No, you cannot file at any time. Deadlines for property tax appeals are strictly enforced. The specific window to file depends entirely on which type of tax bill or assessment you are contesting:

• Annual Decline-in-Value (Prop 8): This is for appealing your regular annual tax bill if you believe the market value has dropped below your assessed value.

Filing Window: Opens July 2nd.

Deadline: Depending on your county, the deadline is either September 15 or November 30. Note: The appeal is based on the market value as of the preceding January 1 lien date.

ⓘ CLICK HERE to find your county’s deadline and other information such as filing fee (if applicable).

• Supplemental or “Escape” Assessments: These are separate tax bills issued after a change of ownership or new construction.

Deadline: You must file within 60 days of the date printed on the Notice of Assessment Change or the tax bill (whichever is later). Do not wait—missing this 60-day window usually invalidates the appeal.

• Calamity Reassessment: If your property was damaged by a natural disaster (fire, flood, earthquake).

Deadline: You must file within six months of the date the reassessment notice was mailed.

ⓘ CLICK HERE to learn more about reassessments.

Proposition 8 allows for a temporary reduction in a property’s assessed value when the current market value falls below its assessed (Prop 13) value as of January 1. This ensures that homeowners are not taxed on a value higher than the property’s current market value.

If your property qualifies, the Assessor must reduce the value for that year. However, this reduction is temporary and the assessed value can increase again—by more than 2%—until it returns to its original Prop 13 level as the market recovers.

After submitting your signed agreement and county forms, here is what to expect:

• Filing: We submit your appeal directly to the Assessment Appeals Board.
• Preparation: Our experts build your case using current market data and comparable sales.
• Representation: We negotiate with the Assessor or represent you at your hearing to seek a reduction.
• Resolution: If successful, the county will issue a corrected tax bill or a refund check.
• Success-Based Fee: We will notify you of the outcome; you are only invoiced if we successfully reduce your taxes.

To request an e-contract, please email info@propertytaxadvisors.com.

If you have not worked with us before, we recommend starting with a Free, No-Commitment, No-Risk Property Tax Assessment Evaluation. Following your review, if you choose to move forward, our team will assist you with completing your agreement electronically.

Yes. Filing an appeal does not exempt you from paying your property taxes on time. If you don’t pay, you could incur penalties and interest—even if your appeal is later approved. If your appeal is successful and you’ve already paid your bill, the county will issue a refund. If your taxes are unpaid or delinquent, the refund process may be delayed or applied toward the outstanding balance.

No, you do not. As your authorized agent, we handle all communications and attend any required hearings on your behalf to present the case for your property value reduction.

Invoices are issued only after we’ve confirmed that your county’s Auditor-Controller’s Office has released your tax savings—either in the form of a refund check or a corrected property tax bill. We actively monitor the status on your behalf and proceed with invoicing once your savings have been issued.

For refund checks, please be aware that we are only authorized to access limited information about your savings, including the warrant number, issue date, and cashed status. To see how your savings was issued, refer to the section just below Account Information on your invoice.

If your invoice shows your savings are to be issued via a refund check, it’s likely en route and may arrive a few days after your invoice.

If it’s been more than 21 days since the invoice date and your check hasn’t arrived, please contact us at info@propertytaxadvisors.com so we can assist with tracking or reissuance.

Refunds are processed by the Tax Collector/Auditor Controller’s Office and are mailed to whoever paid the property taxes.

If you have recently moved or are planning to move, we advise updating your mailing address with your county’s Assessor’s Office. This can be done using a form available on the Assessor’s website. Visit our County Tax Resources page, locate your county, and select “County Forms.” In most counties, the form is titled “Change of Mailing Address.” For specific inquiries, please contact your county’s Assessor’s Office directly.

An impound account, also called an escrow account, is simply an account maintained by the mortgage company to collect additional payments that are required for you to keep your home. Your lender will divide the annual cost of these payments into a monthly amount and add it to your overall mortgage payment and pay these expenses on your behalf. Therefore, if you do not pay your Property Taxes twice a year, it is likely that you have an impound account. The County ONLY issues refunds directly to the property tax PAYEE. If you have an impound account, the refund will be issued directly to your institution/lender.

YES, our invoice terms remain in effect regardless of who receives the refund. Your mortgage company receives the refund, but your agreement is with us.

We recommend contacting your lender to confirm how and when the refund was applied to your account.

Instead of receiving a refund check for your tax savings, you received an Adjusted Secured Property Tax Bill (also known as a “Corrected Tax Bill”). This bill reflects the lowered assessed value achieved through our successful appeal. The reason for receiving this corrected bill is that either your 1st, 2nd, or both installments were unpaid when the lowered value was enrolled by the Assessor’s Office. Consequently, the savings were applied to the remaining balance, resulting in the issuance of an Adjusted Secured Property Tax Bill.

