What is the property tax rate in San Jose?

The effective property tax rate in San Jose is about 0.73% of assessed value, slightly above the 1% Proposition 13 base because of voter-approved bonds and assessments. On a 1 million dollar assessment that is roughly 7,300 dollars a year.

How does Proposition 13 affect my assessment?

Proposition 13 caps the base property tax at 1% of assessed value and limits annual increases in assessed value to 2%, unless the property changes ownership or is newly built. This is why long-time owners often pay far less than recent buyers on similar homes.

What is the California homeowners' exemption?

Owner-occupants can claim a homeowners' exemption that reduces the taxable assessed value by 7,000 dollars. At roughly a 1% base rate that saves about 70 dollars a year. The exemption applies only to a primary residence.

Why is the effective rate below 1%?

The effective rate here reflects an observed average closer to 0.73% in some analyses, but the legal base is 1% under Prop 13 plus add-ons. Effective rates vary by source because they compare taxes to market value rather than assessed value, which can differ widely.

What are direct assessments and bonds?

Beyond the base rate, your bill can include voter-approved bond measures for schools and infrastructure plus direct assessments for services like lighting or sewer. These are added as fixed dollar amounts or small percentages and vary by parcel.

San Jose Property Tax Estimator

San Jose property tax is governed by California’s Proposition 13, which caps the base rate and limits how fast assessed value can grow. This estimator applies the local effective rate, the homeowners’ exemption, and any extra levies to project your annual bill.

How it works

The estimate starts from your assessed value, subtracts the homeowners’ exemption if the home is owner-occupied, and applies the effective rate:

Taxable value = assessed value − homeowners' exemption (7,000 if owner-occupied)
Base tax      = taxable value × effective rate (≈ 0.73%)
Total tax     = base tax + extra levies & assessments

Under Proposition 13 the assessed value is roughly your purchase price, rising no more than 2% per year until the property is sold or rebuilt.

Example

A 1,000,000 assessed home that is owner-occupied has a taxable value of 993,000. At 0.73% the base tax is about 7,249. Adding 600 in bonds and assessments gives a total near 7,849 for the year.

Notes

Effective rates differ between sources because some compare tax to market value rather than assessed value; the legal base is 1% plus voter-approved add-ons. The 7,000 dollar exemption applies only to a primary residence. Treat the result as a planning estimate, not a tax bill.