Appeal your California property taxes yourself.
A guided workbook for homeowners preparing their own appeal. Turn your notice, property records and supporting documents into an organized filing plan.
Have a notice or a property-record question? Start with a plan.
The $29 kit helps you check what needs investigating, organize the evidence you collect, and work through the filing steps. Use it if you want a structure for doing the preparation yourself.
Need property-specific evidence first? Check available records for your address free. The kit does not determine whether you are overassessed or supply comparable properties. You verify your local requirements and file yourself.
- State-specific process guidance with official-source links
- Evidence organizer and filing checklist
- Ready-to-edit appeal-letter template
Need property evidence? Check before you pay.
See which property and comparison records our free analysis can return. This check does not research recorded sales or verify a hearing-ready case. The $29 kit organizes evidence you obtain; it does not include researched comparable sales.
Open official property-record resources
Already have your evidence? Continue with the preparation kit or view the completed kit sample. No record check or email is required to buy.
No setup required to buy. Add optional details below for a personalized PDF, or complete the editable fields yourself after download. See a completed preparation example.
Turn your question into an organized preparation draft
Get a preparation plan, the California process guide, three fillable worksheets and an editable letter. Optional setup below carries your question and document list into the paid PDF.
Personalize your included letter and evidence organizer
Text-based PDF, up to 8 MB / 10 pages. Your file stays in this browser. Only details you confirm are included in your order. Photos and scanned notices currently need manual entry.
Copy details from your assessment notice. We use these to prepare your letter draft, worksheets and evidence list. These are your entries, not a verified property analysis. You can also buy now and fill them in later.
Start by checking the property facts and valuation basis. Record a specific question before choosing supporting evidence. Preparation does not reopen an expired filing window.
Optional notes are included in your purchase record and PDF. Do not include sensitive documents, account credentials or other people’s personal information.
your county Clerk of the Board (not the Assessor)
Form BOE-305-AH
This is the California statewide route. Your county may use its own office, deadline or fee, so confirm those against your assessment notice or the official directory before you file. The jurisdiction exceptions in this guide list the ones we hold.
Open official filing instructionsAdd evidence you have already found (optional)
We organize your entries in the paid PDF; we do not verify them or generate comparable sales in the $29 kit. For each record include the address, sale price or assessment, date, official source and why it is relevant. Use the correct valuation date and local evidence rules.
Your California purchase preview
Add your property above to preview your preparation package
Buyer-supplied details · not a verified property match or finding of overassessment
- Letter draft: editable owner-name field.
- Preparation plan: i am preparing or am not sure yet.
- Evidence organizer: 0 of your records supplied; editable worksheets included.
- Filing instructions: your county Clerk of the Board (not the Assessor); confirm your local form and deadline.
- Official form autofill is not included for this location. Your kit links to the official filing resources.
Unlocked after purchase: complete state guide, personalized letter draft, preparation plan and editable evidence worksheets.
Still yours to do: verify the facts and deadline, obtain supporting evidence, finish required forms, sign and file. The $29 kit does not establish overassessment or include researched comparable sales. Government forms are free; you pay for the preparation package.
PARTIAL SAMPLE · California DIY kit
See an organized preparation draft
Fictional teaching example: a property record lists 2,400 square feet; the owner’s floor plan lists 2,000. This is a question to investigate, not proof of overassessment or a savings estimate.
See the completed example and what you receive
What we prepare — and where it comes from
- State guide and filing checklist: official-source links and verification steps.
- Editable letter and preparation plan: your optional confirmed entries, with editable fields for missing details.
- Evidence organizer: the records you supply, with space for source, date and relevance. We do not research or verify comparable properties in this kit.
You finish: verify your facts and deadline, collect and attach actual records, complete required official forms, sign and file. Government forms are free.
Need researched property evidence? Preview the separate $49 Audit where supporting records are available.
1. Define the question. Compare the area definitions, dates and source documents before assuming either number is correct.
Notice worksheet: property-record errors to verify
“The two area figures differ. Check whether they measure the same space, and verify the current property record before requesting a correction.”
2. Make an evidence list. Use the filing tracker to separate documents you have from documents you still need.
Filing tracker: evidence index
“To collect and label: current property record, dated floor plan and any measurements needed to resolve the difference. Record each source, date and page number.”
Example preparation summary · fictional, not filed
Question: Do the two area figures use the same measurement definition?
Document index: A — current property record; B — dated floor plan. Add source dates and page numbers before relying on either.
Unresolved: measurement basis, current facts and the appropriate local correction or appeal route.
Next action: verify those points with the official local source before making a correction request.
The useful result: one defined issue and a document checklist. You still verify the facts and the correct local filing route. No correction or tax reduction has been established in this example.
These illustrative entries show how to use two fields in the paid worksheets. The paid PDF carries your optional question and document list into editable worksheets and adds a preparation plan for your selected starting point. It does not contain this fictional property or a verified case for your home.
Your starting details
The notice worksheet also helps you record:
- Property address and parcel identifier
- State, county, township and reviewing body
- Assessment year and valuation date
Make this preparation package your own
Add your name, property details and question before buying. Your entries become a personalized letter draft and preparation plan in the paid PDF. You can edit them later; no need to start with an empty letter.
See setup and purchase options · $29Preview your setup before checkout. You gather and verify evidence, complete required local forms, and file yourself.
After purchase: your preparation plan, the complete state guide, three fillable worksheets, official-source links and editable appeal letter. The full evidence organizer and letter are not included in this excerpt. You gather evidence and file yourself.
Prepare your California property tax appeal
Have a current notice? Check its deadline and reviewing office, verify the property details, then organize evidence that supports the correction you are requesting. Confirm official forms and fees before filing.
