Press Releases

SACRAMENTO—State Controller Betty T. Yee announced that, beginning today, applications are being processed for property tax deferment for the 2020-21 tax year, and homeowners living in counties affected by wildfires will have extra time to file.

California’s Property Tax Postponement (PTP) Program, administered by Controller Yee, allows homeowners who are seniors, are blind, or have a disability and who meet income, equity, and other requirements to postpone payment of property taxes on their primary residence. In the 2019-2020 tax year, California homeowners were able to postpone more than $4 million in residential property taxes. 

California law provides tax relief to homeowners who file a claim with their county assessor within 12 months of damage or destruction of property due to natural disaster. This includes the ability to have the property reassessed in its current state, and to rebuild a like or similar structure and retain the pre-disaster property value for tax purposes.

Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order extending the PTP filing deadline for homeowners in counties affected by wildfire, to allow counties time to perform reassessments due to fire losses. While the standard PTP filing deadline is February 10, 2021, homeowners in counties hit by wildfires will have until June 1, 2021, to apply for the program. Funding for the program is limited, and applications will be processed in the order received.  

“This extension could help California homeowners receive tax assistance in a time of critical need,” said Controller Yee, California’s chief fiscal officer. “I encourage property owners to file their PTP applications as soon as possible so we can begin processing and work with counties on reassessment where needed. If property tax postponement fits their needs, I want the option to be available to them.”

The governor’s executive order extending the filing deadline currently covers the counties of Butte, Del Norte, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Plumas, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba.

Applications and additional PTP program details can be found online or by calling (800) 952-5661.

As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Yee is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The Controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds. She is a member of numerous financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board. She also serves on the boards for the nation’s two largest public pension funds. Elected in 2014 and reelected in 2018, Controller Yee is the tenth woman elected to a statewide office in California’s history. Follow the Controller on Twitter at @CAController and on Facebook at California State Controller’s Office.