LA County Property Tax 2026: First Installment Late After Dec. 10

Los Angeles County’s 2026-27 first installment of annual secured property tax was due Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, and becomes delinquent if the payment is not received or postmarked by the United States Postal Service (USPS) on or before Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026. That is the wording on the home page of the county’s Treasurer and Tax Collector (TTC), read Nov. 13, 2026. The same banner says call volumes are higher than usual and wait times may be longer.

The county mails the annual secured bill to all property owners by Nov. 1, “due in two installments,” per its Property Tax page. The fiscal tax year runs from July 1 through June 30.

LA County property tax installment dates for 2026-27

Installment	Due	Delinquent after	Penalty if late
1st	Sun., Nov. 1, 2026	Thu., Dec. 10, 2026	10 percent
2nd	Mon., Feb. 1, 2027 (county glossary schedule)	April 10, 2027, a Saturday (county glossary schedule)	10 percent plus a $10 cost

The county has not posted the 2026-27 second-installment date yet. Its glossary describes the schedule as “December 10 for the 1st installment payment due on November 1 and on April 10 for the 2nd installment due on February 1.” April 10, 2027 falls on a Saturday. The glossary says that when a delinquency date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the TTC extends it to the close of business on the next business day. Our reading of that rule is Monday, April 12, 2027, but confirm it when the county posts the date. Put the dates on the December 2026 calendar, the February 2027 calendar and the April 2027 calendar.

Taxes still unpaid at the end of the fiscal year are “defaulted,” in the county’s words. For this tax year that is June 30, 2027, a Wednesday.

How much is the penalty on a late LA County property tax payment?

The TTC says a delinquent first installment carries a 10 percent penalty, and a delinquent second installment carries 10 percent plus a $10 cost. The example below uses a made-up $6,000 annual bill split into two $3,000 installments. It is our arithmetic, not a county figure; your bill shows your own amounts.

Example: $6,000 annual bill	Amount
Each installment	$3,000
1st installment paid late (10 percent)	$300
2nd installment paid late (10 percent plus $10)	$310
Both installments late	$610

How do I make sure a payment counts as on time?

The county says payments must be received, or USPS postmarked, by the delinquency date.

1. Pay online. The county says online payments are accepted until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on the delinquency date.
2. Use a checking account for free online payment. The county says to use the checking account and the Personal Identification Number (PIN) printed on the annual bill. It says there are processing fees when paying by credit or debit card, without giving an amount on the pages used here.
3. Check the numbers before you submit. The county says double-checking avoids penalties, costs and a returned transaction fee.
4. If you mail a check, ask for a postmark. The county says the USPS only postmarks certain mail depending on the type of postage used, and may not postmark mail on the day it is deposited.
5. Avoid metered mail and bill-pay mail. The county defines metered mail as postage printed by a licensed postage machine, and permit imprint as pre-sorted mail used by bill-pay services such as online home banking. For these, “the USPS will not postmark your mail,” and the county imposes the penalty and cost if it does not receive the payment by the delinquency date.

What if I did not get a bill or need relief?

The TTC penalty cancellation page, citing the California Revenue and Taxation Code (R&TC), says: “Under the R&TC, there is no provision to cancel penalties imposed for failure to receive a tax bill.” A bill that never arrived does not excuse a late payment, so the Dec. 10 date applies either way.

What to mark on your calendar

The printable payment checklist lists the dates above with tick boxes. For other tax dates, see the 2027 IRS tax calendar, the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap for 2026, which affects how property tax is deducted on a federal return, and how weekend deadlines move for federal and court dates.