California Tax Statement Deadlines Approaching

Each year, California residents will receive a property tax statement from the County Treasurer. Those statements include two stubs:

• Installment 1 is due on November 1 and becomes delinquent on December 10.
• Installment 2 is due on February 1 and becomes delinquent on April 10.

Bear in mind, if a delinquency date falls on the weekend (Saturday or Sunday) the collector is required, by law, to extend the date to the next business day.

All payments must be postmarked on or before the date of delinquency to avoid late fees and penalties.

California residents are no strangers to property taxes. However, this year, property values have increased, resulting in higher property tax bills. Counties like San Francisco, San Jose, and San Diego are feeling the highest impact of these increases, despite Prop13 (which was designed to protect taxpayers from most increases by capping tax hikes at 2% a year). New constructions, sales and changes in ownership will change the base year value of a property, which is why new property owners may be caught off guard by the tax statement received in November.

There are several initiatives being filed with the Attorney General that could restructure the state’s tax law in 2022. The hope with these initiatives is to benefit the taxpayer and avoid exorbitant property tax bills that catch locals by surprise.