California Property Tools

Historical Proposition 13 Inflation Factors

California Proposition 13 generally limits annual increases in a property's factored base-year value using an official statewide inflation factor, subject to a maximum annual increase of 2%.

Many homeowners assume the increase is always exactly 2%. It is not. In years when the applicable California inflation measure is lower, the official adjustment can also be lower.

This page provides a historical reference of the annual Proposition 13 inflation factors used by the California Property Tax Calculator and explains how those factors affect assessed value over time.

Key point

The 2% figure is a ceiling, not an automatic annual increase.

See How Proposition 13 Factors Compound Over Time

Enter a starting assessed value and acquisition year to see how the official historical factors would increase that value through the latest available assessment year (2026-27).

$

19752026

Starting value
$500,000
Estimated factored base-year value
$568,915
Total increase
+$68,915
Factors applied (13.8%)
7
Assessment yearAnnual increaseMultiplierEstimated value
2020-212.000%1.02000$510,000
2021-221.036%1.01036$515,284
2022-232.000%1.02000$525,589
2023-242.000%1.02000$536,101
2024-252.000%1.02000$546,823
2025-262.000%1.02000$557,760
2026-272.000%1.02000$568,915

Historical Proposition 13 Inflation Factor Table

The table below shows the annual statewide factors used to adjust Proposition 13 factored base-year values. The multiplier is applied to the prior year's value.

Showing 51 of 51 assessment years.

Allowed increaseMultiplier
2026-272.000%1.02000
2025-262.000%1.02000
2024-252.000%1.02000
2023-242.000%1.02000
2022-232.000%1.02000
2021-221.036%1.01036
2020-212.000%1.02000
2019-202.000%1.02000
2018-192.000%1.02000
2017-182.000%1.02000
2016-171.525%1.01525
2015-161.998%1.01998
2014-150.454%1.00454
2013-142.000%1.02000
2012-132.000%1.02000
2011-120.753%1.00753
2010-11-0.237%0.99763
2009-102.000%1.02000
2008-092.000%1.02000
2007-082.000%1.02000
2006-072.000%1.02000
2005-062.000%1.02000
2004-051.867%1.01867
2003-042.000%1.02000
2002-032.000%1.02000
2001-022.000%1.02000
2000-012.000%1.02000
1999-20001.853%1.01853
1998-992.000%1.02000
1997-982.000%1.02000
1996-971.110%1.01110
1995-961.190%1.01190
1994-952.000%1.02000
1993-942.000%1.02000
1992-932.000%1.02000
1991-922.000%1.02000
1990-912.000%1.02000
1989-902.000%1.02000
1988-892.000%1.02000
1987-882.000%1.02000
1986-872.000%1.02000
1985-862.000%1.02000
1984-852.000%1.02000
1983-841.000%1.01000
1982-832.000%1.02000
1981-822.000%1.02000
1980-812.000%1.02000
1979-802.000%1.02000
1978-792.000%1.02000
1977-782.000%1.02000
1976-772.000%1.02000

What Are Proposition 13 Inflation Factors?

When a California property receives a base-year value, that value generally becomes the starting point for future assessments. Each assessment year, the base-year value is adjusted using the statewide Proposition 13 inflation factor.

The annual adjustment is based on the applicable California inflation measure and is limited to a maximum increase of 2%. When the published inflation measure is below 2%, the allowed increase is also below 2%. Applying the annual factors over time produces the property's factored base-year value.

  1. Base-year value
  2. Annual statewide inflation factor
  3. Updated factored base-year value
  4. Repeat for each assessment year

Why Is the Increase Not Always Exactly 2%?

Proposition 13 does not require assessed values to increase by 2% every year. It generally permits an inflation adjustment of up to 2%. When the official statewide inflation factor is lower, counties use the lower factor, so a property following the normal Proposition 13 path may increase by less than 2% in a particular assessment year.

