Santa Clara County Tax Collector: Pay Tax, Hours & Fees

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Santa Clara County, California · Property tax payment and problem-solving guide

Pay, Check or Fix a Santa Clara Property Tax Bill

Find the correct secured, unsecured, supplemental or prior-year bill, compare payment fees, check deadlines and understand what to do when a payment, assessed value, postmark, lender or penalty causes a problem.

This guide explains the important County rules before you take action so you can use the correct Santa Clara County office, bill type and official payment route.

Pay or find a bill Office hours and phone Fix a tax problem
Old-address warning: Santa Clara County Department of Tax and Collections property-tax service is currently listed at 110 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134. Do not rely on older Hedding Street Tax Collector listings before travelling or mailing payment.
Property-tax phone

408-808-7900

Office hours

Mon–Fri, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Phone hours

Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Online eCheck

No County-listed convenience fee.

Card fee

2.22%, minimum $1.49.

Start here

Which Santa Clara County tax problem do you have?

S
Annual secured bill

Home, building or land. Use the APN or property address and verify the first or second installment.

U
Unsecured bill

Usually business equipment, fixtures, boats or airplanes. Search with assessment/account or business information.

+
Supplemental bill

Usually follows a change in ownership or new construction and has separate due dates from the annual bill.

P
Prior-year taxes

A current annual bill may not include an older defaulted balance. Request the current redemption amount.

V
Value looks wrong

Assessment and appeal issues belong to the Assessor or Assessment Appeals process, not the DTAC payment counter.

!
Penalty or payment problem

Keep payment proof, identify the exact bill and use the penalty, postmark or posting section below.

Core rule: do not treat every property-tax problem as a payment problem. DTAC collects the tax; the Assessor establishes value; the Clerk of the Board handles assessment appeals.

Jump directly to the task

The article is organized around user actions rather than repeated keyword blocks.

Official payment workflow

How to find and pay Santa Clara County property tax online

Identify the bill type first A home, building or land normally uses the secured-tax route. Business equipment, fixtures, boats and airplanes normally use the unsecured route.
Search with the strongest identifier For secured property, use the Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) or property address. For unsecured property, use the assessment number, Assessor account number, business name or business address.
Confirm the fiscal year Do not pay merely because a balance appears. Confirm whether it belongs to the current annual bill, a supplemental bill, an unsecured bill or a prior-year account.
Verify the installment On the annual secured bill, determine whether you are paying the first installment, second installment or both.
Check prior-year status separately A statement such as “Prior Years Taxes Unpaid” means an older delinquent amount exists outside the current annual total.
Choose eCheck or card The County lists no convenience fee for eCheck. Credit/debit cards carry a 2.22% convenience fee with a $1.49 minimum per transaction.
Review every parcel before checkout If paying multiple parcels, check every APN, fiscal year, bill type and amount before authorizing the transaction.
Save proof Keep the confirmation number, payment time, amount and bank/card record until the payment is visible on the correct account.
Payment-site maintenance: the County states that its property-tax payment site is unavailable every third weekend of the month from 8:00 a.m. Saturday to 5:00 p.m. Sunday Pacific Time. Do not wait for a deadline weekend.
Open the County property-tax payment service Use the official DTAC pay-your-bill page
Lookup guide

What do you need to search each bill type?

Search route by property-tax bill type
Bill type Search information Typical situation Important check
Secured APN or property address Home, building or land Match APN, property, fiscal year and installment.
Unsecured Assessment number, Assessor account, business name or address Business equipment, fixtures, boat or airplane Confirm assessee and fiscal year.
Supplemental APN and bill information from the supplemental notice Ownership change or new construction Do not confuse it with the annual secured bill.
Escape / mid-year unsecured Assessment/account and bill information A taxable item/value was added after the normal annual unsecured roll Follow the date printed on that particular coupon.
Prior-year / redemption APN and defaulted-tax status An older balance is not included in the current annual amount Request a current redemption balance.
“Prior Years Taxes Unpaid” means more money may be owed. The County says the older delinquent balance is not included in the current annual tax bill. Call 408-808-7900 for the separate current amount.
Bill anatomy

How to read a Santa Clara County secured property-tax bill

Several problems that look like Tax Collector issues are actually assessment, exemption or direct-assessment questions. Use the bill fields below to identify the correct route.

