jackson County. The announcement was made by David Harris, director of the department.
The property assessment equalization factor, also known as the “multiplier,” is used to ensure that property assessments are uniform across counties in Illinois. This process is important because many local taxing districts, such as school and fire protection districts, extend into more than one county. Without equalization, taxpayers with similar properties could face unequal tax burdens.
Illinois law requires most property to be assessed at one-third of its market value. Farm properties are assessed differently; farm homesites and dwellings follow standard procedures while farmland and farm buildings are assessed based on productivity standards.
The department determines the multiplier each year by comparing the sales prices of properties sold over the previous three years to their assessed values set by county officials. If the average level of assessment matches one-third of market value, the multiplier is set at 1.0000. A higher average results in a multiplier below 1.0000, while a lower average leads to a multiplier above 1.0000.
For Jackson County, assessments currently stand at 34.01% of market value based on sales from 2022 through 2024. The new tentative multiplier will apply to taxes for 2025 payable in 2026. Last year’s equalization factor for Jackson County was 1.0165.
According to the department, “A change in the equalization factor does not mean total property tax bills will increase or decrease.” The amount collected through property taxes depends on how much money local taxing bodies request each year for services rather than changes in assessments alone.
The tentative multiplier may be revised if significant changes are made by the County Board of Review or if additional data is provided showing that adjustments should be made to IDOR’s estimates for Jackson County assessments. A public hearing on this matter will take place between 20 and 30 days after publication of the tentative factor in a local newspaper.
Director David Harris stated: “The property assessment equalization factor, often called the ‘multiplier,’ is the method used to achieve uniform property assessments among counties, as required by law.”
An individual property’s assessed value determines its share of overall tax responsibility but does not affect whether total taxes rise or fall within a district.
