HOW TO KNOW THE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY TAX YOU OWE:

Each January, like clockwork, your particular piece of Costa Rican paradise has a tax amount levied against it. Currently the normal rate is 0.25 percent of the property’s declared value. Like most countries, Costa Rica uses income from property taxes for a variety of national and local projects.  Unlike what U.S. citizens may be used to in their home country, you will NOT receive any notification via email or snail mail letting you know what you owe, the amount at which your property is valued, or when and where to pay.

We recommend putting an annual reminder on your calendar about property taxes.

Here are 2 ways of obtaining the most reliable information about your property taxes:

  1. Go in person to ask at the appropriate local municipality with the following items:  your passport/I.D.;  the name and I.D. number (cédula jurídica) for your corporation;  and the finca number(s) for your property (just in case you need it).
  2. Call the appropriate municipality’s tax department, provide them with the I.D. number for the owner of the property, and ask how much is due in taxes for this entity.

If you own real estate property in the cantón of Quepos (formerly Aguirre) you can call the Municipality at 2777.8300 ext 125, or go to the Municipality in Quepos which is located 50 meters east of Banco de Costa Rica in Quepos.

If you own real estate property in the canton of Osa, you can call the Municipality at 2782.0000 ext 119, or go to the Municipality in Ciudad Cortés, 2.5 kilometers south of Hospital Tomás Casas C.

If you own real estate property in the cantón of Pérez Zeledón where San Isidro is located, this is the website for that area: http://www.mpz.go.cr

You are welcome to pay the tax amount for the full year, and some municipalities will give you a discount on your annual tax bill if you pay the amount for the full year prior to the end of the first quarter, which ends March 31.

If you choose not to pay the full year, then you will need to pay for each quarter of taxes prior to the end of that quarter.

For fees/taxes on concession land in the Maritime Zone, those are due prior to the beginning of each quarter. This is because the amounts are considered to be lease payments and must be paid in advance of each period.