Important information printed on the annual tax bill
Field What it means Where to go if it looks wrong
Owner of record The owner reflected for the legal lien-date record. Ownership-record issues → Assessor.
Property location / APN Identifies the parcel being taxed. Match both before paying.
Assessed value Value established by the Assessor for property-tax purposes. Value dispute → Assessor / Assessment Appeals.
Exemption An exemption reflected on the assessment roll. Missing/incorrect exemption → Assessor.
First and second installment Amounts due under the annual secured schedule. Payment/balance issue → DTAC.
General tax levy Includes California’s constitutional 1% levy component. Rate-calculation question is not a payment-posting issue.
Voter-approved taxes Additional approved tax obligations. Use the responsible agency when questioning the underlying levy.
City / district direct assessments Charges placed on the tax roll by another public agency or district. Contact the agency responsible for that assessment.
Prior Years Taxes Unpaid A separate older delinquent balance exists. DTAC → request current redemption amount.
January 1 lien date does not mean the bill is late. It is the statutory date when the property-tax lien attaches and taxable status/value is established for the coming fiscal year. That is different from becoming delinquent.

Need a bill explanation in another language?

Santa Clara County publishes explanatory material for secured, supplemental and unsecured bills in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese and Tagalog.

Open the official tax-bill explanation guides
Payment costs

eCheck, card and returned-payment fees

Current County-listed online payment charges
Method Fee Best use Watch for
eCheck $0 convenience fee Lowest-cost online route Wrong routing/account number can cause a returned payment.
Credit/debit card 2.22%; minimum $1.49 Card convenience Percentage fee grows on a large tax bill.
Returned payment $85 Not a payment option Additional delinquency charges can apply if replacement arrives after the deadline.
Fee-saving rule: if eCheck is suitable for your bank account, it avoids the County-listed card convenience fee.
Offline payments

Pay by mail, drop box, courier or at the DTAC counter

Mail

Make the check or money order payable to SCC DTAC.

Include the coupon and write the APN and installment number on the payment.

Department of Tax and Collections
110 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134-1700
Property-tax drop box

Inside the building, east wing, first floor.

Available during normal weekday business hours.

Do not deposit cash.

Counter payment

Visit 110 West Tasman Drive during public office hours.

Bring the bill/coupon or APN, fiscal year and any payment proof needed to resolve a posting problem.

Before mailing close to a deadline

Use the correct DTAC mailing address
Include the payment coupon
Write APN and installment on the check
Keep payment and mailing proof
Processing: the County says mailed payments submitted with coupons typically take about 2–5 business days to process from receipt. Missing coupons can delay posting.

If you use an independent delivery service instead of USPS, follow the County’s designated-delivery-service rule rather than assuming any private courier date will protect the deadline.

Review official payment and mailing instructions
Tax calendar

Secured and unsecured property-tax due dates

Annual secured property tax

October — annual bills are mailed If the bill does not arrive, check the account instead of waiting past a delinquent date.
First installment is due It becomes payable November 1.
First-installment delinquency date Pay by the applicable deadline to avoid statutory late charges.
Second installment is due You can pay it before April.
Second-installment delinquency date Weekend or County-holiday rules can move the date to the next business day.
Last day before current secured tax moves into default Unpaid current secured tax after June 30 enters the defaulted-tax system.

Annual unsecured property tax

Annual unsecured bills are mailed Typical examples are business equipment, fixtures, boats and airplanes.
Standard annual unsecured delinquency date If August 31 falls on a weekend or County holiday, the date moves to the next business day.
Mid-year or escape unsecured bill? The County says unsecured bills mailed throughout the year are due according to the date printed on that specific payment coupon. Do not automatically use August 31.
No bill is not a deadline extension. Failure to receive the property-tax bill does not automatically excuse penalties.
Check secured-tax information Check unsecured-tax information
Late-payment charges

What can be added when Santa Clara County property tax is late?

