Property tax in Merced County, California
In Merced County, the property tax bill comes from the Merced County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The FY 2026-27 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due November 1, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Merced County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Merced County, California is $2,634 a year, which is about 0.67% of the county's median home value of $391,800. That effective rate is lower than the typical California county (0.7%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Merced County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Merced County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Merced County Assessor, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
The Assessor sets the value and the Treasurer-Tax Collector sends the bill and takes the payment; they are separate offices. Secured bills are mailed by November 1 each year, and charges from cities and local districts, such as sewer assessments, appear on the same county bill. Paying online by eCheck is free; credit card payments carry a 2.34% processor fee ($2 minimum) and debit cards a $3.95 flat fee. Mailed payments go to Merced County Treasurer-Tax Collector, PO Box 6008, Whittier, CA 90607-6008.
When are property taxes due in Merced County?
For the FY 2026-27 bill, Merced County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due November 1, 2026 and the last February 1, 2027. A first installment not paid by December 10, 2026 gets a 10% penalty. A second installment not paid by April 12, 2027 gets a 10% penalty plus a $55 cost, the most state law allows; if the county has to send a reminder notice, a $20 fee is added. One older county page still lists a lower cost, but the county's official notice for the last bill and its FAQ both give $55. Taxes still unpaid on July 1 are declared tax-defaulted, which adds a redemption penalty of 1.5% a month plus a $15 redemption fee; an owner can then set up a five-year installment plan by paying at least 20% of the amount owed (with a $100 setup fee) and keeping current taxes paid.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | November 1, 2026 | The county lists November 1 as the due date, but no penalty applies until after 5 p.m. on December 10, 2026 (a Thursday), which is the last day to pay without penalty. Online and phone payments are accepted until midnight that day, mailed payments need a U.S. Postal Service postmark on or before that date (a private postage meter date does not count), and in-person payments must be made by 5 p.m. State law sets these dates for every California county. |
| Second installment | February 1, 2027 | The county lists February 1 as the due date. The last day to pay without penalty is normally April 10, but April 10, 2027 is a Saturday, and both state law and the county move the deadline to 5 p.m. on the next business day, Monday, April 12, 2027. The same online, postmark and in-office rules apply on that day. |
From Merced County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Merced County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Merced County's average effective rate of 0.67% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,625 / year
Property tax in Merced County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,634 |
| Median home value | $391,800 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.67% |
| Typical California county rate | 0.7% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Merced County compare in California?
Among California's 58 counties, Merced County has the 41st highest effective property-tax rate: 40 rank higher and 17 rank lower. That is on the lower side for California. Nationally, it ranks 1980th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every California county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Merced County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Merced County's 46,474 owner-occupied homes, 40.5% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 60% pay at least $2,000, and 9.3% pay under $800. Another 4.8% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 4,300 | 9.3% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 7,099 | 15.3% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 4,992 | 10.7% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 9,041 | 19.5% |
| $3,000 or more | 18,805 | 40.5% |
| No property tax paid | 2,237 | 4.8% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,953 and owners without one pay $1,983. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Merced County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,634 is about 3.1% of the median income of Merced County homeowner households, $85,205 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 54% of Merced County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Merced County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,797 in 2015-2019 to $2,634 in 2020-2024, a 46.6% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 55%, from $252,700 to $391,800. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Merced County
Merced County borders 6 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Benito County, CA | 0.81% | $6,441 | $793,400 |
| Fresno County, CA | 0.74% | $2,861 | $388,800 |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 0.71% | $3,216 | $450,100 |
| Madera County, CA | 0.7% | $2,756 | $393,200 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | at least 0.67% | $10,000+ | $1,490,600 |
| Merced County, CA (this county) | 0.67% | $2,634 | $391,800 |
| Mariposa County, CA | 0.61% | $2,377 | $387,900 |
How is a home assessed in Merced County?
California sets the assessment rules and Merced County applies them. How California assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Merced County?
Yes. California's Homeowners' Exemption takes $7,000 off the assessed value of an owner-occupied home. File form BOE-266 with the county assessor by February 15 for the full exemption. That is the California rule, and it applies in Merced County. California's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Merced County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the California ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Merced County property assessment
In Merced County you appeal to the Merced County Assessment Appeals Board (filed with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors). The deadline: For the regular annual assessment, file between July 2 and November 30; for 2026 the window is Thursday, July 2, 2026 to Monday, November 30, 2026. An appeal of a supplemental or escape assessment is due within 60 days of the mailing date on the tax bill or the postmark date of the notice, whichever is later. Each parcel needs its own application, and each carries a $30 nonrefundable filing fee. The Assessor offers a free informal review of your value first. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How California's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
California rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the California page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Merced County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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California income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what California actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Merced County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Merced County, California: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.