Many tax delinquencies occur during the first year of property ownership. Depending on the date of purchase and the policy of the title company handling the escrow, the annual property taxes are usually prorated in escrow. The first or second installment of the taxes may have been paid or you may have received a credit for the liability that accrued during the time the previous owner owned the property. If you received a credit for the previous owner's portion, you may be responsible for paying the tax bill when it becomes due. If you are unable to determine whether the tax bill installment was paid in escrow, please contact your title company. To find out what tax bills are outstanding, please call the Tax Collector's office at (209) 525-6388.

When property changes ownership after the start of the fiscal year, July 1st, the annual tax bill may reflect the previous owner's name and mailing address. A new tax bill is NOT MAILED to new owners. If your mortgage company is responsible for paying your taxes, keep the duplicate bill for your records. If you are responsible for paying the taxes, please use payment stubs from the duplicate tax bill. You may receive one or more supplemental tax bills after you have taken ownership of the property.

The supplemental property tax is an additional tax beyond the normal annual tax for any increase in the value of property as determined by the Assessor. This will include the purchase of property at a value higher than the former assessed value, the addition of a home to a vacant lot or any other major improvements such as a new pool or the addition of a room onto a house.

The supplemental tax is billed separately and reflects the tax on the difference in the new value of the property versus the old value. For more information, click here.

You may receive more than one supplemental tax bill, depending on when you purchased your property or completed new construction. Because the secured property taxes are based on the January 1 value and cover a fiscal year, your purchase/construction date may effect the calculation of the taxes for two fiscal years. For example, if you purchased property in February 2001, your purchase would effect the 2000-01 fiscal year taxes (February 2001 through June 2001) and the 2001-02 fiscal year taxes (July 2001 through June 2002). The latter fiscal year is effected because the Assessor would have already established the value on January 1, 2001, prior to the purchase/construction. Therefore, the taxes calculated for 2001-02 would also have to be adjusted by a supplemental bill to reflect the increased value.

The supplemental tax is due upon the mailing of the bill. It is payable in two installments.

The supplemental bill is payable in two installments, like the secured bill. The delinquent dates of the installments depend on when the bill is mailed. A supplemental tax bill mailed between July and October carries a 1st installment delinquent date of December 10 and a 2nd installment delinquent date of April 10. Supplemental bills mailed between November and June carry a delinquent date based on the month in which the bill was mailed-the 1st installment is delinquent the last day of the month after the bill was mailed. The 2nd installment is delinquent four (4) months later. For example, if a supplemental tax bill is mailed in February, the 1st installment delinquent date would be March 31 and the 2nd installment delinquent date would be July 31.

Supplemental tax bills are mailed directly to the homeowner. If you have arranged for your tax payments to be paid through an impound account with your mortgage company, contact your lender regarding payment. The lender will not receive a copy of a supplemental tax bill. The supplemental tax bill will not automatically be paid by funds in your impound account. If you receive a supplemental tax bill and have any questions about payment responsibility, contact your mortgage company.

Yes. If your payment is not received in person or postmarked by the delinquent dates, the penalty amounts are the same as secured taxes:

1st  installment penalty = 10% of the 1st installment amount

2nd installment penalty = 10% of the 2nd installment amount plus $10.00

Please forward the bill to the new owner.

what do I do?   top

Contact your impound company to find out what their procedure is.

Information copies of annual secured property tax bills are mailed to property owners that have an impound account. The mortgage company receives an original of the annual secured property tax bill. The supplemental tax bills are normally due in addition to any previous or subsequent annual or supplemental bills. Supplemental, additional and escaped tax bills never replace the annual secured property tax bill. Only a corrected tax bill may replace the annual tax bill.

Supplemental tax bills are mailed directly to the homeowner. If you have arranged for your tax payments to be paid through an impound account with your mortgage company, contact your lender regarding payment. The lender will not receive a copy of a supplemental tax bill. The supplemental tax bill will not automatically be paid by funds in your impound account. If you receive a supplemental tax bill and have any questions about payment responsibility, contact your mortgage company.

Payments not made by the delinquent date will result in penalties being added to the taxes due. To avoid penalties, payments must be made by the due date shown on the tax bill. The same rules apply to unpaid supplemental tax bills as for unpaid annual tax bills. If your supplemental tax bill is not paid by June 30 after the second installment is delinquent, the property becomes tax-defaulted (even if you have paid your annual tax bill).

A property owner may request a copy of the current year secured property tax bill by calling our office at (209) 525-6388 or by coming in person to the public counter at 1010 Tenth Street, Suite 2500; Modesto CA 95353. Copies of the current year tax bill are available for a $1.00 fee. Copies of prior year tax bills are available for a $2.00 fee. You may contact a tax specialist at the above numbers to determine the charges and to request a copy of a prior year tax bill. Copies will be mailed to you after receipt of the appropriate fee. Failure to receive a tax bill is not justification to cancel any of the delinquent penalties, costs, or interest penalties that may accrue.