Published delinquency framework
Tax status Published charge What to do
Late secured installment 10% penalty + $20 cost Use the live balance rather than calculating from an old bill.
Secured default after June 30 $30 redemption fee + 1.5% monthly redemption penalty Request a current redemption amount.
Late annual unsecured tax 10% penalty + $50 collection fee Resolve promptly; additional monthly charges can follow.
Unsecured amount remains unpaid 1.5% monthly penalty after the County’s additional delinquency period Ask for the current amount instead of using an old notice.
Recorded unsecured lien release $20 Clerk-Recorder release fee Confirm the lien-release requirements with the County.
Deadline trap

USPS postmark rules: the date printed by your bank may not count

A payment received after the deadline can still be timely when a qualifying USPS cancellation postmark proves that USPS accepted it on or before the deadline.

Better mailing evidence
  • Qualifying USPS cancellation postmark
  • Ask a postal clerk to hand-stamp the envelope
  • Certified Mail or other USPS tracking when appropriate
  • Mail early instead of relying on deadline-day processing
Do not assume these protect the date
  • Private postage-meter date
  • Many bank/home bill-pay envelopes
  • Permit-imprint mail
  • Other postage without a qualifying USPS cancellation mark
Bank bill-pay trap: starting a bill-pay transaction before the deadline does not necessarily make the tax payment timely. If the envelope arrives late without a qualifying USPS postmark, the County can use the received date.
Read official postmark rules
Partial payments

Partial payments can reduce the unpaid amount—but do not change the deadline

Santa Clara County accepts partial payments on current property-tax balances. That can reduce the principal remaining unpaid, but it does not create a new delinquency date.

No separate agreement is required for an ordinary current partial payment
First secured installment must be satisfied before money is applied to the second
Remaining unpaid installment balance can still incur statutory charges
Current secured taxes must be resolved before the June 30 default point
County example: if a $5,000 installment has $2,000 left unpaid after the deadline, the 10% penalty plus $20 cost applies to the remaining unpaid $2,000 rather than the portion already paid.
New owners / new construction

Supplemental property-tax bills have separate timing

A supplemental assessment can be created after a change in ownership or qualifying new construction. The resulting supplemental tax is in addition to the normal annual secured bill.

Supplemental bill delinquency timing
Bill mailed First installment delinquent Second installment delinquent What to remember
July–October December 10 April 10 Uses the familiar secured-tax delinquent dates.
November–June Last day of the month following the mailing month Four months later Use the actual coupon dates instead of assuming December/April.
Mortgage/impound warning: the County says lenders do not receive supplemental bills in the same way they may receive the annual secured bill. Contact the lender and decide who will pay.
Do not be surprised by more than one supplemental bill. Depending on the date of purchase or new construction, a reassessment can affect portions of more than one fiscal year.

Check the supplemental bill itself

Owner name
Fiscal year
Property location
Old assessed value
New assessed value
Net supplemental assessment
Ownership-change / construction date
Both installment dates
Troubleshooting

Missing bill, wrong address or payment not posted

Annual bill never arrived Look up the secured account or request a duplicate. Do not wait until after December 10 or April 10.
You recently bought the property Check the annual secured bill and possible supplemental bill separately.
Tax mailing address is wrong Mailing-address changes belong to the County Assessor.
Online payment is missing Have the APN, confirmation number, date, amount and bank/card evidence ready before retrying.
Mail payment is missing Gather the check number, mailing date, APN, installment and USPS evidence.
Lender may also have paid Check with the mortgage servicer before making another payment.
Useful call script “I’m calling about APN [number], fiscal year [year]. I need to confirm [the installment balance / payment posted on date / supplemental bill / prior-year balance]. My confirmation or check number is [number].”
Penalty review

Penalty cancellation: pay first, prove the reason, then request review

Santa Clara County can cancel a secured or unsecured property-tax penalty only when California law gives it authority.

