When are property taxes due? Every major state deadline explained

Last updated 2026-07-09

When is property tax due? The short answer for most homeowners

There is no national due date for property taxes. Every state sets its own schedule, and inside many states, individual counties shift deadlines by weeks. The federal government does not collect property taxes at all. ^[1]

The most common pattern is payment in the fall or winter, usually between October and February, covering the current tax year or the year just finished. About half the states bill once a year. The other half split payment into two installments. A handful let counties bill quarterly.

Here is the shortest answer: look at your tax bill. The due date is printed on it. Lost the bill? Go straight to your county assessor or tax collector's website and look up your parcel. Do not trust a neighbor's due date, because your county may have moved its deadline in a recent budget cycle.

Missing the date is expensive. Penalties run 1% per month in California, 6% immediately plus 1% per month in Texas, and a flat 5 to 10% in several Midwest and Southeast states. None of those are theoretical. They land on your next statement automatically.

When are property taxes due in California?

California property taxes come in two installments, and the calendar is fixed statewide by Revenue and Taxation Code Section 2605. ^[2] The first installment is due November 1 and delinquent after December 10. The second is due February 1 and delinquent after April 10.

Installment	Covers	Due Date	Delinquent After
1st installment	July 1, Dec 31	November 1	December 10
2nd installment	Jan 1, June 30	February 1	April 10

December 10 and April 10 are the two dates every California homeowner should tattoo somewhere memorable. The California State Board of Equalization describes them as the end of the grace period after the due date. ^[2] If December 10 or April 10 falls on a weekend or holiday, the delinquency date moves to the next business day.

The penalty for missing the first or second installment is 10% of the unpaid amount, applied the moment delinquency begins. Miss both installments and hold the debt past June 30, and the property enters tax-defaulted status, which adds a $15 redemption fee and 1.5% interest per month on the total. ^[2]

The tax year in California runs July 1 to June 30. Bills usually mail in October. If you haven't received a bill by early November, do not assume you owe nothing. California law is blunt about this: "failure to receive a tax bill does not relieve the taxpayer of the responsibility for payment or of the penalties resulting from delinquency." ^[2]

Los Angeles County has more parcels than many entire states. It posts bills and payment portals at the LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector website. ^[3] Own property in the Bay Area? See our breakdowns for santa clara property tax, san mateo county property tax, contra costa county property tax, and la county property tax.

When are property taxes due in Texas?

Texas sends one annual bill, due January 31 of the year after the tax year, under Texas Tax Code Section 31.02. ^[4] The bill usually arrives in October or November. You have from receipt through January 31 to pay with no penalty.

Miss January 31 and the penalty hits hard: 6% the first month, 1% added each month through June, then a jump in July, plus collection fees if the account goes to an attorney. ^[4] Texas law also lets taxing units charge a 20% collection fee once an account is delinquent and referred to a delinquent tax attorney, which happens constantly. ^[4]

A few Texas quirks are worth knowing.

If you have a mortgage, your lender probably pays from escrow and you never see the bill. Confirm this every year. Servicers do miss payments sometimes, and the liability falls on you, not the lender.

Texas rewards early payment: 3% off if you pay in October, 2% in November, 1% in December, nothing after that. ^[4] On a $6,000 bill, that October discount is $180 back in your pocket for writing the check two months early.

Fast-growing counties like Collin County north of Dallas and Williamson County north of Austin have seen sharp assessment increases in recent years. Deadlines and local rates are at collin county property tax and williamson county property tax.

Property tax due dates by state: a reference table

The table below covers the most-populated states plus a few with unusual schedules. The Installments column reflects standard practice. Many states allow quarterly or semi-annual options for seniors or on request. Always verify with your county, because a local ordinance can shift a date by 30 days.