You may pay using Visa or MasterCard by calling (866) 276-8196 or on-line at http://www.stancounty.com/tr-tax/tax-disclaimer2.shtm There is a 3% fee for paying by credit card. Payments by check, money order, or cashier's check may be mailed or made or in person at the Stanislaus County Tax Collector's Office. Payment should be made payable to the "Stanislaus County Tax Collector" and show the mailing address of the payer and also the parcel number as shown on the bill. Return the appropriate stub with your payment. If you are paying two installments, please include both installment payment stubs from your tax bill. If do not have a copy of your tax bill, you may request a duplicate tax bill. Submit your payment in the envelope provided with your tax bill as it is color coded to assist in processing your payment timely. If you do not have an envelope or a tax bill, you may still mail your payment for secured and personal property taxes to: Stanislaus County Tax Collector, P.O. Box 859; Modesto, CA 95353.

Partial payments are not accepted and will be returned for the correct amount due.

The property owner is responsible for ensuring all secured property taxes for parcels they own are paid in full regardless if they have an impound account through their mortgage company. Be sure you receive tax bills or information copies for all properties that you own. Mail your property tax payments early! California law is very specific about non-receipt of tax bills. It is the responsibility of the property owner to obtain all tax bills and pay timely. Delinquent penalties cannot be excused because you did not receive a bill prior to the due dates. Do not wait for a tax bill. If you do not have a copy of your tax bill, please contact the Tax Collector's Office at (209) 525-6388 to request that a duplicate tax bill be mailed to you. Many taxpayers must pay a penalty because their tax payment is postmarked by the post office one or more days after the deadline. When mailing your property tax payment, the envelope must reflect a post office postmark date of no later than the "pay by" or "due" date listed on the property tax bill. Or payments must be paid in the office of the Tax Collector no later than 5:00 p.m. on the "pay by" or "due" date listed on the property tax bill. Meter dates from a business meter are not accepted for determining timely mailing. NOTE: When the date to pay without penalty falls on Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday, the hour of delinquency is 5:00 p.m. on the next business day.

If your bank returns a check unpaid, a $20.00 charge will be added. If you do not replace the check and pay the returned check fee by the tax bill deadline date, the Tax Collector must collect the penalties required by State law. Payments to replace returned checks should be in the form of cashier's check, money order or by cash in the Tax Collector's Office.

You must maintain a current mailing address for all parcels and personal property that you own. If your current mailing address is different from the address listed on your current tax bill or you have recently moved, you are responsible for providing a change of address to the Assessor to ensure future tax bills are mailed to you at the correct address. Please provide written notification to the Stanislaus County Assessor's Office at 1010 Tenth Street, Suite 2400; Modesto, CA 95353.

A Change of Mailing Address Request Form is from the Assessor's office. If you have both secured and unsecured property, you must notify both sections of the Assessor's Office of your change of address.

Contact the Assessor’s office at (209) 525-6461.

When will I receive my refund?   top

Refunds of the overpayment are processed when the Assessor certifies the reduction of real property assessment to the Auditor-Controller Division. If you are due a refund, you should first contact the Assessor's Office at (209) 525-6461 to verify that the value reduction has been certified, the date of that certification. To check on the status of a refund from prior year tax overpayment due to reduction of prior year assessed values, you can contact the Auditor-Controller's Office at (209) 525-6597. To check on the status of a refund from current year tax overpayment due to reduction of current year assessed values, you can contact the Tax Collection Division at (209) 525-6388.

Should I pay the bill(s) I received?   top

Yes. You should pay the property tax bills you received prior to the delinquent dates. Penalties may not be forgiven because you were waiting for a revised bill. If this results in a net overpayment, a refund will be sent to you.

Direct assessments are direct charges against property, which are included in the total amount of your tax bill but which are not ad valorem taxes based on the Assessor's valuation. Direct assessments are levied on the tax bill on behalf of the District and are not levied by the Assessor's Office, or the Auditor-Controller or Tax Collection Divisions of the Department of Finance. To dispute a special assessment levied against your property, you will need to contact the levying district directly.

When you send your remittance to pay your property taxes, the Tax Collector posts that payment to your tax bill. Our Auditor-Controller Division then distributes your payment to the appropriate taxing entities.

You may have a Mello-Roos special tax, a 1915-improvement bond act special assessment or a direct special charge, designated as DIRECT ASSESMENT, on your tax bill. If direct assessments have been included on your tax bill, the name of the assessment and the dollar amount will be shown in the "DIRECT ASSESSMENT NAME" block on the face of your tax bill.

