1. Senior Citizen Homeowners' Property Tax Exemption. The Senior Citizen Homeowners' Property Tax Exemption is available to homeowners who are at least 65 years old and meet certain income requirements.
You must occupy the dwelling as your principal residence as of January 1 of each year to qualify for the Homeowners' Exemption for that year.
The California Constitution provides a $7,000 reduction in the taxable value for a qualifying owner-occupied home. The home must have been the principal place of residence of the owner on the lien date, January 1st.
Obtain the claim form from the County Assessor's office where the property is located. Submit the completed form to the same office. Once the exemption has been granted, it remains effective until a change in eligibility occurs, such as selling or moving out of the home. Annual filing is not required.
The protected amount is called the “homestead exemption.” All homeowners automatically have a homeowner's exemption, which protects part of their equity from involuntary sales (foreclosures). Recording a declaration of ownership extends this protection to voluntary sales.
A dwelling placed in trust by a husband and wife, the husband being the trustee and the wife the trust beneficiary, and occupied on the lien date as their principal residence, is eligible for the exemption.
The claim form, BOE-266, Claim for Homeowners' Property Tax Exemption, is available from the county assessor. A person filing for the first time on a property may file anytime after the property or claimant becomes eligible, but no later than February 15 to receive the full exemption for that year.
Complete form BOE-266, Claim for Homeowners' Property Tax Exemption. Obtain the claim form from the County Assessor's office where the property is located. Submit the completed form to the same office.
Certain properties, or portions of properties, are exempt from taxation under the California Constitution. The most common types are homeowner, disabled veterans, welfare, charitable, and institutional exemptions. Visit the Assessor's Exemption webpage for more information.