- I saw a link on your website for e-Filing my Business Property Statement. Please give me a login and password.
You may participate in e-Filing your statement this year if you receive a business property statement (Form 571-L) with a personal identification number (PIN), in addition to your account number. If there is no PIN number on your statement it means that you were not invited to e-file this year, please fill out the hardcopy Business Property Statement (571-L).
- I received an invitation to e-File, but when I’m at your website and I select ‘e-File’, I receive an error message.
Your computer configuration does not allow the e-File application to load successfully. Please confirm that you meet the browser minimum requirements: Internet Explorer version 5.0 or Firefox 2.0. If you still receive an error message, please fill out the hardcopy Business Property Statement (571-L).
- I’m not able to logon successfully. I keep receiving an error message when I type my company number and PIN number.
The PIN number is case sensitive. Please make sure that you are entering a capital “SF” when typing the PIN number. Then select ‘submit’ to go to the next page.
- I received an invitation to e-File, but I’ve lost the statement.
Please contact the Business Personal Property Division for assistance by calling (415) 554-5531 during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST.
- The e-File screens and printed copy of the Business Property Statement are too large – they are truncated on the right side so I can’t see the complete statement.
Update your Microsoft Explorer view configuration by selecting ‘View’ on the top toolbar, then ‘Text Size’, and select a smaller text size.
- How do I exit the e-File program without completing the final certification step? I don’t have time to complete the entire form right now.
Save your changes, and select ‘log off’ from the top center of your e-File screen. The next time you login to e-File, you can continue at the last uncompleted step.
- What is the deadline for amending a Business Property Statement?
If you are using e-File for filing your Business Property Statement, you can amend any portion of the statement, if you have not completed ‘Step 5: Certification’. The due date for the filing of the Business Property Statement is April 1st. The last day to amend and certify a statement using e-File is May 7th. Any statements filed after May 7th will be subject to a 10% penalty. Once a statement has been certified, you can only go back into e-File to view and print the statement at any time. Any amendment after the statement has been certified will have to be done by submitting your changes on a hardcopy.
- I’ve completed the certification of my Business Property Statement and now realize that I need to amend the statement. What should I do?
You will need to make your changes on a hardcopy (paper copy) of the 571-L form and mail the form to the Business Personal Property Division at 875 Stevenson Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94103. Please indicate this is an AMENDED COPY to the statement that was submitted through e-File. Pursuant to California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 441(l), statements may be amended without penalty until May 31st.
- I completed my Business Property Statement, but forgot to print a copy. Can I still print a copy of my statement?
Yes, you can view and print a copy of your certified statement at any time by selecting ‘VIEW STATEMENT’ from the main screen.
- What is the due date for the Business Property Statement?
The due date for filing the Business Property Statement is April 1st.
- What is the last date to file the Business Property Statement without a penalty?
The due date for filing the Business Property Statement is April 1st. A 30-day extension to May 1st may be granted for reasonable cause. The request for extension must be made in writing, preferably on company letterhead, addressed to Phil Ting, Assessor-Recorder, Business Division, 875 Stevenson St., Suite #300, San Francisco, CA 94103. Please indicate your Account Number, if any, sign and print your name and title. You may fax it to (415) 554-5544, no later than March 31st. Any property statements filed or postmarked after May 7th will have a 10% penalty added to the assessment (Revenue & Taxation Code 441 (b) & 463).
- What is the last date to electronically file the Business Property Statement?
The due date for filing the Business Property Statement is April 1st. A 10% penalty will be added to the assessment for all statements electronically filed after May 7th. For taxpayers’ convenience, the e-File site will allow a taxpayer with privileges to access and file their statement electronically until May 21st. Thereafter the site will become unavailable for filing statements, and you must file by paper copy.
- What if the Business Property Statement is filed after the filing date?
If the Business Property Statement is filed after May 7th, a 10% penalty will be added to the assessment.
- How can I get a copy of my prior year’s 571-L Business Property Statement?
To receive a hardcopy of your prior year’s valuation/statement, the request must be made in writing, preferably on company letterhead, specifying the year you are requesting, addressed to Phil Ting, Assessor, Business Division, 875 Stevenson Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94103, and may be faxed to (415) 554-5544. Please indicate your account number, if any, sign and print your name and title. If you are an agent of a taxpayer, include an authorization letter from the taxpayer. If you filed your business property statement using e-File last year, you can print a copy of the 2009 statement by selecting “VIEW STATEMENT” from the main screen and selecting the prior year.
- If the Business Property Statement is not filed, how will my business’ assessed value be determined?
If you do not file a 571-L Business Property Statement, the Assessor’s Office, directed by state law, will arbitrarily determine an assessable value. In addition, a 10% penalty for failure to file will be added to your assessment.
- How is the assessed value determined?
Assessment begins with the cost of the asset, including sales tax, freight and installation. The Assessor applies a depreciation factor to the asset cost and this becomes the assessed value. The depreciation factor is based on expected economic life of the asset, and is different than the depreciation schedule used by tax accountants.
