Flat fee
Censum
On a $1,500 cut
$149
$99 flat, or $149 only if we win
Never a percentage of your savings
Free PIN check — shows your odds & the math first
Fee comparison
Cook County
What you'd pay — and what you'd keep.
Nearly every Cook County service — Ownwell, O'Connor, the local firms — takes a percentage of your savings. Censum charges a flat fee. Pick your product below and see the real difference in dollars.
1 · What are you shopping for?
2 · How do you want to pay?
Result
On a $1,500 reduction, Censum costs $149 — you keep $1,351.
Censum
Flat $149, only if we win
$149
You keep $1,351
Ownwell
25% of savings
$375
You keep $1,125
Typical Cook attorney
~33% of savings
$500
You keep $1,000
O'Connor
up to 50% of savings
$750
You keep $750
At small reductions the gap narrows; across a typical Cook reduction it's large — and a percentage service can charge again each future year it re-appeals, while Censum's flat fee is one-time. Example only; modeled odds and reductions are not a guarantee.
What you recover
A missed exemption is worth about $700/yr. Censum recovers up to 4 prior years — about $2,800 back — and files this year.
Censum
This year + up to 4 prior years
up to $3,500
Recovers up to $2,800 in prior-year refunds + files this year
Ownwell
This year only
$700
Files the current year free — no prior-year refund
File it yourself
This year + prior, if you do it
up to $3,500
Possible free — but every prior-year Certificate of Error is on you
Illustrative: a Cook County Homeowner Exemption is typically worth a few hundred to ~$1,500 a year; recapture recovers up to 4 prior years via a Certificate of Error. Amounts are estimates, not a guarantee; eligibility follows official county rules.
What it costs to file
Censum
$69
Done-for-you e-file. $49 senior, veterans free. Plus the prior-year recapture screen above.
Ownwell
Free
Includes current-year exemption filing free — credit where it's due.
File it yourself
Free
The county lets you file directly. The work is the paperwork — Censum does it for you.
Most appeal-only firms don't file exemptions at all. Censum's edge is done-for-you filing plus the prior-year refund recovery shown above — not the lowest filing price.
What Censum charges to recover it
Censum
$0 today, then $49/yr
Pay only per approved year (max $246). A flat per-year fee — never a cut of your refund.
Ownwell / O'Connor
Not offered
The major appeal services focus on this year's bill, not recovering past-year exemptions.
File it yourself
Free
A Certificate of Error can be filed with the county directly. Censum prepares and files it for you.
Recovering past-year exemptions (a Certificate of Error) is largely a Censum lane. Censum charges a flat fee per year — not a percentage of the refund. No refund or Certificate of Error is guaranteed.
Side by side
The largest online services filing appeals in Cook County.
Ranked by appeal volume on file with the Cook County Assessor. The pattern is the same across all of them — a percentage of your savings. Censum is the flat-fee alternative.
% of savings
Ownwell
~4,300 Cook appeals filed
On a $1,500 cut
$375
25% of first-year savings
$0 up front — pay only if reduced
Includes free exemption filing
% of savings
O'Connor
~1,300 Cook appeals filed
On a $1,500 cut
$750
Up to 50% of first-year savings
$0 up front — pay only if reduced
Can keep up to half of what it saves you
% of savings
Property Tax Fox
~860 Cook appeals filed
On a $1,500 cut
a cut
Contingency — a percentage of your savings
Rate quoted per property, not published
$0 up front — pay only if reduced
% of savings
Taxperts Appeals
~320 Cook appeals filed
On a $1,500 cut
a cut
Contingency — a percentage of your savings
Rate quoted per property, not published
$0 up front — pay only if reduced
Average attorney fee
Typical Cook County property-tax attorney: 25%–50% of first-year savings.
Most work on contingency — about a third (~33%) is common, some as low as 25%, some up to 50%. No reduction, no fee. The trade-off is the same: a slice of your savings, often re-charged each successful year. An attorney can still be the right call for hearings or complex cases.
Across every Censum product
Flat, known pricing — not a percentage.
Appeals
Censum: $99 flat, or $149 only if we win
Ownwell 25% · O'Connor up to 50% · attorneys 25–50% of your savings, every year they win.
Exemption filing
Censum: $69 done-for-you ($49 senior, veterans free)
Ownwell includes current-year exemption filing free — credit where it's due. Many appeal firms don't file exemptions.
Past-year refunds (recapture)
Censum: a flat fee per year — up to 4 years back
Recovers exemptions you already missed via a Certificate of Error — a flat per-year fee, not a cut of the refund. Most services don't offer this.
Exemption and recapture eligibility depend on official county rules; no exemption, refund, Certificate of Error, or reduction is guaranteed.
When a percentage service is the better fit
- — You want someone to fully manage the process, including the hearing, and don't mind paying for it out of the savings.
- — Your case is commercial, complex, or needs an attorney's judgment — Censum's model scores residential PINs.
- — You'd rather pay nothing today even if it costs more on a win — though Censum's $149 Contingent Plan is also $0 today.
Censum is built for homeowners who want the answer, the evidence, and a flat price — and want to keep their savings.
Check your PIN free
See your odds and the math before you pay anyone. No email required.
Competitor fees shown are each provider's publicly published rate as of June 2026 (Ownwell, O'Connor) or the prevailing Cook County contingency range; firms that quote per property are shown as a percentage of savings. Pricing and terms change — recheck each provider's current agreement before buying. Cook appeal volumes are from the Cook County Assessor's representative record. Censum does not speak for any competitor, county, or government agency.
Censum provides property-tax analytics and appeal evidence, not legal or tax advice. Independent service. Not affiliated with any county, assessor, board of review, appraisal district, or government office. No appeal outcome or tax savings are guaranteed. Board of Review filing is separate and may require customer or attorney action.
Proof standard
Built for review, not hype.
Censum keeps public claims tied to live product behavior, public data sources, and sample packet evidence.
What we show
- Modeled tier and recommended pricing path
- Comparable properties and assessment history
- Top drivers behind the packet recommendation
What we do not promise
- No guaranteed reductions or refunds
- No county or government affiliation
- No legal or tax advice
Censum is an independent property-tax analytics service. Public sample pages are illustrative and privacy-safe. Actual packet contents depend on property type, township, available public records, appeal window, and model eligibility checks.