Selling at 55 or older? You may keep your low property tax base.
Prop 19 can carry your old taxable value to your next California home. The next home does not have to cost less.
Not tax or legal advice. Estimates only. Check with your county assessor.
Every rule checkedCalifornia Board of Equalization
Next home can cost moreWithin the price limitSample numbers from the BOE's own example. Open the full calculator
Who can keep their tax base?
Any one of these is enough, on the day your old home sells.
55 or older
Tested on the sale date. Bring an ID with your birth date.
Severely and permanently disabled
A certificate goes with the claim.
Wildfire or disaster victim
Governor-declared disasters.
Your move in 4 steps
Prop 19 has six rules. These are the four you will notice.
Sell the home you live in
There is no minimum number of years.
Buy or build within 2 years
Before or after the sale, anywhere in California.
Move in
The new home becomes where you live.
File the claim
You file it with the county assessor within 3 years. Escrow does not do it.
The price limit depends on timing
Above the limit, you pay tax on the difference only. Not on the whole new price.
Four myths, answered
Tap a card to see the answer.
What does not qualify
Rental properties and second homes- A home you inherited but never lived in
- Selling at 54 with no disability and no disaster
- A new home you will not live in
- A fourth transfer
Other taxes: Prop 19 does not change capital gains tax, Mello-Roos or special assessments.
Inherited a family home?
Inheriting is a separate rule. A child keeps a parent's low tax value only if the home becomes the child's home and the child files for the homeowners' exemption within 1 year.
Common questions
Do I have to be 55 to qualify?
No. 55 or older is one of three ways. The others: severely and permanently disabled, or a wildfire or governor-declared disaster victim. One is enough, tested on the day the old home sells.
Does the new home have to cost less?
No. Above the limit for your timing, the old taxable value still moves over and the amount above the limit is added to it.
Can I buy first and sell later?
Yes, if the sale happens within 2 years of the purchase. BOE: you pay full-value tax on the new home from purchase until the old one sells, with no refund for that period.
How many times can I do this?
Up to 3 times in your life, even if you used the older Prop 60/90 transfer before.
Selling and buying your next home? Talk to Zarko.
Zarko can walk through the sale and the purchase together. He can also point you to a CPA for the tax questions.
Call (831) 246-7773Zarko Maletin, Insider Realty · DRE #02440138 (CA) · hello@insider.realty