Foster City property tax: where it goes
A Foster City house at the typical market value ($1,838,200) pays about $21,500 a year on the property tax bill, including flat charges on the same bill. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
A Foster City house pays 1.146% of its taxable value in property tax, plus flat charges on the same bill. For a house at $1,838,200 of market value with the homeowners' exemption, that's about $21,502 a year.
Tax is levied on assessed value less exemptions: the 1% general tax plus the bond rates listed for Foster City tax rate area 020-004.
The San Mateo County Controller has not yet posted its 2026-27 tax rate book (the latest online is 2025-2026), so the rates are the 2025-26 ones.
Pay or manage it
Who taxes this house
| Taxing agency | Rate | On $1,838,200 |
|---|---|---|
| Countywide 1% general tax (Prop 13) | 1% | $18,312 |
| City of Foster City GO bond, series 2020 | 0.0285% | $522 |
| San Mateo-Foster City School District bonds (schools) | 0.0571% | $1,046 |
| San Mateo Union High School District bonds (schools) | 0.042% | $769 |
| San Mateo County Community College District bonds (schools) | 0.018% | $330 |
| San Mateo-Foster City SD parcel tax (Measure B) | flat | $144 |
| San Mateo-Foster City SD parcel tax (Measure V) | flat | $369 |
| SF Bay Restoration Authority parcel tax (Measure AA) | flat | $12 |
| Total | 1.146% | $21,502 |
2025-26 tax rates, San Mateo County (Foster City tax rate area 020-004); school parcel taxes are the 2027-28 amounts, the only year the district lists. Exemptions applied: Homeowners' exemption ($7,000).
How Foster City compares with nearby cities
Property tax rate
- Redwood City · 4 mi1.09%
- Menlo Park · 8 mi1.10%
- Burlingame · 6 mi1.12%
- San Mateo · 3 mi1.12%
- Millbrae · 9 mi1.13%
- Foster City1.15%
The combined rate of every agency on the bill, before exemptions.
Ways to pay less
- 100% disabled veterans: property tax exemption. Veterans with 100% disability, or partially disabled and unemployable, or their unmarried surviving spouses, can get a basic exemption of up to $180,671 for lien date 2026. How: See the San Mateo County Assessor's Disabled Veterans' Exemption page.
- Seniors 65+ in San Mateo or Foster City: school parcel tax exemption. Owners 65 or older whose main residence is in San Mateo or Foster City can apply for an exemption from the San Mateo-Foster City School District parcel taxes; the district lists the exemption amounts for Measures B and V as $143.67 and $368.52 for 2027-28 (owners 65 or older on July 1, 2027; applications due June 11, 2027). How: Email smfcexemptions@financedta.com or call 1-800-969-4382.
Dates
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Nov 30 (in 25 days) | Last day to file an appeal of an annual assessment with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors (the filing period is July 2 to November 30). |
| Dec 10 (in 35 days) | Last day to pay the first installment of secured property taxes. |
| Feb 15 | Deadline for first-time homeowners' exemption claims to get the full exemption for the year. |
| Apr 10 | Last day to pay the second installment of secured property taxes. |
Sources
Checked October 28, 2026. Every number here comes from the public sources listed, matched by our checker.
Rates change every year; this page shows when it was last checked. Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
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