Deadline approaching for flood victims to get property tax relief
Above: Video explaining federal taxes and how to pay them.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to note all property taxes in the county are due Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The deadline for San Diego flood victims to apply for property tax relief is fast approaching.
The program, which was approved by the county Board of Supervisors in February, allows property owners — either residential or commercial — who sustained more than $10,000 worth of damage in the January storms to delay their tax bills by getting their properties reassessed.
Under the change, owners must apply by Wednesday, April 10 to defer their taxes on the property. The full amount will have to be paid eventually, but the program allows them to delay those payments until after repairs to any damage are completed.
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Outside the deferred tax program, the Assessor’s Office also has other ways that flood victims who experienced significant damages could see some relief on their taxes.
Using what is known as a “calamity” law, property owners could also have their property reappraised to have its taxable value readjusted for the next tax year, which runs from July 1 to June 30, based on the damage it sustained in the floods.
Detailed information about to apply for the deferred tax and the calamity tax relief programs is available on the County Assessor’s Office website. An online version of the application can be found here.
“It’s important I think that if you feel like if there is something we can do, or that we can help with you,” county treasurer-tax collector Dan McAllister said in a news conference Wednesday, referring to the information about the relief options available through the Assessor’s Office.
“We stand ready to help anyone that has a problem,” he continued.
All property taxes in the county are due next Wednesday, April 10. It will be the second deadline for property owners, the first of which was back in November. After that point, McAllister says a 10 percent penalty will be tacked onto one’s property tax bill with additional fines after June 30.
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These deadlines differ from the ones for federal and state taxes for all residents in San Diego County. In February, the Internal Revenue Service pushed back the last day to file individual and business tax returns without fines to June 17. More on IRS’ extension can be found here.
According to McAllister, property tax revenue collected goes directly to the county and cities within it, paying for local programs, schools and county administration, among other things.
This year, the county treasurer-tax collector’s office is anticipating generating $8.6 billion through tax revenue — up from last year’s $8.1 billion.
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