Special Assessments Subject to Judicial Foreclosure:

Some special assessments are subject to the accelerated judicial foreclosure process. Once taxes default on June 30, those special assessments subject to the accelerated judicial foreclosure are removed from the tax roll and the districts are responsible for collection enforcement. The Tax Collector no longer participates in the collection enforcement of the special assessment. The district that initiated the assessment will record a notice of intent to foreclose on the property, and the taxpayer will need to contact the district directly at the address and phone number provided in the statement under the direct assessment number.

The delinquent taxes remain with the County Tax Collector's Office. Only the special assessment amount is removed from the tax bill.

The Letter of Reconveyance notifies you of a payoff of Deed of Trust, releasing you from the payment. The fee covers filing and copying, it is usually paid at the close of escrow, but with a private mortgage it may need to be filed by the borrower. For more information, please contact the Clerk-Recorders office at (209) 525-5261.

If you own a home and occupy it as your principal place of residence as of 12:01 am on January 1st, you may apply for an exemption of up to $7,000 off your assessment value. New property owners will automatically receive an exemption application in the mail. Homeowners' Exemptions may also be claimed on a supplemental assessment if the property was not receiving a Homeowners' Exemption on the prior regular assessment roll. For more information, call the Assessor's Exemption Department at (209) 525-6461.

Property used exclusively for a church, college, cemetery, museum, school, or library qualifies for an exemption. Properties owned and used exclusively by a non-profit religious, charitable, scientific, or hospital corporation are also eligible. For more information, call the Assessor's Exemption Department at (209) 525-6461.

In order to be eligible for a Veterans' Exemption, a single veteran must not have assets valued over $5,000. A married veteran (or a veteran's widow who has not remarried) must not have assets valued over $10,000. For more information, call the Exemption Department of the Assessor's Office at (209) 525-6461.

If you are a veteran with a service-connected disability (or if you are unmarried widow of such a veteran), you may be eligible for an exemption of up to $150,000 off the assessed value of your home. For more information, call the Exemption Department of the Assessor's Office at (209) 525-6461.

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act provides tax relief to military personnel, including activated reservists, who are being called to serve in the various, ongoing military operations around the world. The types of relief available are: the postponement of tax payments for activated reservists during their period of active duty, the reduction in interest and penalty assessments of delinquent taxes, and the suspension of the required sale of tax-defaulted property. At such time in the future, when unpaid assessments are redeemed, the penalties for nonpayment must be recalculated at no more than six percent per annum, with no other penalty or interest incurred. For further information please contact the State Controller's Office. To apply for tax relief for military personnel, please contact the Tax Collector at (209) 525-6388 during regular business hours.

The State of California has two programs that may assist you:

  Homeowner Assistance Program for Senior Citizens or Blind or Disabled Persons

This program has been suspended by State of California.  Please visit their website at http://www.ftb.ca.gov/ and search for HRA or call at 1 800 338 0505.

  Property Tax Postponement for Senior Citizens or Blind or Disabled Persons

This program has been suspended by State of California.  Please visit their website at http://www.sco.ca.gov/for information or call at 1 800 952 5661.

to the new owners?   top

First, obtain a Tax Clearance Certificate from the Treasurer/Tax Collector’s office at 1010 Tenth Street, Suite 2500; Modesto, CA 95353. Then contact the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) at (800) 952-8356 or P.O. Box 211; Sacramento, CA 95812-2111, for the State of California forms and filing instructions. After it clears HCD, your forms will be forwarded to the Assessor’s office to have the tax rolls changed. This can be a lengthy process, taking as long as 6 - 18 months.

to my name?   top

First, obtain a Tax Clearance Certificate from the Treasurer/Tax Collector’s office at 1010 Tenth Street, Suite 2500; Modesto, CA 95353. Then contact the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) at (800) 952-8356 or P.O. Box 211; Sacramento, CA 95812-2111, for the State of California forms and filing instructions. After it clears HCD, your forms will be forwarded to the Assessor’s office to have the tax rolls changed. This can be a lengthy process, taking as long as 6 - 18 months.

The public auction of tax defaulted property ("tax sale") in Stanislaus County is normally held annually in late February or early March. The date is generally made public at a Board of Supervisors meeting in November. Watch the website for updated information in February.

