California Property Tax Due Dates and Late Penalties (Dec 10 and Apr 10)

Your 2026-27 California property tax bill comes in two halves, and each one has a hard deadline: December 10 and April 10. Miss either and a 10% penalty is added the next day. This guide covers the dates, the penalties, and what happens if a bill stays unpaid. For how the bill itself is figured, see our guide to California property tax and Prop 13.

The 2026-27 deadlines

Counties mail the regular yearly bill, called the secured bill, by November 1. It has two payment stubs, one for each installment [1]. Not getting a bill doesn’t excuse a late payment [1][5], so if yours hasn’t arrived by mid-November, look it up on your county treasurer-tax collector’s website.

What a late payment costs

The penalties are set by state law, but the extra cost on the second installment and some later fees differ by county.

A few details:

• The 10% penalty is on each late installment. If you miss both, you pay 10% on each half, plus the cost on the second [1][2].
• If you can’t pay the full installment, Los Angeles County accepts partial payments, which lower the penalty [1].

If the taxes are still unpaid after June 30

Unpaid taxes at the end of the fiscal year make the property tax-defaulted [2][9]. Here’s what follows:

1. Monthly penalty. A redemption penalty of 1.5% a month (18% a year) is added to the defaulted taxes [5][9].
2. Redemption fee. A one-time fee is added: $15 in Orange and San Joaquin counties, $33 in San Diego County [8][9][5].
3. Five-year payment plan. Counties such as Los Angeles and San Joaquin let you pay off defaulted taxes over five years. You pay at least 20% of the amount owed to start, keep paying the current year’s taxes on time, and pay at least 20% more, plus interest, by each April 10 [9][2].
4. Power to sell. If the taxes stay unpaid for five years after default, the property becomes subject to the county’s power to sell it at public auction [9].

If you have fallen behind, call your county tax collector early. The options shrink once the five years run out.

Supplemental and unsecured bills

Supplemental bills. When you buy a home or finish new construction, you get a separate supplemental bill for the change in value (see how supplemental bills work). These bills are mailed throughout the year, and their due dates depend on when they’re mailed, so read the dates printed on the bill [7]. A late supplemental bill also gets a 10% penalty, and unpaid ones can go into default like the regular bill [6].

Unsecured bills. These cover property that isn’t tied to land, such as boats, aircraft and business equipment [4]. Unsecured bills are late after August 31. Late payment adds 10% plus a county cost ($12 in Los Angeles County, $75 in Orange County), and 1.5% a month is added later if the bill stays unpaid [4][8][5].

How to pay and make sure it counts

Online. In Los Angeles County you can pay at propertytax.lacounty.gov until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on the delinquency date. Paying from a bank account (eCheck) is free; cards cost 2.22% of the payment (minimum $1.49) [1]. Orange County also counts online payments made by midnight on the deadline [8]. Save the confirmation email.

By mail. A payment is on time if the county receives it, or the U.S. Postal Service postmarks it, by the deadline [1][3]. Use the envelope and stub that came with the bill [1].

In person. Los Angeles County takes cash, checks and cards at its downtown office on weekdays [1]; other counties have their own offices and hours.

If your taxes are paid through escrow

Many mortgage lenders collect property taxes as part of your monthly payment and hold them in an impound account , then pay the bill for you [2]. If you have one:

• Look up your bill on your county’s website after each deadline to confirm the payment posted.
• Supplemental bills aren’t sent to lenders (see above) [6][7].
• When you buy or sell, the current year’s taxes are usually split between buyer and seller at closing. The tax collector can’t adjust the bill for that [5].

Property Tax Postponement for seniors and people with disabilities

California’s Property Tax Postponement program lets some homeowners put off paying the current year’s taxes on their home. It’s run by the State Controller’s Office, not your county [10].

• Who qualifies: homeowners who are 62 or older, blind, or disabled, who live in the home as their main residence, have at least 40% equity in it, and have household income under the program’s yearly limit [10].
• Cost: postponed taxes carry interest of 5% a year, compared with 18% a year on defaulted taxes [10].
• When to apply: applications are taken October 1 to February 10. Funding is limited, so they’re approved in the order received [10].
• What it doesn’t cover: taxes already in default, or late penalties [10]. Apply before the deadlines if you can.
• When it must be repaid: for example, when you sell, move out, refinance or take out a reverse mortgage [10].

To apply or check the current income limit, contact the State Controller’s Office at (800) 952-5661 or postponement@sco.ca.gov [10].