Welcome to the final part of our three-part series on keeping pace with California tax law. In Part 1 of this series, we covered Prop 19, which makes it more affordable for older California homeowners to relocate within the state. In Part 2, we explained changes to the parent-child exclusion, which enables children to inherit their parent’s property and parents to inherit their children’s property without a property tax increase, subject to certain qualifications and limitations.

In this part, we bring you up to speed on additional California state-sponsored property tax relief programs for helping senior citizens on limited income and those who are legally blind or disabled. Specifically, we’re going to cover the following:

• The Property Tax Postponement Program, which is supported by the State of California Controller’s Office
• The Property Tax Assistance Program, which is supported by the California State Franchise Tax Board (suspended for now due to lack of funds)

Pro Tip: The inserts mailed along with your annual tax bill contain details about any property tax relief programs currently available, so be sure to read those inserts carefully to determine whether you qualify for any currently available programs.

The Property Tax Postponement Program

The State of California’s Property Tax Postponement Program (PTP) allows homeowners who are seniors, are blind, or have a disability, to defer current-year property taxes on their principal residence if they meet certain criteria, including the following: Continue reading… Continue reading… Continue reading…