Illinois · A dated second chance

Illinois is holding sale money for owners from 2024–2026 sales. Claims die July 10, 2028.

When Illinois rewrote its tax-sale law (effective July 10, 2026), it created a lookback: for deeds recorded between July 10, 2024 and July 10, 2026, surplus that buyers once kept is now held by the county treasurer for the former owner. The window to claim it closes July 10, 2028 — a fixed date, not a period from your sale.

Check my Illinois dates

Who the fund covers

The Surplus Equity Fund pays awards to owners whose tax deeds were recorded between July 10, 2024 and July 10, 2026 — measured at roughly the property's value at deed time, minus mortgages, liens, and taxes (a broader measure than the constitutional floor). Claims are filed in circuit court NO LATER THAN July 10, 2028. This is a real, expiring right: if your deed was recorded in that window, the fund page on this site is your starting point.

Going forward: the new Illinois rules

Surplus now: For sales under the reformed system (PA 104-0553): the surplus is held by the county treasurer and the owner has 3 years from the treasurer's notice to claim it. Enter the date on the treasurer's notice in the checker for the exact count.

Source: 35 ILCS 200/21-302; PA 104-0553

Redemption now: 2½ years for certificates sold before July 10, 2026; 3 years for certificates sold on or after July 10, 2026. Shorter — 1 year — for vacant non-farm land, buildings with 7+ residential units, and commercial or industrial property. The certificate amount (tax, interest, penalties, costs) + the penalty bid — bid down from a maximum of 18% per 6-month period, and charged again each 6 months — + later taxes and costs the buyer paid.

Source: 35 ILCS 200/21-350; §21-355 · Full detail on the Illinois state page

Do not let a recovery company farm this fund for you. The claim is made to your county treasurer. Companies are already mailing Illinois owners on this cohort; their percentage buys a form you can file yourself. Read the scam shield first

Included in the $49 TaxSaleDecoded Kit

  • The surplus claim pack: how to prove the house was yours (deed records, address history, ID), the claim-form path in your state, and what to do when the county says it has no record of your money
  • The redemption playbook: your state's window and cost formula worked step by step, who to pay, how to prove you paid, and the traps in the payoff figure (added fees and interest)
  • The heirs page: the house was a parent's — what changes, which papers prove you are an heir, and the point where it stops being simple
  • The scam shield: how surplus-recovery companies work, the fee caps your state sets for them, and the assignment papers you should never sign
  • The lookback module: what Tyler won, what Pung limited (the extra money is the sale price minus the debt — not your home's value), and the dated state lookbacks, including Illinois claims that die in July 2028

Get the TaxSaleDecoded Kit — $49

One payment of $49. No subscription. The kit is a web page you can return to and print — the claim pack, the redemption playbook, the heirs page, and the scam shield.