Over a long ownership period, even small differences can materially affect the estimated factored base-year value. For a $1,000,000 base-year value acquired in 2019 (7 factors applied):

Assuming 2% every year

Estimated value
$1,148,686

Using each official historical factor

Estimated value
$1,137,829

Assuming a flat 2% overstates the estimate by about $10,856 in this example, because at least one year's official factor was below 2%.

How Inflation Factors Affect California Property Taxes

The inflation factors do not directly determine the property tax bill. They first adjust the property's factored base-year value. The estimated assessed value is then multiplied by the applicable value-based property tax rate. The final tax bill may also contain parcel-specific charges such as Mello-Roos, parcel taxes, special assessments, and supplemental assessments.

  1. Purchase or base-year value
  2. Official historical inflation factors
  3. Estimated factored base-year value
  4. Applicable ad valorem tax rate
  5. Estimated property tax

Example: Property Purchased in 2019

This example assumes a $1,000,000 purchase price became the property's base-year value and that no later ownership change, taxable new construction, Proposition 8 reduction, base-year-value transfer, or assessor correction occurred.

Assessment yearAnnual increaseMultiplierEstimated value
2020-212.000%1.02000$1,020,000
2021-221.036%1.01036$1,030,567
2022-232.000%1.02000$1,051,179
2023-242.000%1.02000$1,072,202
2024-252.000%1.02000$1,093,646
2025-262.000%1.02000$1,115,519
2026-272.000%1.02000$1,137,829
Starting base-year value
$1,000,000
Estimated factored base-year value
$1,137,829
Estimated increase
+$137,829

How the Property Tax Calculator Uses These Factors

The California Property Tax Calculator starts with the user-entered purchase price and purchase date. It then applies the applicable historical Proposition 13 factors to estimate the property's current factored base-year value.

The calculator next applies a county-level estimated property tax rate to produce an annual and monthly estimate. Using the official historical factors is more precise than assuming a constant 2% increase for every year.

Use the California Property Tax Calculator

Data Sources and Update Policy

The historical factors shown on this page are based on official California property-tax publications and are also used by the California Property Tax Calculator. The dataset is reviewed when a new statewide assessment-year inflation factor is published; the page and calculator are updated together so both use the same annual factor table.

Dataset details

Latest assessment year:
2026-27
Historical coverage:
1976-77 to 2026-27 (51 years)
Last reviewed:
August 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Proposition 13 inflation factors the same in every county?

Yes. The annual Proposition 13 inflation factor is statewide. County tax rates, Tax Rate Area rates, and parcel-specific assessments can still differ by location.

Is the annual Proposition 13 increase always 2%?

No. The adjustment is capped at 2%, but the official annual factor may be lower.

Does the factor increase a property's market value?

No. It adjusts the property's Proposition 13 factored base-year value. It does not estimate what the property would sell for.

Does every property follow this exact factor history?

Not necessarily. New construction, ownership changes, Proposition 8 reductions, transferred base-year values, exemptions, escape assessments, disaster relief, and assessor corrections can cause the official enrolled value to differ.

What is the difference between an allowed increase and a multiplier?

The allowed increase is the percentage adjustment. The multiplier is the decimal factor applied to the prior value. For example, a 2% increase corresponds to a multiplier of 1.02000.

Why does the calculator ask for the purchase date?

The purchase date helps determine when the new base-year value began and which annual inflation factors apply.

Can an assessed value increase by more than 2%?

Yes, in some situations. For example, a property with a temporary Proposition 8 reduction can increase by more than 2% as market value recovers toward the normal Proposition 13 factored base-year value.

Are these factors enough to calculate the official tax bill?

No. They help estimate the factored base-year value. The official tax bill also depends on the enrolled taxable value, local ad valorem rates, direct assessments, exemptions, and parcel-specific charges.

Related California Property Tax Resources

This page is provided for educational purposes and summarizes publicly available California property-tax information. It does not determine a property's official assessed value or tax bill. County assessors and tax collectors determine official values and charges, and individual properties may be affected by reassessment events, Proposition 8 reductions, new construction, exemptions, direct assessments, or other circumstances.