Most important rule: the County requires the tax and penalty to be paid in full before the penalty-cancellation request is reviewed. If cancellation is approved, the penalty is refunded.
Examples that may support review
  • Qualifying County error
  • Qualifying mistaken payment on another property
  • Unexpected hospitalization under the applicable statutory standard
  • Natural disaster
  • Death of the owner of record on or before the delinquent date
  • Qualifying government-declared emergency
Reasons the County says it will deny
  • Good previous payment history
  • Non-receipt of the bill
  • Financial hardship alone
  • Bank bill pay received late
  • Private postage-meter date
  • New-owner misunderstanding
  • Taxpayer online-payment input error
Pay in full The County states that the account must be paid before cancellation review.
Complete the request Provide taxpayer contact information, tax-bill data and APN/assessment number.
Explain the legal basis Describe why the facts fit a California Revenue and Taxation Code reason for cancellation.
Attach evidence Documentation should directly support the claimed circumstance.
Sign and submit The County accepts an online request or its mail-in form.
Expect review time DTAC currently says review may take approximately 60–90 days.
Open the official penalty-cancellation process Get DTAC forms
Payment difficulty

Property-tax assistance and relief programs

Simply being unable to pay is generally not a penalty-cancellation reason, but specific State and County relief programs may help qualifying taxpayers.

Property Tax Postponement

California’s State Controller program may allow qualifying seniors, blind homeowners or homeowners with disabilities to defer current-year property taxes on a principal residence when program requirements are met.

Disaster / calamity relief

Qualifying fire, flood, earthquake or other calamity damage may support a reduced assessment under applicable California rules.

Military tax relief

The County states that eligible active-duty military personnel may qualify for tax-payment relief under military-service laws, with the described unpaid taxes subject to 6% annual interest instead of normal California delinquency charges.

Exemptions

Homeowner, disabled-veteran and certain special-assessment or parcel-tax exemption programs may reduce eligible tax obligations.

Do not assume an application freezes the tax deadline. Unless the responsible agency tells you otherwise, continue following the tax bill’s payment date while relief or assessment review is pending.
Review official taxpayer-assistance programs Review exemption routes
Prior-year secured taxes

Defaulted taxes, redemption amounts and installment plans

Current secured taxes unpaid after June 30 move into the defaulted-tax system. An old annual bill is no longer a reliable payoff because redemption charges continue to accrue.

Request the current redemption amount Give DTAC the APN and identify the prior year involved.
Expect redemption charges The County FAQ lists a $30 redemption fee and a 1.5% monthly redemption penalty.
Ask whether an Installment Plan of Redemption is available Eligibility is not automatic. Confirm setup requirements directly with DTAC.
Know the annual contract requirement The County FAQ says a redemption installment plan generally requires 20% of the plan amount plus accrued interest by April 10 each fiscal year.
Understand partial-payment ordering On the redemption plan, partial payments are applied first to accrued interest and then toward the required 20% amount.
Do not underpay by April 10 The County says a partial payment does not prevent plan default if the full contractual amount required for that year is not paid.
Resolve long-term default Secured taxes remaining unpaid for five years can become subject to the Tax Collector’s power to sell.
Read official redemption-plan FAQs Call 408-808-7900
Correct office

DTAC, Assessor or Assessment Appeals: who fixes the issue?

Route the property-tax question correctly
Your question Office Why
How much is due? DTAC Billing and collection.
Did my payment post? DTAC Payment records and balances.
Can a penalty be cancelled? DTAC Administers the statutory penalty-cancellation process.
Why is the assessed value wrong? Assessor Assessor establishes taxable value.
How do I change the tax mailing address? Assessor Mailing-address records belong to the Assessor.
Do I qualify for an exemption? Assessor / applicable district Eligibility and assessment records.
I want to formally challenge the assessment. Assessment Appeals Division Formal changed-assessment applications are filed with the Clerk of the Board.
Two Tasman addresses: DTAC is at 110 West Tasman Drive. The County Assessor is at 130 West Tasman Drive.
Open the official Assessor site
Assessment dispute

Assessment appeals: 2026 filing dates, fees and payment warning

An assessment appeal challenges value. It is not filed at the DTAC payment counter and does not automatically stop property-tax payment deadlines.

