Auditor • Controller • Treasurer • Tax Collector

Prior to the fifth year after the property originally became tax-defaulted, you may begin a payment plan.

There are two payment plan options available:

1. A monthly payment plan, designed to pay off the prior year balance before the fifth year of default.
    
2. An annual payment plan, which, if properly maintained, will keep the property from becoming subject to tax sale even beyond the fifth year of default.

A comparison of the two plans is available.  Please note that, under either plan, interest at the rate of 1.5% per month (18% annually) will continue to accrue as specified in the California Revenue & Taxation Code

You must begin your payment plan within five (5) years from the date the property became tax-defaulted. After five (5) years, your property becomes subject to the County Tax Collector's Power to Sell and you are no longer eligible for a payment plan.

To begin a Monthly Payment Plan you must:

1. Pay a one-time set-up fee of $93.00
2. Make monthly payments of at least $100.00 plus a recurring payment processing fee (either $9.00 for email or $11.00 for physical mail*).

*A monthly statement will be provided via either email or physical mail, depending on your preference.

We advise the taxpayer to pay at least the recommended minimum payment amount (outlined in the schedule provided at the plan’s initiation) so that the entire balance will be paid within five (5) years of the original default date to avoid the Tax Collector’s Power of Sale. A monthly statement with a recommended payment amount will be provided via either email or physical mail depending on the taxpayer’s preference.

Though payments of less than the recommended amount are allowed, the prior year balance must be fully paid before the fifth year of default to avoid the Power of Sale. Unlike the Annual Payment Plan, the Monthly Payment Plan WILL NOT protect the parcel from the recording of the Power of Sale. Please note that the monthly payment plan is for payment of the prior year balance only. Current year taxes must be paid separately to avoid additional penalties.

Please call the Tax Collector at (805) 781-5836 for information on getting started.

To begin an Annual Payment Plan you must:

1. Make an initial payment of at least 20 percent (20%) of the redemption* amount.
2. Pay a one-time set-up fee of $70.00.
3. Pay your current year taxes as indicated below.

*The redemption amount is the total prior year taxes, fees and penalties due. 

If you begin an annual payment plan between July 1st and the following April 10th, any current year or supplemental taxes that are due must first be paid.  To maintain the plan, any remaining current year taxes must be paid by April 10th. Failure to pay by this date will default the plan. To begin an annual payment plan between April 11th and June 30th, the current year taxes and any supplemental taxes which become delinquent during the current fiscal year, plus any applicable penalties and costs, must first be paid in full. 

A properly maintained Annual Payment Plan will protect the parcel from the County Tax Collector's Power to Sell, even after the fifth year of tax default.

Please call the Tax Collector at (805) 781-5836 for information on getting started.

For the Annual Payment Plan, you are required to make one annual payment – no more, no less –  no later than April 10th of each fiscal year for five (5) years.  Each annual payment must consist of at least 20 percent (20%) of the total prior year amount plus penalties of 1.5 percent (1.5%) per month on the unpaid amount. If April 10th falls on a week-end, the due date is extended to the next business day. You cannot make more than one payment toward the plan in any one (1) fiscal* year, but you may pay the total unpaid balance, plus accrued penalties, at any time before the fifth and final payment is due.

* A fiscal year is from July 1 through June 30.

For the Monthly Payment Plan, you are not required to make a payment each month, nor are you limited to just one payment per month. Each payment must be a minimum of $100.00, including a processing fee (see "How do I begin a Monthly Payment Plan?" for details). The entire prior year balance may be paid at any time, but it must be paid in full before the fifth year of default to avoid the Power of Sale. The taxpayer is encouraged to pay at least the recommended payment amount indicated on the monthly statement.

Neither the Annual nor the Monthly Payment Plan includes your annual or supplemental taxes. These must be paid separately. To avoid penalties, these taxes must be paid by the "delinquent" dates indicated on the bill stubs. All current year taxes, if not paid by the first installment delinquent date, must be paid with applicable penalties no later than the second installment date. If a Supplemental tax installment becomes delinquent on or before June 2nd, it must be paid no later than June 30th. Failure to make payments as indicated will result in a default of the Annual Payment Plan. Though such failure will not default the Monthly Payment Plan, it will increase the minimum monthly amount required to successfully complete the plan. 

You can convert your Monthly Payment Plan to an Annual Payment Plan any time prior to the fifth year of default by paying the initial payment of at least 20% of the redemption amount plus the one-time set-up fee of $70.00 and any current year and/or supplemental taxes that are due. The accrued monthly payments from your previous plan (minus any fees) will be applied toward the initial payment, but any interest savings that were achieved will be forfeited. If the Annual Payment Plan is properly maintained, it will prevent the Power of Sale from being recorded.

For more information, please call the Tax Collector at (805) 781-5836.

If your annual payment plan defaults due to failure to make the plan payment and/or current year tax payment, you may reinstate the plan by paying a fee and all required tax payments before the end of the fiscal year (June 30). After June 30, you may begin another annual payment plan provided less than five (5) years have elapsed since the original tax default date. To start the new plan, you must pay at least 20% of the prior year amount due plus a $70.00 set-up fee and any current year and/or supplemental taxes that are due. Any payment(s) made on the previous (defaulted) plan (minus any fees) will be applied toward the initial payment, but any interest savings that were achieved will be forfeited.

When you begin an annual payment plan, you have five (5) years to pay the full redemption amount. It is to your advantage not to default on an annual payment plan, as there are additional penalties. When a second annual payment plan is started, the minimum payment amounts are recalculated as though there had been no previous annual payment plan.

For more information, please call the Tax Collector at (805) 781-5836.