SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Sacramento County will mail about 467,813 secured property tax bills which are payable beginning Nov. 1, 2020. These tax bills are mailed only once a year, however, property owners may pay their bills in two installment payments: 

(1) The first installment payment is due on Nov. 1, 2020. Payments will be accepted without penalty until 5 p.m. on Dec.10, 2020; (2) The second installment payment is due on Feb. 1, 2021. Payments will be accepted without penalty until 5 p.m. on April 12, 2021; (3) Both installments may be paid when the first installment is due. A reminder notice will not be mailed for the second installment.

Taxpayers may sign up for online e-mail notifications for annual secured property tax bills and reminders before delinquent dates. Choose “e-Subscribe for property tax payment notifications” to receive these notifications.

Due to an improving real estate market, many parcels in Sacramento County will see an increase in their 2020-2021 assessed value:

Some parcels that were previously in Prop 8 Decline-In-Market-Value status will see increases that exceed 2% but are still below their factored (inflation-adjusted) Prop 13 level; Others will see their Prop 13 values restored. 

The Assessor’s Office annually appraises parcels until their market value equals, or exceeds, the factored Prop 13 value. Property tax law requires that parcels be assessed at their factored Prop 13 value, or their fair market value (as of the Jan. 1, 2020 property tax lien date), whichever is less.

A rising real estate market can cause higher than expected increases in a parcel’s annual tax bill if that parcel was in Prop 8 status last year. However, the assessed value of any parcel cannot increase beyond that parcel’s factored Prop 13 level. The 2% inflation cap applies only to Prop 13 assessments. It does not apply to Prop 8 assessments, which by law must track the property’s market value until it reaches the Prop 13 factored value. 

Find assessed values on the Assessor’s Website under “Assessed Value Lookup,” including this year’s value and the factored Prop 13 value for comparison. If a taxpayer has evidence that their assessed value as of Jan. 1, 2020, was less than that shown on this year’s (2020-2021) tax bill, they should:

Visit the Assessor’s Website; Call the Assessor’s Office at (916) 875-0700; Email the Assessor’s Office at [email protected]; Or go to the Assessor’s Office at 3701 Power Inn Road, Suite 3000.

Taxpayers may obtain current year tax bill information, direct levy information and delinquent prior-year tax information and amounts due online through the Sacramento County Online Property Tax Bill Information System, searching by APN or address. Find a QR Code on your tax bill payment stub for use with smartphones to connect to our website. 

Payments can be made online via credit card or electronic check. Taxpayers may print tax bill installment payment stubs to mail in with their payments. Taxpayers may also pay by credit card or electronic check over the telephone at (844) 430-2823. 

Sacramento County also has a 24-hour/7-day-a-week Automated Property Tax Information Line that provides information on tax subjects and access to detailed billing and payment information. Tax specialists are available 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Reach the system and tax specialists by calling (916) 874-6622.

Make payments in person at the Sacramento County Tax Collector’s Office at 700 H Street, Room 1710, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or mail to P.O. Box 508, Sacramento, CA 95812-0508. In person payments can be paid via cash, check, credit card, debit card or money order. Debit and credit cards cannot be accepted to start redemption payment plans. When paying by check, the County is authorized to use information from the check to make a one-time electronic fund transfer from the account or to process the payment as a check transaction. Mail your payment early enough to ensure a timely United States Postal Service postmark and avoid penalties.

If you own property and do not receive a tax bill by Nov. 15, 2020, obtain tax bill information and payment stubs (coupons) at the Tax Collector’s website or by contacting the Tax Collector’s Office at (916) 874-6622. 

Failure to receive a tax bill does not relieve the property owner of the liability to pay taxes in a timely manner or give the Tax Collector reason to cancel penalties imposed for late payment.

Even if your tax bill is being paid by a lending institution (mortgage company), state law requires that a copy of the tax bill be sent to the property owner; all property owners should receive either the original tax bill or an “Owner’s Information Copy.” It is the responsibility of the property owner to keep their mailing address current with the Assessor’s Office. To update your mailing address, please contact the Assessor’s Office in writing at 3701 Power Inn Rd., Suite 3000, Sacramento, CA 95826-4329 or via email at [email protected]. Please make sure you include a parcel number and phone number with all correspondence.