An Illinois quitclaim deed hands over whatever interest the grantor has in a parcel, with no promise that the title is clean. Illinois prints the form in the statute (765 ILCS 5/10). To record it you need the grantor's notarized signature, a "prepared by" line, the grantee's tax-bill address, the parcel's PIN, and either a transfer declaration or an exemption note on the deed. Recording runs $107 in Cook County and $86 in DuPage.
The deed is easy. The paperwork that rides along with it (the PTAX-203 declaration, the transfer tax stamps, and in Chicago a city declaration on top) is what gets a deed bounced back from the recorder's window.
This is general information, not legal advice. A real estate attorney in your state can confirm how it applies to you.
New to the document? Start with how a quitclaim deed works, then come back for the Illinois rules.
What is the Illinois quitclaim deed form?
Illinois writes the deed for you. Section 10 of the Conveyances Act says a quitclaim deed "may be, in substance, in the following form":
The grantor (name and place of residence), for the consideration of (amount), convey and quit claim to (grantee's name) all interest in the following described real estate (legal description), situated in the County of ...., in the State of Illinois. Dated (date). (signature of grantor)
Two formatting rules sit under it: names typed or printed below the signatures, and a blank 3 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch square for the recorder's stamp. Missing either does not void the deed, but the recorder can still refuse it.
A deed in this form conveys "all the then existing legal or equitable rights of the grantor." It does not pick up title the grantor acquires later unless the deed says so. If the grantor owns nothing, the grantee gets nothing, and there is no one to sue. That trade-off is the whole subject of quitclaim deed vs warranty deed.
What has to be on the deed before the recorder will take it?
The statutory form is the skeleton. The Conveyances Act and the Counties Code add the parts the recorder checks:
- Notarized signature. Acknowledged before a notary public, a county clerk, or a court (765 ILCS 5/20); section 35c of the same act repeats that the signature "shall be acknowledged by a notary public." No witnesses needed.
- Prepared-by line. No recorder will record an instrument affecting title without the drafter's name and address (55 ILCS 5/3-5022). The statute gives the wording: "This instrument was prepared by (Name), (Address)."
- Tax-bill address. The grantee's name and address for tax billing (55 ILCS 5/3-5020(a) and 765 ILCS 5/35c).
- Return-to address and the document number of any prior instrument the deed refers to (55 ILCS 5/3-5020.5).
- The PIN. The declaration must list "the parcel identifying number of the property" (35 ILCS 200/31-25(b)), and recorders want it on the deed too. It is on the last tax bill.
- Legal description. Copy it off the prior recorded deed, never off a tax bill. Metes-and-bounds descriptions need section, township, range and a point of beginning (765 ILCS 5/35c).
How much does it cost to record a quitclaim deed in Illinois?
Illinois moved every county to a "predictable fee schedule" in 2024: one flat number per document class, not per page, with GIS, document storage and the $18 Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge folded in. The floor for a deed is $31 in most counties ($13 county plus $18 surcharge) under 55 ILCS 5/3-5018.2, and $39 in the largest-class counties under 55 ILCS 5/4-12002.3. The old section 3-5018.1 was repealed January 1, 2024, so ignore guides that still cite it.
Real counties charge more than the floor:
- Cook County: $107 for a deed, broken down on the Clerk's fee page as $55 county recording fee, $23 GIS fee, $10 document storage fee, $18 State Rental Housing Support fee and $1 non-government filer fee (effective April 1, 2024).
- DuPage County: $86 for a deed, listed as $36 recording, $10 document storage, $21 GIS, $1 real property and $18 RHSP.
Check your county's recorder page the week you file; a county board can raise the fee by ordinance.
How much is transfer tax on a quitclaim deed in Illinois?
Three layers can apply, all based on the declared value.
State. 50 cents for each $500 of value or fraction of $500 (35 ILCS 200/31-10). If the grantee takes subject to an existing mortgage, the remaining balance is excluded from the base.
County. A county board may add 25 cents per $500 or fraction, collected by the recorder before recording (55 ILCS 5/5-1031). Cook and most other counties impose it.