State	Installments	Typical Due Date(s)	Delinquent Penalty
California	2	Nov 1 / Feb 1 (delinquent Dec 10 / Apr 10)	10% per installment
Texas	1	Jan 31	6% + 1%/month
Florida	4 (discount schedule)	Nov, Mar (delinquent Apr 1)	3% min
New York	2 to 4 (varies by county)	July 1 / Jan 1 (NYC); varies elsewhere	1%, 2%/month
Illinois	2	June / Sept (Cook County varies)	1.5%/month
Pennsylvania	3 (discount/face/penalty)	Apr, Jun (face value)	10%
Ohio	2	Feb 20 / July 20 (approx.)	10% flat
Georgia	1	Oct, Dec (varies by county)	1%/month
Michigan	2	Sept 14 / Feb 14 (approx.)	4% + 1%/month
North Carolina	1	Sept 1 (delinquent Jan 6)	2% + 0.75%/month
Washington	2	Apr 30 / Oct 31	1%/month
Colorado	2	Feb 28 / June 15	1%/month
Arizona	2	Oct 1 / Mar 1 (delinquent Nov 1 / May 1)	16% annualized
Nevada	4	Aug / Oct / Jan / Mar	10% flat

Sources: state department of revenue and county assessor websites for each state. ^[1][2][4][5]

Florida deserves a note. The state runs its payment schedule as a discount program: pay in November and take 4% off, December earns 3%, January 2%, February 1%, and March is face value. Miss March 31 and the property enters delinquency. ^[5] So in Florida, paying early saves you money rather than the penalty being the stick.

New York City runs a quarterly schedule for most properties. Due dates are July 1, October 1, January 1, and April 1. ^[6] For NYC detail, see our piece on nyc property tax.

Michigan splits into a summer and winter tax. Summer bills go out around July 1 with payment due by September 14, and winter bills go out around December 1 with payment due by February 14. ^[7] Detroit carries a long history of high delinquency given its economic circumstances. See detroit property taxes for more.

What happens if you miss your property tax due date?

The penalty clock starts at 12:01 a.m. the day after your deadline in nearly every state. There is no soft landing. What looks like a grace period, such as California's November 1 due date with a December 10 delinquency, is really a built-in window between the due date and delinquency date. It is not forgiveness after delinquency starts.

Penalties compound fast. Take a $5,000 Texas bill left unpaid through June. It picks up 6% in February ($300), then 1% each month through June ($200 more), for $500 in penalties before attorney fees enter the picture. That is a 10% surcharge in five months.

After a delinquency period that varies by state (often 2 to 5 years), the taxing authority can start a tax lien sale or tax deed sale and transfer your property to an investor or the government. This is not theoretical. Tens of thousands of properties move through tax lien auctions every year nationwide.

If you genuinely cannot pay, most counties have formal hardship or deferral programs. Senior deferral programs exist in California, Texas, Washington, and more than 20 other states. They don't erase the tax. They delay it until the property sells. Ask your county tax collector specifically about deferral, more than exemptions.

One thing to do the day you realize you'll be late: pay the principal before the close of business on the deadline day if you can, even if you can't cover the full amount. Partial payments shrink the base that penalties get calculated on, and many counties accept them. Call first to confirm your county allows it.

How do you find out exactly when your property tax is due?

Three reliable methods, fastest first. Check your printed bill, search your county tax collector website, or call the collector's office directly. Every one of them gives you the exact due date and current balance.

Start with your tax bill. It arrives by mail in most counties and the due dates are printed on the payment stub. Many counties email a digital copy if you registered for e-billing.

Next, search your county assessor or tax collector website. Type "[county name] property tax due date" or "[county name] treasurer tax deadline." Every county has a public site. If you want to pay online, our guide to online tax payment for property walks through the process for the most common county portals.

Last, call the county tax collector's office. Hold times run longer in October and November when bills drop, but the staff can confirm your due date, outstanding balance, and whether any payments have posted.

For how your bill amount gets calculated before you worry about when to pay, see property tax taxation.

Do not rely on Zillow, Redfin, or any listing site for due dates. Those sites pull property tax data but update it rarely, and the date fields often reflect the prior tax year.

