California Prop 19 · Homeowners 55+
Prop 19 Tax Estimator
Moving after 55? Prop 19 lets you take your low property tax with you to your next home. See what you’d pay, then get the rules and deadlines in plain English.
Estimate my savingsHow Prop 19 works
Free. No sign-up. Takes about a minute.
Prop 19, explained How Prop 19 works for homeowners 55+
The calculator gives you a number. Here are the rules behind it in plain English, plus the part most families get wrong.
The big win Keep your low property tax when you move
Take your tax base with you
If you're 55 or older, you can move your current Prop 13 assessed value (the number your tax bill is based on) to your next primary home.
Buy anywhere in California
The new home can be in any of California's 58 counties, not just Orange County.
Move up, down or sideways
Buy for less or about the same, and your tax base comes with you. Buy for more, and only the price difference is added on top.
Use it up to three times
You can do this up to three times in your lifetime.
A real-world example What it looks like with real numbers
Say you sell your longtime home and buy a slightly more expensive one.
Prop 19 example: moving up in price What your current home sells for $1,000,000 Your current tax base (assessed value) $300,000 Price of your new home $1,200,000 The price difference $200,000 Your new tax base $500,000 Instead of being taxed on the full $1.2 million, you're taxed on $500,000. At a 1.1% tax rate, that's about $5,500 a year instead of $13,200. Roughly $7,700 a year stays in your pocket. Run your own numbers in the calculator.
Brandon Menchaca
Luxury Property Specialist, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury
These are estimates. Your actual numbers depend on your tax bill, your timing, and a few rules this calculator can't see. If you'd like, I'll run them against your real tax bill. No cost, and no pressure to move.
General information only, not tax or legal advice. Prop 19 applies to a primary residence for owners 55 and older (and severely disabled homeowners), can be used up to three times, and requires buying or building the replacement home within two years of selling. You need to file a claim with the county assessor. Estimates exclude special assessments and bond charges. Rules and figures checked October 2026. Confirm details with the Orange County Assessor or a tax professional. Brandon Menchaca, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury, CalBRE #01947478.
Timelines and eligibility The rules that can trip you up
The two-year window
Buy or build the new home within two years before or after you sell the old one.
Both homes must be your primary residence
The home you sell and the home you buy both have to be where you actually live.
"About the same price" has a little stretch
The new home still counts as equal or lesser value if it costs up to 100% of your sale price when you buy first, up to 105% when you buy within a year after selling, or up to 110% in the second year. Go over that and the difference is added to your tax base.
It's not automatic. You have to file.
File form BOE-19-B with the assessor in the county where your new home is. File within three years of buying (or finishing construction) for the full benefit. File late and the savings only start the year you file, with no refund for the years you missed.
The other side of Prop 19 Planning to pass the house down? Read this first.
A lot of parents assume their kids will inherit their low property tax. Since February 16, 2021, that's only true in narrow cases.
It has to become their home
The low assessment carries over only if the house was your primary residence and your child makes it their primary residence within one year (and files for the homeowners' exemption).
There's a cap of about $1 million
The break is limited to your current taxable value plus about $1 million ($1,044,586 for transfers through February 15, 2027; the amount is adjusted every two years). Anything above that gets partly reassessed.
Rentals and vacation homes don't qualify
They're reassessed at full market value when they pass to your kids. Family farms have their own rules.
If passing on the house is part of your plan, talk with an estate planning attorney or a CPA (certified public accountant) before you sell or transfer anything.
Next steps Where to go from here
Read the official rules ↗California State Board of Equalization (BOE) Prop 19 page: FAQs, forms and county assessor contacts.Get the claim form (PDF) ↗Orange County Assessor, form BOE-19-B for homeowners 55 and older.Talk it throughEvery situation is a little different. Call or send me a message with your questions.