Pay while disputing value. Santa Clara County’s property-tax guidance says a taxpayer disputing an over-assessed business-property value cannot simply pay tax based on the taxpayer’s estimated value. The current bill must be paid; a later Assessor correction can produce a refund.
Santa Clara County assessment-appeal timing
Appeal Filing period 2026 filing fee Important note
Regular assessment July 2–September 15 $290 residential, vacant land or agricultural parcel/application Regular applications belong in this annual filing window.
Commercial / business / multifamily 5+ units Use the applicable filing window $675 per parcel or account/application County says the nonrefundable fee applies beginning June 1, 2026.
Supplemental assessment Generally 60 days from the Supplemental Notice date Applicable County filing fee Read the notice immediately; do not wait for the regular July–September window.
Escape / roll-change assessment Generally 60 days from the notice Applicable County filing fee The specific notice controls the filing deadline.
Identify which assessment you are appealing
Keep the assessment notice and notice date
File with the Clerk of the Board’s Assessment Appeals Division
Continue meeting tax-payment deadlines
Appeals Board limits: the Board cannot remove ordinary late-payment penalties, change tax rates, grant exemptions or reduce tax merely because the owner cannot afford the bill.
Assessment Appeals Division
70 West Hedding Street
East Wing, 10th Floor
San Jose, CA 95110

Phone: 408-299-5088

Assessment Appeals hearing location
130 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134

The hearing location is different from the Clerk’s administrative office.

Open the official assessment-appeal portal Check filing dates and deadlines
Prevent missed bills

Set up paperless property-tax bills and email reminders

Santa Clara County’s electronic notification system can provide bill access, due-date reminders and prior-year bill/payment information.

Create an account Use an email address and password.
Verify your email Open the County verification message.
Add the property You need the APN and PIN.
Find the PIN The County says the APN and PIN are shown on the Notice of Assessed Value mailed in June.
Subscribe Select the email-notification option for the property.
Multi-property help: the system can manage more than one property and more than one email contact.
Set up property-tax email notification
Sale and title transactions

Business, mobile-home and subdivision tax clearances

Santa Clara County tax-clearance requirements
Clearance Timing / fee Micro-level requirements
Business transfer / bulk sale At least 12 business days before sale; $125 Notice of Bulk Sale, payment and Business Property Statement when required between January 1 and May 7.
Mobile home Certificate valid 60 days; duplicate $35 All property tax must be paid; Jan. 1–Sept. 30 requests require prepayment of the upcoming annual tax bill.
Subdivision $50 per parcel Property Ownership Questionnaire, maps and required security/documentation.
Review official tax-clearance instructions
Money owed back

Search for an unclaimed property-tax refund

Refunds can result from reduced assessments, overpayments, duplicate payments and other corrections.

Claim review time

The County says review may take approximately 45–60 days depending on claim volume.

Two-year unclaimed-money warning

The County says property-tax funds unclaimed for more than two years are removed from the list and transferred to the County general fund under the published process.

Search official unclaimed property-tax refunds
DTAC office

Santa Clara County Tax Collector office, address and hours

Department of Tax and Collections
110 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134

Property-tax phone: 408-808-7900

Public operating hours

Office: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Phone: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Closed on County holidays.

Property-tax drop box: inside the building, east wing, first floor. It is available during normal office hours. Do not deposit cash.
Bring APN or assessment number
Bring the relevant fiscal-year bill
Bring payment confirmation when fixing a posting issue
Check County holiday closures before travelling
Confirm current DTAC office information Open directions
Final payment check

Before submitting any Santa Clara County property-tax payment

County is Santa Clara, not Santa Cruz or San Mateo
APN or assessment number matches
Fiscal year is correct
Secured, unsecured or supplemental type is correct
Correct installment is selected
Prior-year balance was checked separately
eCheck/card fee is understood
Mailing method protects the deadline
Bank/card details are accurate
Confirmation or receipt will be retained
Official action links

Official Santa Clara County property-tax resources

Use these sources when you are ready to perform the live action or confirm a time-sensitive rule.