It simply means the county is giving you your property tax savings in two different ways:

⓵ A Refund Check: You will receive a check in the mail. This is because you already paid your 1st Installment based on the original, higher property value. Since we got your property assessment lowered, the check is the county refunding you for the amount you overpaid on that first payment.

⓶ A Lower Tax Bill: For your 2nd Installment, instead of sending another check, the county just sends a new, corrected bill with a lower amount due. Your savings is the difference between the original bill and your new lowered 2nd installment. 

An easy way to spot this: Your original tax bill usually has two equal payments. You’ll know your bill has been corrected when the amount for your 2nd Installment is now less than what you paid for the 1st Installment.

The Bottom Line: Your total savings is the refund check amount plus the reduction on your 2nd Installment bill. Our fee is based on this combined total, even though the savings arrive at different times.

We can assist you with requesting a reissuance of your refund check from the Auditor-Controller/Tax Collector’s Office. However, please note that the terms and conditions of your invoice remain in effect. Our services are considered complete once your refund check or Refund Claim Form has been issued, not when the check is received or cashed.

To initiate a reissuance request, please provide the following:

1. The full mailing address where you’d like the replacement check to be sent.
2. Acceptable identification documents for verification:
      – A copy of a valid driver’s license, state ID, U.S. passport, or military ID
      – Proof of entity ownership (if applicable):
        – For LLCs: Submit the Operating Agreement, Articles of Organization, or Initial Resolutions
        – For Trusts: Provide a Certificate of Trust or the full Trust Agreement

Once all documents are collected, please email them to info@propertytaxadvisors.com. We’ll submit the request and notify you once it’s been processed.

Please allow 30 to 90 days for the Auditor-Controller to complete the reissuance. Incomplete or missing documentation may delay processing.

Some counties in California require a Refund Claim Form to be completed before releasing your refund check. This form is sent directly to the property tax payee and is used to verify your identity prior to disbursing the funds.

To complete the form:

• Sign and date it.
• If your name or mailing address needs to be updated, make your corrections in the space provided below the signature line.
• Return the completed form using the envelope included with the mailing.

Please note: Refunds typically take approximately four weeks to be issued after your claim form has been received and processed by the county.

Even though you are still waiting on the refund check, your invoice remains due—as our services are considered complete once the Refund Claim Form or check has been issued by the Auditor-Controller/Tax Collector.

If you have not received the claim form within 21 days of your invoice date, please contact your county’s Auditor-Controller/Tax Collector’s Office directly to request a replacement. Unfortunately, we are not authorized to request it on your behalf, as the payee must make the request personally.

No, it is only necessary for one person to sign the form; however, the refund will be payable to all parties indicated on the form. If a change to the payee’s name(s) is necessary, use the space below the signature line to indicate the requested change.

Payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date.

Unpaid invoices are subject to a 1.5% monthly late fee (18% annually) until paid in full.

We accept the following payment methods:

CREDIT/DEBIT CARD (via secure online payment link):

• If you received a physical invoice, you can pay online by scanning the QR code located at the bottom-right corner of your invoice.
• Your secure payment link will also include a digital copy of your invoice, along with any supporting documents related to your appeal—such as your Service Agreement, Notice of Board Action, or Corrected Tax Bill.

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CHECK:

• Make checks payable to Property Tax Advisors and mail to: 1020 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

For assistance or to make a payment over the phone, feel free to call our office at (310) 374-1216, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (PST).

Yes.

Convenience Fee – Effective Jan 1st, 2026

Due to the rising costs of card processing fees, all credit/debit card transactions will be charged a flat rate convenience fee of 3%. Check payments will continue to be accepted with NO FEE.

Prop 13 limits annual increases in assessed value. Prop 8 provides temporary relief by aligning your assessed value with the lower current market value during a downturn. This reduction is reviewed annually.

No. Once you receive a Prop 8 reduction, the assessor’s office will automatically review your property’s value annually to determine if the reduction should continue.

Yes. As the market recovers, your assessed value can increase by more than 2% per year, but it will never exceed the original Prop 13 factored base year value.

You received this bill because your property was reassessed at a higher value due to a recent purchase or new construction, and this bill covers the tax on that increased value.

Yes, it is a one-time, separate bill. You are still responsible for paying your regular annual property tax bill, which is based on the previously assessed value.

Absolutely. If you believe the new assessed value is incorrect, you have the right to file an appeal specifically for the supplemental assessment within the deadline stated on the notice.

The best way to reach us is by emailing info@propertytaxadvisors.com or by calling our office during business hours – (310) 374-1216. We’re happy to help with any questions you may have.

To update your mailing address or phone number, please send us an email with your new information, and we will update your file accordingly.

We will send you copies of all important documents, including the filed application and the final decision from the county, via email or mail for your records.