Chicago. The city stacks its own Real Property Transfer Tax on top: $5.25 per $500 of the transfer price, split as a $3.75 City portion the buyer pays and a $1.50 CTA portion the seller pays (Municipal Code chapter 3-33, section 3-33-060).
On a $20,000 parcel outside Chicago, that is $20 state plus $10 county, or $30. Inside Chicago, add $210 of city tax.
When is a quitclaim deed exempt from Illinois transfer tax?
Section 31-45 of the Property Tax Code lists exemptions (a) through (m). The ones that matter for a typical quitclaim:
- (e) Actual consideration under $100. A gift to a child, a transfer into your own revocable trust, adding a spouse to title. Most family quitclaims ride on this one.
- (d) Corrective deeds. A deed that, without new consideration, confirms, corrects or supplements a deed already on record.
- (b) Governmental and charitable transfers. Tax-exempt, but the declaration still has to be filed.
The county tax follows the same list; 55 ILCS 5/5-1031 says every deed exempt under 31-45 is exempt from the county tax too. Chicago keeps its own list, which includes transfers for less than $500 and court-ordered transfers of a divorcing couple's primary residence.
An exemption is not automatic. The Department of Revenue's PTAX-203 instructions say the exemption notation, with the paragraph letter, has to appear on the face of the deed. A quitclaim with no stamps and no exemption note goes back unrecorded.
Do I need to file PTAX-203 with a quitclaim deed?
Yes, unless the deed is exempt under a no-declaration letter. Under 35 ILCS 200/31-25, a declaration signed by at least one seller and one buyer (or their attorneys) must be presented when the deed is recorded, or within three business days of the transfer, whichever comes first. It lists the value, the PIN, the legal description, the acreage, whether the parties are related, and who prepared it.
The Department's instructions spell out which exempt deeds skip the form: letters (a), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j) and (l). Letters (b) and (k) are tax-exempt but still file.
Filing goes through MyDec, the Department of Revenue's free online system for PTAX-203 and Chicago's Form 7551. Paper revenue stamps were phased out by December 31, 2025 (35 ILCS 200/31-15); the electronic stamp prints off the completed declaration. Willfully lying on the declaration is a Class B misdemeanor.
Cook County adds one more sheet on exempt deeds: sworn grantor and grantee statements that the grantee is a real person or an entity allowed to hold Illinois real estate (55 ILCS 5/3-5020(b)).
When is a quitclaim the wrong deed in Illinois?
A quitclaim fits when the parties trust each other and the title is already known: moving land into your trust, adding or removing a spouse, dividing an inheritance among siblings, or clearing a stale claim at a title company's request.
It is the wrong tool when money is changing hands with a stranger. Buyers paying real consideration expect a warranty deed, and title insurers often balk at a chain resting on a recent quitclaim from outside the family. If you are selling rather than gifting, read paperwork to sell land for what a real closing needs. If the land is in Illinois and you would rather skip the attorney, the stamps and the listing wait, we buy land in Illinois for cash and handle the deed and declaration at closing; the offer is below retail, and the paperwork is ours.
Our quitclaim deed forms by state page covers the other 49.
Frequently asked questions
Does a quitclaim deed need to be notarized in Illinois?
Yes. 765 ILCS 5/20 lists who can take the acknowledgment (notary public, county clerk or court), and 765 ILCS 5/35c says the grantor's signature "shall be acknowledged by a notary public." No witnesses.
How much does it cost to file a quitclaim deed in Cook County?
$107 under the Cook County Clerk's fee schedule effective April 1, 2024, before any transfer tax. A deed exempt under 35 ILCS 200/31-45(e) pays the $107 and no stamps, but still needs the exemption note and the grantor/grantee statements.
Is a quitclaim deed to a family member taxed in Illinois?
Not if the actual consideration is under $100. That is exemption (e) in 35 ILCS 200/31-45, it carries over to the county tax under 55 ILCS 5/5-1031, and no PTAX-203 is required. Write the exemption letter on the face of the deed.
Can I write my own quitclaim deed in Illinois?
Yes. The statute gives you the form and nothing requires an attorney, but the preparer's name and address go on the deed (55 ILCS 5/3-5022). Legal description errors are the common failure; a wrong description transfers the wrong land.