Does escrow mean you don't have to worry about the due date?

If your mortgage requires an escrow account, your lender collects roughly one-twelfth of your estimated annual property tax with each mortgage payment, then pays the county directly on your behalf. For most homeowners with a mortgage, this works fine and you never touch a due date.

But escrow is not foolproof. Three common failure modes:

1. Your assessment rises sharply mid-year and the lender's escrow estimate was too low. The lender pays the old amount and leaves a shortfall. The county bills you for the difference, often with a penalty if the shortfall triggers a delinquency. You find out months later.

2. Servicing transfers. When a loan is sold, the new servicer sometimes misses the first payment cycle. The liability is legally yours even when the servicer caused the miss.

3. Refinancing or payoff. Pay off your mortgage or refinance, and the escrow account closes. Future tax payments become your direct responsibility. The county doesn't get told your payment method changed.

If you refinanced or paid off your loan in the past year, call your county tax collector. Confirm you're on the books as a direct-pay taxpayer and that no payment slipped through during the transition. This one call has saved plenty of homeowners from a surprise penalty.

Can you get an extension or penalty waiver on a late property tax payment?

Extensions on the due date itself are rare and almost never granted before the fact. You can't call in October and ask for 60 more days. What exists instead is penalty abatement after the fact, and the grounds are narrow.

Most county tax collectors run a formal penalty cancellation process. The standard grounds are a documented postal delay, a documented banking error (confirmed in writing by the bank), a serious medical emergency, a declared natural disaster, or documented failure by the county to mail the bill to the correct address. "I forgot" and "I was traveling" are not accepted reasons in any county I'm aware of, though I'll be honest that counties vary on how strictly they read hardship.

The process usually requires you to pay the full tax principal first, then submit a written request to cancel the penalty. That request goes to the county tax collector or an appeals board, not the assessor. The assessor sets the value; the collector manages payments.

California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 4985.2 authorizes county tax collectors to cancel penalties caused by "reasonable cause and circumstances beyond the taxpayer's control." ^[2] Texas Tax Code Section 33.011 lets tax collectors waive penalties for similar circumstances with board approval. ^[4]

After a major disaster, the governor or president may issue a blanket penalty waiver for affected counties. Check your county's website or the California BOE announcements after any declared disaster.

If your assessment is too high and that's what makes the bill unaffordable, that's a separate track. An appeal challenges the value, not the due date. If you're there, a tool like the TaxFightBack DIY appeal kit lets you build the case yourself without paying a contingency firm 25 to 40% of your savings.

How does the property tax year work, and why does it differ from January to December?

Most states define a fiscal tax year for property that doesn't match the calendar year, which is one reason due dates seem scattered.

California's fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30. The first installment is due November 1, so you're paying in advance for July through December. ^[2]

Texas assesses value as of January 1 each year. The bill covers that calendar year but isn't due until January 31 of the following year, so you're paying in arrears.

New York State's school year and municipal year often run on different schedules. That's why a single New York property can get two or three separate billing cycles from different taxing authorities: the county, the school district, and the municipality.

This mismatch also explains why you can't divide your annual tax by 12 and call it your monthly cost. It affects your federal return too. You deduct property taxes in the year you actually paid them, regardless of the period they cover, under IRC Section 164. ^[8] The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 capped the combined state and local tax (SALT) deduction at $10,000 per household, which hits high-tax-state homeowners hard. ^[8]

What about Hennepin County, Miami-Dade, and other counties readers ask about?

A few counties come up over and over because of size or an unusual schedule. Hennepin County splits into May 15 and October 15 installments. Miami-Dade follows Florida's discount schedule with an April 1 delinquency date.

Hennepin County, Minnesota (Minneapolis): taxes are due in two installments, May 15 and October 15. ^[9] Minnesota also runs a property tax refund called the Homestead Credit Refund that's worth knowing if you own there. See hennepin county property tax for details.

