County warns property owners to pay property taxes before fiscal year ends

SAN DIEGO - San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister announced that his office has begun sending notices to residents who did not pay their 2018-2019 property taxes in full.

Property taxes are due in two installments, paid in December and April. Residents were required to pay their second installment by April 10, but some are now facing late fees due to improper payment, according to McAllister. Late installments have already accrued a 10% fee.

"On July 1, any unpaid bill will go into default and will receive another 1.5% penalty each month,'' McAllister said. "That penalty amounts to 18% per year. I want to save people this hefty fine and encourage them to pay their bills as soon as possible.''

McAllister's office has collected 99.2% of first installments and 97.5% of second installments to date. In April, McAllister estimated the county would collect nearly $6.5 billion in property taxes by June 30, the end of the current fiscal year. Over the last two years, the county has collected 99.2% of levied property taxes.

Property owners can pay their tax bills at sdttc.com, the Treasurer-Tax Collector's website. Payments must be made before 11:59 p.m. on June 30, but property owners are advised to do so well in advance to ensure payments are made on time.

"Most San Diegans take the responsibility to pay their taxes seriously,'' McAllister said. "We want to give the small percentage of those who haven't paid one more chance.''