When a delinquent tax becomes subject to unsecured collection procedures or an unsecured tax bill becomes delinquent, a summary judgment specifying the amount of tax due (including interest, penalties, and costs) may be filed with the Court and recorded by the Revenue Recovery division of the Treasurer/Tax Collector’s office. The lien is upon all personal and real property in the county owned by the assessee (taxpayer) or subsequently assessed or acquired by the assessee before the judgment expires in 10 years. A judgment may be renewed twice for an additional 10 years each time. Contact the Revenue Recovery division of the Treasurer/Tax Collector’s office for payoff information at (209) 525-4450. Upon satisfaction (payment), the office will record a release of lien.

Your monthly statement has a place for change of address and phone number. You may also make changes by e-mail to Audrey Henry (include your account number), in person at Revenue Recovery 1010 10th St. Place, Modesto, Suite 2500, or by telephoning a representative at (209) 525-4450. If you change employment, please include the name and address of your new employer. Also list home phone, work phone, and cell phone numbers.

Our office is located at 1010 Tenth Street, Suite 2500; Modesto, California. The building is on J Street, between 10th and 11th Streets. Our office is on the second floor, with the Treasurer/Tax Collector.

Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Our mailing address is:

Stanislaus County - Revenue Recovery P.O. Box 1003 Modesto, CA  95353

There is no grace period; however, to speak to a representative for payment arrangements, please call (209) 525-4450.

Yes, accounts assigned for collection at Revenue Recovery are due in full. We will make payment arrangements based on your income/assets if you can not pay the balance in full. However, if you receive additional income, such as a tax refund, inheritance, or other additional income, we will expect this additional income to be applied to your unpaid balance.

Yes, you may pay by credit card. Please call Revenue Recovery at (209) 525-4450 and request information on this. Please have your credit card ready for processing.

There are a number of reasons that could explain this. The most common being that the statement was generated before the payment was posted. Your statement has a "BILLING DATE" on it. If you mailed your payment around or after that date, your payment will be on your next statement. If you are unsure you may call a representative at (209) 525-4450 to verify when your payment was posted.

If we did not receive your payment, then your next step would be to verify that the check or money order was cashed. If it was not, then you should inform us of the check/money order number and reissue the payment. If your check/money order was cashed by the county, then your next step would be to give us a copy of the front and back of the cancelled check/money order so that we may properly research your payment or account.

Each charge is assigned a different account number and then put into a single packet of accounts for each person. Any of the account numbers under your name are valid and may be used to research your entire account history.

The balance on your statement may not include amounts being collected through other means or accounts that are not in an "active" status.

No, our office must process the payment by the due date.

Most court fines and fees are collected in the same manner as a civil judgment. Therefore you would not be served. Your court date for your fine would be sufficient. If you have been sued by the County of Stanislaus, Division of Revenue Recovery, and your were not served, contact the Revenue Recovery, by calling (209) 525-4450.

Depending on the charge, you may need to contact the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department, one of the Courts or other departments. Please contact Revenue Recovery, by calling (209) 525-4450 for more information.

Stanislaus County Revenue Recovery does not report accounts to credit bureaus at this time.
If Revenue Recovery has requested and received judgment against you, it becomes a public record item. Public record items are picked up at the Recorder's Office by the different credit reporting agencies. These items can also remain on your credit file for seven (7) years. Revenue Recovery does not put them on your report; therefore, Revenue Recovery cannot take them off. Once they are paid and a satisfaction is provided, (which you must pay a fee and have recorded) it will be shown on your credit report as a satisfied judgment.

The release must be recorded in all Counties in which the judgment/lien was recorded.

The Stanislaus County Recorder's Office currently charges $11.00 to record a satisfaction or release of judgments or liens recorded in Stanislaus County. The County Recorder's Office is located at 1021 I Street, Suite 101; Modesto CA 95354.

Revenue Recovery participates annually in the California Franchise Tax Board Income Tax Refund Intercept Program. Small Claims judgments, court ordered fines, restitution fines, probation costs, attorney fees, and delinquent unsecured taxes, are some of the types of eligible accounts that are subject to tax refund intercept. These accounts are due in full when the judgment is ordered or when they become delinquent. Installment payments may be made, based on your income. Tax refunds are considered extra income and are taken to pay any unpaid amount due. To protect against having your tax refund intercepted, it is important to pay your account in full.

Each year, residents of Stanislaus County die leaving heirs that can not be located. After 1 year, Stanislaus County must turn that money over to the State of California. To see a list of funds being held by Stanislaus County or recently transferred to the State of California, click here.

To link to the State of California click here.

When a check or money order is returned by the financial institution unpaid, that item may be handled by either the depositing department or the County Treasury. When the Stanislaus County Treasury Department handles it, we will attempt to contact you first by phone and then, if necessary send a certified letter notifying you of the returned item. There is a $20 processing fee to cover the bank, postage and handling fees. We will accept payment for returned items with cash or a money order. We will not accept a check to redeem a returned check.