Preparing for a future window? Use the worksheets to review property records, list errors to investigate and plan your evidence. Buying now does not reopen a closed deadline or guarantee lower taxes.
The kit organizes those steps into a reusable guide and worksheets. It does not find comparable properties for you, file an appeal or replace your local authority’s instructions.
See what comes in the $29 DIY kit
See the Illinois worksheets and evidence organizer. This September 12 walkthrough shows an earlier kit version; today’s kit also personalizes your preparation plan and editable letter from the details you provide. State requirements differ.
42 seconds · Narrated and captioned · Plays when you choose
See the current kit sample for this state →
Read the video transcript
Want to appeal your property assessment without starting from a blank page? Here is what AppealMyTax's $29 DIY kit includes: a guide to the process, a worksheet to check your notice and deadline, fillable fields to organize comparable-property research and supporting evidence, a filing and hearing tracker, and an appeal letter you can copy and customize. Choose your state and pay once. Your kit is delivered by email. You gather the evidence, confirm your local requirements, and file yourself. See what is included at AppealMyTax.
On screen: pages from the Illinois kit, including its notice/deadline worksheet, evidence organizer and filing/hearing tracker. You complete required forms and file yourself.
How a California appeal works
The short version, free. The paid kit adds the evidence workbook, filing controls, and editable letter.
- For a decline-in-value appeal, compare assessed value with supportable January 1 market value. A base-year value or reassessment dispute is a different question; verify its grounds and filing period rather than treating this comparison as an eligibility decision.
- For a regular assessment appeal, use your county's official application and file with its Clerk of the Board within the applicable county filing period. Supplemental, escape and other assessment types can have different notice-based periods; confirm the correct one before filing.
- An independent appeals board or hearing officer holds a hearing where you and the assessor present comparable sales. It can lower, keep, or raise your value, and it must decide within two years.
- If your home is your principal residence, the burden of proof is on the assessor, not on you (R&T § 167). Claim it on the form.
What to check on your assessment notice
- Your total assessed value for the current year, and whether it is MORE than your home would realistically sell for on January 1 of that year. If it is not, do not file. Under Prop 13 that describes most long-held California homes.
- Which deadline your county uses, September 15 or November 30. Check the BOE's annual filing-period letter or call your Clerk of the Board. Never assume.
- What kind of notice you are holding. A supplemental or escape assessment notice starts its own 60-day clock, completely separate from the July-to-fall regular window.
- The assessor's stated facts about your home: square footage, bedrooms, bathrooms, lot size, year built, condition. A factual error can often be fixed with a free phone call and no appeal at all.
Official lookup: BOE: county assessment appeals filing periods + clerk-of-the-board contacts →
What’s inside
How it works
- Buy the kit — the PDF lands in your inbox instantly.
- Confirm YOUR county's filing window first. It opens July 2 everywhere, but it closes September 15 in 11 counties and November 30 in the other 47, and the BOE publishes the list each year.
- Gather the evidence on the checklist and edit the appeal-letter template.
- File the current instrument required by your county Clerk of the Board (not the Assessor) before your deadline.
Different process where you live?
California is not one system. These jurisdictions have local filing routes, forms or deadlines that can differ from the statewide overview. The kit covers each one in its own section.
- Deadline
- July 2 through November 30. If November 30 falls on a weekend or legal holiday, filing or postmark by the next business day is valid. Supplemental and escape appeals run 60 days from the TAX BILL rather than the notice, because LA has resolved to do so under § 1605(c).
- Filed with
- The Assessment Appeals Board, administered by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, 500 W. Temple St., Los Angeles.
- Form
- Assessment Appeal Application (LA form AAB100 / BOE-305-AH), with online filing available.
- Deadline
- July 2 through November 30, by 5:00 p.m., extended to the next business day if it falls on a weekend or holiday. Supplemental, roll correction, and escape appeals run 60 days; a calamity reassessment runs 6 months.
- Filed with
- The Assessment Appeals Board (a three-member panel) or, at your election, a single Hearing Officer for residential valuation appeals.
- Form
- Assessment Appeal Application. The online system prepares it, but it must be printed, signed with an original signature, and delivered to the Clerk of the Board.
- Deadline
- July 2 through September 15. There is no extension and the board cannot waive it.
- Filed with
- The Assessment Appeals Board or a Hearing Officer, through the Office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.
- Form
- Assessment Appeal Application (the county's version of BOE-305-AH), from the Clerk of the Board.
- Deadline
- July 2 through November 30.
- Filed with
- The Assessment Appeals Board, administered by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 402.
- Form
- Assessment Appeal Application, BOE-305-AH, hosted by the county.
What California charges to file
These are your county or state’s fees, not ours. Listed so there are no surprises.
- There is no statewide filing fee. Fees are set county by county by local ordinance, and most California counties charge nothing.
- Los Angeles County: $46 per application, non-refundable. Hardship waiver available.
- Santa Clara County: $290 per residential parcel/application, non-refundable ($675 commercial or multifamily of 5+ units). Waivers for applicants receiving public assistance. Confirm the current amount with the Clerk of the Board before filing.
- San Diego and Orange Counties publish no assessment appeal filing fee.
- Findings of fact carry a separate charge in essentially every county, including counties with no filing fee, and must be requested and paid for before the hearing concludes.
- County fee schedules change without notice. Confirm the fee with your Clerk of the Board at the time you file rather than relying on any published figure.
Questions
The full California deadline rules, evidence standards and filing steps, at no cost. The paid kit adds worksheets, checklists and an editable letter; you complete any required official form yourself.