Payment and bill help
Problem-solving routes
Source review: August 18, 2026. Property-tax balances, convenience fees, processor URLs, appeal fees, relief-program rules, office closures and account-specific redemption amounts can change. Use your live County account, tax bill or assessment notice and the responsible County office for the final amount and deadline.

Santa Clara County Tax Collector FAQs

How do I pay Santa Clara County property taxes online?

Use the County property-tax payment service. For secured property, search with the APN or property address. For unsecured property, use the assessment number, Assessor account number, business name or business address. Verify the fiscal year, bill type, installment and amount before paying.

Is there a fee to pay Santa Clara County property taxes online?

The County lists no convenience fee for eCheck payments. Credit/debit cards carry a 2.22% convenience fee with a minimum fee of $1.49 per transaction. An $85 returned-payment fee applies when a check, eCheck or card payment is returned unpaid.

What are the Santa Clara County Department of Tax and Collections office hours?

The DTAC office at 110 West Tasman Drive is open Monday–Friday from 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., excluding County holidays. Property-tax phone hours are 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Monday–Friday.

When are Santa Clara County secured property taxes due?

The first installment is due November 1 and is delinquent after December 10. The second is due February 1 and is delinquent after April 10. Weekend or County-holiday delinquent dates extend to the next business day.

What is the late penalty for Santa Clara County secured property tax?

A late secured installment is generally subject to a 10% penalty plus a $20 cost. If current secured taxes remain unpaid after June 30, the account enters default, a $30 redemption fee is added and a 1.5% monthly redemption penalty accrues.

Can I request cancellation of a Santa Clara County property-tax penalty?

Yes, but cancellation is limited to reasons authorized by California law. The County requires the tax and penalty to be paid in full before review. Submit the signed request and evidence; review may take about 60–90 days.

What if I cannot afford to pay Santa Clara County property taxes on time?

Depending on eligibility, assistance may include California’s Property Tax Postponement Program, disaster-related assessment relief, military tax relief or a redemption installment plan for some defaulted secured taxes. Check the responsible program instead of simply missing the deadline.

Will my mortgage lender pay a Santa Clara County supplemental tax bill?

Do not assume it will. The County says lenders do not receive supplemental tax bills the same way they may receive annual secured bills. Contact the lender and determine who will pay before the supplemental delinquent date.

Can I appeal my assessed value instead of paying the property-tax bill?

No. An assessment appeal challenges value; it does not replace the obligation to pay the current bill on time. The 2026 regular assessment appeal filing period is July 2–September 15. Supplemental and escape assessments generally have a 60-day appeal period from the notice.

What should I do if I did not receive my Santa Clara County property-tax bill?

Check the account online or request a duplicate bill from DTAC. Failure to receive the bill does not excuse penalties, so verify the account before the delinquent date.

What does “Prior Years Taxes Unpaid” mean on my tax bill?

It means a delinquent prior-year balance exists but is not included in the amount shown on the current annual bill. Contact DTAC for the separate current redemption balance.

Should I contact the Santa Clara County Tax Collector or Assessor?

Use DTAC for bills, payment posting, penalties, refunds, defaulted taxes and tax clearances. Use the Assessor for assessed value, ownership, exemptions, mailing-address changes and APN questions. Formal assessment appeals are filed with the Clerk of the Board’s Assessment Appeals Division.

Independent information notice: TaxCollectors.org is not the County of Santa Clara Department of Tax and Collections, County Assessor, Controller-Treasurer, Assessment Appeals Division, a payment processor, tax adviser or law firm. Do not send bank-account, card or sensitive taxpayer information to this website. Complete payments only through County-authorized services.