Miami-Dade County, Florida: follows Florida's discount schedule with an April 1 delinquency date. Bills mail in November, and the tax collector processes payments at miamidade.gov. ^[11] See miami dade property taxes for the full breakdown.

For any county not listed here, the formula holds: find the county treasurer or tax collector website, look up your parcel by address or account number, and read the due date off the account screen. Most portals show your current balance, payment history, and the exact penalty that would apply if you paid today versus on the due date.

How do property tax due dates connect to assessment appeals?

Due dates and appeal deadlines are two separate calendars, and mixing them up costs homeowners money. The due date is when you must pay. The appeal deadline is when you must challenge your value. You pay on one calendar and appeal on the other.

The due date is when you must pay regardless of whether you think the assessed value is correct. You cannot withhold payment while appealing. Nearly every state requires you to pay the tax and appeal separately. Miss the payment deadline because you were waiting on your appeal, and you owe penalties anyway.

The appeal deadline (the protest deadline in Texas, the assessment appeal deadline in California) is usually set 30 to 120 days after you receive your assessment notice, not your tax bill. In Texas, property owners must file by May 15 of the assessment year or 30 days after the notice date, whichever is later. ^[4] In California, the general application period runs July 2 through November 30 for the current roll. ^[10]

So if your California bill arrives in October and you disagree with the value, you file the appeal before November 30, pay the installments on time (December 10 and April 10), and wait for the outcome. Win, and you get a refund of the overpayment. Pay late, and you add a 10% penalty to a bill you're already fighting. That is not a spot you want to be in.

For a full map of the appeal process, TaxFightBack's articles on the appeal process and the evidence you'll need are the right next stop once your payment due dates are covered.

Frequently asked questions

When is property tax due in California?

California property taxes come in two installments. The first is due November 1 and delinquent after December 10. The second is due February 1 and delinquent after April 10. These dates are set statewide by California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 2605. Miss either delinquency date and a 10% penalty lands on that installment automatically.

When is property tax due in Texas?

Texas property taxes are due January 31 of the year after the tax year. Bills mail in October or November and cover the calendar year. Pay in October for a 3% discount, November for 2%, December for 1%. After January 31, a 6% penalty applies immediately, rising 1% per month through June, plus attorney collection fees of up to 20%.

When is property tax due in Florida?

Florida bills drop in November and delinquency begins April 1. The state uses a discount structure: 4% off for paying in November, 3% in December, 2% in January, 1% in February, face value in March. After March 31, the account enters delinquency. Florida law sets a minimum penalty of 3% even when the delinquency is short.

When is property tax due in New York?

New York City bills quarterly: July 1, October 1, January 1, and April 1. Outside the city, due dates vary by county and often by type of taxing district (county, school, village). Most upstate counties follow a January and July split. Check your specific county treasurer's website, because the variation across the state is large.

When is property tax due in Illinois?

Illinois bills in two installments. The first is typically due in June and the second in September, though Cook County (Chicago) often runs two to three months later than the rest of the state due to its complex assessment cycle. The penalty for delinquency in Illinois is 1.5% per month on the unpaid balance, which compounds quickly on large bills.

Can you pay property taxes early?

Yes, in most states. Some reward early payment with discounts: Texas offers up to 3% off for October payment, Florida up to 4% for November payment. In states without a discount, early payment buys peace of mind and nothing more. One exception: some states restrict prepayment for the following tax year, which became an issue after the 2017 SALT cap when homeowners tried to prepay 2018 taxes in December 2017.

What happens if you never pay your property taxes?

Unpaid taxes become a lien on your property, senior to your mortgage. After a period set by state law (commonly 2 to 5 years), the taxing authority can sell the lien to an investor or take a tax deed and eventually sell the property. You can lose your home over unpaid property taxes. Most counties send several notices first, but the process is automatic, not discretionary.

Do property taxes have to be paid if you're appealing your assessment?

