SF Property Tax Appeal Window is OPEN

Lower property taxes… sounds good, right?

Over the years, many of our clients have successfully appealed their property tax assessments, reducing their assessed values and saving thousands of dollars.

If you believe your assessed value is more than you could sell your property for in today's market - you should know that you have the right to contest it. 

The tax assessor's window for San Francisco property owners to apply for a Decline in Value is now open through March 31st. 

For this Q1 window that closes in March, the assessor will accept informal review requests, which are free and can be completed through their online portal. (yay - no paper mail or standing in line at City Hall)

Note: This is a different process from submitting to the formal Assessment Appeals Board. That window opens in July. (Don't worry, we'll send a reminder later this year!)

What's the difference between an informal review and a formal appeal?

Great question! We called the assessor's office (you didn't think it was just AI writing these things up, did you?), and here's what they told us:

An informal review (window currently open) is filed online, for free, to contest the assessed value for 2026/2027 fiscal year. The annual notice of assessed value goes out in July, so you should have received it in the mail. If you missed it, you can go onto the new assessor's community portal, create an account, and view your assessed value there. 

A formal appeal (window opens in July) costs $120 and is done through the appeals board. A formal appeal can be for a previous fiscal year OR for 2026/2027 if your informal appeal is denied. 

Bottom line: There's no downside that we can see for filing an informal review if you think your assessed value is inaccurate. 

Appeals must be filed on time; late applications are not accepted, even if the valuation seems clearly inaccurate.

The burden of proof rests with the property owner, and you must support your requested value with recent comparable sales or a professional appraisal. We would be delighted to help you with that piece. Reach out to us here to request the comparable sales data you need for your appeal.