Transfer your property tax base to a replacement home

Eligible owners in California can transfer their taxable base year value when they sell their home and buy (or build) another home to avoid paying higher property taxes.

Who is eligible?

• Persons 55 or older at the time of sale of the original primary residence.
• Severely disabled people
• Victims of natural disasters (like wildfires)
  • The property must have been substantially damaged or destroyed by a disaster for which the Governor proclaimed a state of emergency. The original primary residence is substantially damaged or destroyed if either the land or the improvements sustain physical damage amounting to more than 50 percent of either the land or the improvement’s full cash value immediately before the wildfire or natural disaster

You can bring your lower property tax base with you.

• You can take advantage of this tax benefit anywhere else in California. 
• You can do this up to 3 times throughout your life.
• The new home can be valued more than the previous home. When the replacement property's value is greater than the original property's market value, then the amount above the original property's market value is added to the transferred factored base year value. 

There are some limitations:

• Your original home must have been your primary place of residence. 
• Your new replacement home must be your primary place of residence.
• You must buy or build your new home within two years of selling your old one.

Complete all two (2) steps:

1. Complete 1 of these Claim forms within 3 years of buying or completing your replacement home 
   1. Claim form for persons 55 or older
   2. Claim form for victim of natural disaster
   3. For severely disabled persons, fill out these 2 documents
      • Claim form for severely disabled person
      • Severely disabled certificate

2 .Submit the completed exemption and claim forms to our office in-person, by mail, or email.
Read our fact sheets for more information.