Appeal Prepper
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San Francisco filing guide

How to file a San Francisco assessment appeal online

Follow the Assessment Appeals Board portal from account setup through payment and the two confirmation emails.

Gather these before you begin

  • Your Annual Notice of Assessed Value or tax bill
  • Block and lot or assessor parcel number
  • Your January 1 opinion of value
  • Applicant contact and mailing information
  • A payment method for the separate City filing fee

Start: Sign in or create an account

Sign in to the Assessment Appeals Board portal, then create a new assessment from the dashboard.

Assessment Appeals Board portal login screen
Use Signup for Free if you have not filed online before.
Assessment Appeals Board dashboard with sensitive entries redacted
Choose Create New Assessment. Prior filings remain listed on this dashboard.

Setup: Choose the filing and assessment type

Choose the status and assessment type shown on your notice. A typical annual home assessment uses Regular Assessment and Real Property.

Assessment type selection screen with account name hidden
Choose the category that matches your notice and filing period.
Regular assessment real property selection screen

Portal step 1: Find and confirm the property

Search with the block and lot, then check the returned address against your notice.

If you only have the street address, use the official SF Property Information Map to find its block and lot.

Property search form showing separate block and lot fields
Returned property record with identifiers and street address redacted
Select Yes only when the returned address matches the assessment notice.

Portal step 2: Enter applicant information

Confirm who is filing and where the Board should send correspondence.

Applicant information form with the account email redacted
The portal requires a daytime phone number. The account email cannot be changed on this screen.

Portal step 3: Enter the January 1 opinion of value

Enter what you believe the property was worth on January 1.

Opinion of value screen with all monetary amounts redacted
Enter one Sub-Total or separate Land and Improvements amounts. Tab out of a field so the portal recalculates the totals.
Land vs. improvements

Start with your opinion of the property's total market value, usually based on comparable sales for a home.

If you do not have a reliable way to split the value, the portal accepts one Sub-Total. If you make a split, you can use the current assessed land share as a starting point: land = total opinion × assessed land ÷ assessed total. Improvements are the remainder.

Change that split only when your evidence supports it, and make sure Land plus Improvements equals the Sub-Total. Allocation disputes follow different rules. See the California assessment appeal FAQ and BOE allocation guidance.

Build the evidence for your value

  1. Search for the property address and choose the correct unit or parcel.
  2. Review the comparable sales and select up to three homes that best match the property.
  3. Download the City comparison worksheet PDF and use the evidence to choose your January 1 opinion of value.
Look up the property on Appeal Prepper
Completed value allocation with all monetary amounts redacted

Portal step 4: Choose hearing and refund options

Choose the hearing format and whether the application is also a claim for refund.

Hearing officer, findings of fact, and claim for refund choices
If your property qualifies, we recommend choosing a hearing officer.

Portal step 5: Review, certify, pay, and save proof

Correct any errors, certify the application, and pay the City filing fee.

Final review page with applicant details and monetary amounts redacted
Use the Edit links to correct a section. The submitted online application cannot be changed.

Confirmation: Save both emails

Keep the payment receipt and the Board confirmation with your completed application.

Portal payment confirmation with identifiers and account email redacted
Record the application and receipt numbers before leaving the portal.

Watch your inbox. You should receive two confirmation emails within a few minutes: a payment receipt and an Assessment Appeals Board confirmation. Check spam if they do not arrive.

Payment processor confirmation email with personal and transaction identifiers redacted
The payment email itemizes the City filing fee, service fee, and total.
Assessment Appeals Board confirmation email with email address, receipt number, and application number redacted
The Board email includes a link to download the completed application.

Wait.

A past appeal took about 24 months to receive a response. That is one applicant's experience, not a promised City timeline.

Keep the confirmation emails, application number, receipt, and evidence together while you wait.