Yes. Every state requires you to pay taxes as billed while an appeal is pending. You cannot withhold payment because you dispute the assessed value. Pay on time, then appeal separately. Win your appeal and the county issues a refund or credits your next installment. Paying late adds a penalty to a bill you're already contesting, which makes a bad spot worse.

How do I find my specific property tax due date if I'm not in a major state?

Go to your county's official website and find the treasurer, tax collector, or revenue department section. Search your parcel by address or account number. The due date and current balance display on your account screen. If you can't find the county site, search your state's department of revenue website for a county directory. Call the office directly if the website is unclear.

Does my mortgage lender pay my property taxes for me?

If your mortgage includes an escrow account, usually yes. The lender collects a monthly escrow payment and pays the county on your behalf. Check your year-end escrow statement to confirm the payment went through and no shortfall exists. After a refinance or payoff, the escrow closes and you must pay directly. Verify that transition with your county tax collector.

Can property tax due dates change from year to year?

State-level due dates set by statute rarely change. County-level dates can shift if the county changes its fiscal year or billing cycle, which happens but is uncommon. More often, the delinquency date moves by a day or two because a weekend or holiday pushed it to the next business day. Always read the current year's bill rather than assuming last year's date applies.

What is a property tax penalty abatement and how do I get one?

Penalty abatement is a formal cancellation of a late-payment penalty after you've already paid the principal. Most counties allow it for documented postal delays, banking errors, medical emergencies, or natural disasters. You typically pay the full principal first, then submit a written request. The grounds are narrow, the process is administrative, and success is not guaranteed. 'I forgot' is not accepted.

Are property tax due dates the same as the deadline to appeal my assessment?

No. They're separate deadlines on different calendars. The payment due date is when money must arrive to avoid penalties. The appeal deadline is when you must file a formal challenge to your assessed value, usually 30 to 120 days after your assessment notice. In California, the general appeal window closes November 30. In Texas, the protest deadline is typically May 15.

What is the property tax delinquency date vs. the due date?

The due date is when payment is supposed to arrive. The delinquency date is the first day a penalty applies. In California these differ: the first installment is due November 1 but delinquent only after December 10. In Texas the due date and delinquency date are the same, February 1. Whenever there's a gap, that gap is a grace window, not forgiveness after delinquency begins.

Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Finance: Property taxes are levied exclusively by state and local governments; the federal government does not collect property taxes.
2. California State Board of Equalization, Property Tax Publication 29: California property tax installments are due November 1 and February 1, delinquent after December 10 and April 10, with a 10% penalty per installment; Revenue and Taxation Code Section 2605 and 4985.2.
3. Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector: LA County property tax bills mail in October and follow the California statewide installment schedule.
4. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Property Tax Assistance Division: Texas property taxes are due January 31; penalty is 6% plus 1% per month; discount schedule applies October–December; Tax Code Sections 31.02 and 33.011.
5. Florida Department of Revenue, Property Tax: Florida property taxes become delinquent April 1; early payment discounts run from 4% in November to 1% in February.
6. New York City Department of Finance, Property Tax Bills: NYC property taxes are due quarterly: July 1, October 1, January 1, and April 1.
7. Michigan Department of Treasury, Property Tax: Michigan collects property taxes in two cycles: summer taxes due September 14 and winter taxes due February 14 (approximate standard dates).
8. IRS, Topic No. 503 Deductible Taxes: Property taxes are deductible in the year paid under IRC Section 164; the SALT deduction is capped at $10,000 per household under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
9. Hennepin County Minnesota, Property Tax: Hennepin County property taxes are due in two installments on May 15 and October 15.
10. California State Board of Equalization, Assessment Appeals: California's general assessment appeal application period runs July 2 through November 30 for the current roll.
11. Miami-Dade County Tax Collector: Miami-Dade follows Florida's discount/delinquency schedule with bills mailing in November and delinquency beginning April 1.
12. North Carolina Department of Revenue, Property Tax: North Carolina property taxes are due September 1 and delinquent after January 6, with a 2% penalty plus 0.75% per month.