O.C. unsecured property tax bills for FY 2021-22 mailed and available online

Santa Ana, Calif. – Orange County Treasurer Shari Freidenrich announced that 54,478 unsecured property tax bills totaling over $320 million have been mailed to the names of the property owners on the most recent tax roll. These unsecured property tax bills are now available online at ocgov.com/octaxbill.

These unsecured property taxes are related to business property, leased equipment, boats and aircraft for fiscal year 2021-22 and are due on August 31. Treasurer Shari L. Freidenrich recommends that taxpayers skip the line and pay online at ocgov.com/octaxbill. There is no service fee to pay online by eCheck (bank account), and taxpayers can pay online up to midnight on August 31 and receive same-day credit and a receipt that can be printed or emailed.

In person payments are due by 5 p.m. at the County Service Center or can be dropped off in the Payment Depository Box located on Ross Street with adjacent parking on August 31 by midnight.  Unsecured property tax bills not paid by the due date will be charged a 10 percent penalty plus a $75 collection fee. Taxpayers who pay by mail must have a U.S. Postal Service date stamp for August 31 or earlier. Taxpayers mailing the payment close to the due date should have payment envelopes hand cancelled and can go to ocgov.com/postmarks for more information to ensure that all mailed payments are timely received.

“The last year has been devastating for many property owners. I understand and sympathize with the financial impacts that COVID-19 has caused Orange County taxpayers and businesses, “said Treasurer Freidenrich. “Current State law requires that the owner of record as of January 1, 2021 be responsible for paying the FY 2021-22 unsecured property tax bill even if the unsecured property has been sold or otherwise disposed of after January 1, 2021.  Unlike secured property taxes, unsecured property taxes are not prorated by time of ownership.” The new owner of the unsecured property is not responsible for paying the property taxes on the personal property purchased until the new lien date of January 1, 2022. Treasurer Freidenrich encourages taxpayers to sign up for text or email unsecured property tax information at ocgov.com/ocunsecuredreminder.

Taxpayers can view prior tax bills online and also view an online statement to see if any current or delinquent unsecured property taxes are owed. This information is available by going to ocgov.com/octaxbill and scroll to the Unsecured Property Tax Bill section in the middle of the page. You can search by business name, the tax collector reference number (TC Ref), the CF Number, the N Number or the tax year and assessment number.

Of the 54,478 unsecured property tax bills that were generated, assessments were sent to 43,002 businesses, 16,760 boat and aircraft owners and 15,070 leased equipment owners. The unsecured property low value exemption for business equipment, boats and aircraft was increased for FY 2021-22 from $3,000 to $7,500 by the Board after a request from the Treasurer and Assessor. There are 39,331 fewer assessments in 2021 than 2020 including a decrease of 21,877 business assessments, lowering tax burdens on small businesses.