- How much will my taxes be?
Applying the 2010 tax rate of 1.159% will give a conservative estimate of what the actual tax liability will be. Proposition 13 established a tax rate of 1% of the value of assessable property. San Francisco’s tax rate is determined by the Board of Supervisors, based on property assessed value and bond measures passed by San Francisco voters. For example, if the business depreciated assessed value is $125,000 the property taxes on the business assets will be approximately $1,449..
- What if I don’t agree with the value on my tax bill?
The value can be corrected if a clerical or administrative error was made. If that’s the case, first contact the Assessor’s Office to speak to an auditor how to go about correcting the error. Contact the Business Personal Property Division for assistance by calling (415) 554-5531 during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST. However, if the disagreement is a matter of valuation, then you must file an “Application for Changed Assessment” with the Assessment Appeals Board (www.sfgov.org/assessment_index.asp) no later than September 15th. for the regular tax bill. Their telephone number is (415) 554-6778. Pay the bill first to avoid late payment penalties (if it cannot be cleared by August 31st). A refund will be in order If the appeals board rules in your favor.
- When will I receive my bill?
When you file your business property statement in a timely manner, you should receive your business tax bill by the end of July. Payment is due on or before August 31st, and becomes delinquent after that date and will be subject to penalties and interest. If the owner of the business also owns the building in which the business resides, the business property tax will be included with the secured property tax bill. The secured tax bill is sent by the end of October with the first installment due by November 1st.
- Is my Business Property Statement confidential?
Yes, by law the Business Property Statement is a confidential document. It is not a public document and will be held confidential by the Assessor.
- I went out of business after January 1st, Do I need to complete the Business Property Statement?
Yes, the law specifies that all taxable personal property and fixtures you owned, possessed, or controlled as of 12:01 a.m., January 1st, must be assessed, regardless of what transpires after that date. Even if the business is closed shortly after the lien date (January 1), a business must still file a Business Property Statement.
- I was not open for business on January 1st. Do I need to complete the Business Property Statement?
Yes, a business does not have to be open for its personal property to be subject to assessment. For example, let’s presume that on the lien date (January 1) a new pizza parlor is under construction and nearly ready for its grand opening. Even though the pizza parlor was not open for business on the lien date, taxable business personal property (such as furniture, ovens and supplies) was in the owner’s possession on the lien date and the Assessor is required to assess it.
- I went out of business prior to January 1st. Do I need to complete the Business Property Statement?
Yes, make a notation in the ‘Remarks’ section when you file your statement the status (closed or sold) of your business including the date the status change took place. Please indicate the disposition of the equipment, if closed, or the name of the buyer, if sold, Make sure to complete Step 5: Certification to complete the filing.
- My business has moved to a new location within San Francisco. How do I indicate this change of location on the Business Property Statement?
If you have moved your business within San Francisco City and County, you will not be able to e-File. Please use the hardcopy 571-L form, line through the old location on the paper form, including the mailing address if applicable, write your new address above the old one, and mail the completed form to our address at the Business Personal Property Division at 875 Stevenson Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94103.
- My business has moved to a new location outside of San Francisco. Do I need to complete the Business Property Statement for San Francisco County?
If you have moved out of San Francisco City and County, you will not be able to e-File. Please indicate on the hardcopy 571-L form, that you have moved outside of the county. Mail the form back to our address at the Business Personal Property Division at 875 Stevenson Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94103. Please call the new county to request a Business Property form from them.
- Are non-profit organizations required to file the Business Property Statement?
Yes, the filing laws apply to non-profit organizations. Non-profit organizations may, however, qualify for property tax exemptions. For more information, please contact the Exemption Division of the Assessor’s Office by alpha assignment. If the assessee name begins with A through L, please call (415) 554-5658; M through R, call (415) 554-5626, and S through Z, call (415) 554-5609.
Any item that you are consuming in your business, such as office supplies, pencils, paper, etc. is a supply item. If you are a manufacturer, supplies do not include anything that becomes a part of the finished product. You should report the cost of the supplies on hand as of 12:01 a.m., January 1st. If you do not have an accurate amount, you may estimate.
- How do I report disposals?
If you disposed of business personal property before 12:00 a.m., January 1st, then do not report it. Exclude the original cost of the disposed property from its year of acquisition. For example, in 2009, you reported a $2,000 computer you acquired in 2003 then sold it prior to January 1st, 2010. In this year’s filing (2010), you should exclude the $2,000 cost from the cost reported for the 2003 year of acquisition. Do not report negative costs.
- Is there any property that is exempt or that I do not have to report on my Business Property Statement?
The following are some common exempt items that should not be reported:
- Business Inventory (Revenue & Taxation Code 129)
- Application Software (Property Tax Rule 152)
- Licensed Motor Vehicles (R&T Code 10751)
- First $50,000 of Employee-owned Hand Tools (R&T Code 241)
