California’ fiscal year runs from July 1st to June 30th the following year and are assessed and collected at the County level.
Property taxes are collected in two equal installments. The first installment covers July 1st – December 31st and is due on November 1st and delinquent on December 10th. The second installment covers January 1st – June 30th and is due on March 1st and delinquent on April 10th. Payments must be received (not postmarked) by 5:00pm on the delinquent date or you will be assessed a 10% penalty and an additional fee of $23.
The amount of the taxes is determined by the value of the property. At minimum, for the first full fiscal year after purchase most homeowners will pay property taxes equal to 1 percent of the sales price. The property value may be adjusted by the county tax assessor each year to account for inflation, but any adjustment cannot exceed 2% in increase. In many communities, an additional assessment will be levied due to bonds that have been voter approved. These additional assessments typically fund school districts, transportation needs, water supplies, sanitary districts and regional parks. As a general rule, these assessments will add an additional .25 to .50 percent to the amount of the tax bill.
After the close of escrow, buyers need to be on the lookout for a supplemental tax bill in addition to the regular tax bill! The regular tax bill is essentially the sellers’ tax bill. Although the buyer will be responsible for the bill, it reflects the value of the property at the time the seller owned it. The supplemental tax bill is based on the difference between the seller’s value, as determined by the existing tax rolls, and the new value, established at the time of sale. The amount due is prorated over the remaining months of the fiscal year and the buyer is responsible to pay this in full.
Before You Pay Taxes
Verify your property description before remitting payment. The Tax Collector’s Office is not responsible for payments made on the wrong property.
Tax Due Dates
If December 10 or April 10 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the last day for paying without penalties is on the next business day, and delinquent after that day.
Pay by eCheck
You may pay your tax bill online by eCheck through a checking or savings account on the Tax Collector’s authorized website. Payments processed on or before 11:59 p.m. of the last payment due date as evidenced by a confirmation number will be considered timely. If a confirmation number is not received, the payment was not processed.