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Owning in Texas

Data from January 2026

Property tax in Texas

The typical owner in Texas pays $4,232 a year, about 1.49% of the home’s value (0.94% nationwide). Here are the exemptions and discounts the state publishes, the deadlines to claim them or appeal, and every county’s figure.

The state's rulesProperty tax
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Typical tax
$4,232
per year, typical household
36% more than the U.S.
Effective rate
1.49%
tax ÷ value (estimate)
59% more than the U.S.
United States
0.94%
national effective rate
Cap on your home
10% a year
how much the assessment can rise

Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates Average 2020–2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates

The state's rules

Texas's rules, in one table

The assessment cap, the homestead exemption, when to protest and when to pay, as Texas's official source states them. Tap "What the source says" to read the exact text.

Property-tax rules in Texas, with their source
Rule What Texas says Source
Cap on your home 10% a year

If your home had the homestead exemption last year and this year, its appraised value cannot rise more than 10% a year. A new improvement you add is counted on top, at its market value.

What the source says· Tex. Tax Code §23.23(a)
“The appraised value for a homeowner who qualifies his or her homestead for exemptions in the preceding and current year may not increase more than 10 percent per year. … The appraisal limitation only applies to a property granted a residence homestead exemption.”
 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Verified November 5, 2026
Cap on other property 20% a year

Other real property that is not a homestead (a home you rent out, for example) valued at $5,320,000 or less in 2026 cannot rise more than 20% a year. The Comptroller says this limit expires Dec. 31, 2026.

What the source says· Tex. Tax Code §23.231
“Tax Code Section 23.231 sets a limit on the amount of annual increase to the appraised value of real property other than a residence homestead to not exceed the lesser of … The circuit breaker limitation expires Dec. 31, 2026.”
 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Verified November 5, 2026
What triggers a new assessment

The cap starts Jan. 1 of the year after you qualify for the homestead exemption and ends the year after you stop qualifying (if you sell or move out, for example). A new improvement that raises the value is added; repairs and upkeep do not count as an improvement.

What the source says· Tex. Tax Code §23.23(e)
“The limitation takes effect on Jan. 1 of the tax year following the year the property owner qualifies for the homestead exemption. It expires on Jan. 1 of the tax year following the year the property owner no longer qualifies for the residence homestead exemption. … It does not include repairs to or ordinary maintenance of an existing structure, the grounds or another property feature.”
 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Verified November 5, 2026
Homestead exemption

School districts must take $140,000 off the value of your main home before taxing it. Each city, county or district may add its own exemption. You apply with your county's appraisal district on Form 50-114, generally before May 1.

What the source says· Tex. Tax Code §11.13(b), (n)
“Tax Code Section 11.13(b) requires school districts to provide a $140,000 exemption on a residence homestead and Tax Code Section 11.13(n) allows any taxing unit to adopt a local option residence homestead exemption of up to 20 percent of a property's appraised value. … Applications for property tax exemptions are filed with the appraisal district in the county in which the property is located. The general deadline for filing an exemption application is before May 1.”
 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Verified November 5, 2026
Protest deadline One for the whole state

You can protest the value to the appraisal review board (ARB) on Form 50-132. The deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the appraisal district mails the notice, whichever is later. Before the hearing you can ask the district for an informal meeting.

What the source says
“The usual protest filing deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the appraisal district mails the property owner the notice of appraised value, whichever is later. … If you are dissatisfied with your property's appraised value or if errors exist in the appraisal records regarding your property, you should file Form 50-132, Property Owner's Notice of Protest (PDF) , with the ARB.”
 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Verified November 5, 2026
When to pay

Taxing units start mailing bills in October and payment is due on receipt. In most cases you must pay by Jan. 31; what is unpaid on Feb. 1 gets penalty and interest.

What the source says
“Taxing units start mailing tax bills in October and payment is due upon receipt. … In most cases, you must pay your property taxes by Jan. 31. Taxes that remain unpaid on Feb. 1 are considered delinquent.”
 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Verified November 5, 2026
Did your assessment go up?

By place

Every county, with its figure

What the typical owner pays in each county of Texas, with the typical home value and the effective rate. Highest tax first.

Effective rate: typical tax ÷ typical value, our estimate from two Census medians. Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates Average 2020–2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates

Exemptions

Which exemption fits you?

What Texas publishes for each case. You have to apply for almost all of them: none is applied on its own.

  • If it is your main home

    School districts must take $140,000 off the value of your main home before taxing it. Each city, county or district may add its own exemption. You apply with your county's appraisal district on Form 50-114, generally before May 1.

    What the source says· Tex. Tax Code §11.13(b), (n)
    “Tax Code Section 11.13(b) requires school districts to provide a $140,000 exemption on a residence homestead and Tax Code Section 11.13(n) allows any taxing unit to adopt a local option residence homestead exemption of up to 20 percent of a property's appraised value. … Applications for property tax exemptions are filed with the appraisal district in the county in which the property is located. The general deadline for filing an exemption application is before May 1.”

    Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts · Verified November 5, 2026

  • If you are an older owner

    At 65 or older, school districts take $60,000 more off your home's value. You can also defer the tax on your main home, at 5% interest a year, or pay it in four installments without penalty.

    What the source says· Tex. Tax Code §11.13(c), §33.06, §31.031
    “For persons age 65 or older or disabled, Tax Code Section 11.13(c) requires school districts to provide an additional $60,000 residence homestead exemption. … To qualify for the age 65 or older residence homestead exemption, the individual must be age 65 or older, have an ownership interest in the property and live in the home as his or her principal residence.”

    Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts · Verified November 5, 2026

  • If you have a disability

    If you have a disability that qualifies you for Social Security disability benefits, school districts take $60,000 more off your home's value. You can defer the tax or pay it in four installments, the same as owners 65 or older.

    What the source says· Tex. Tax Code §11.13(c)
    “For persons age 65 or older or disabled, Tax Code Section 11.13(c) requires school districts to provide an additional $60,000 residence homestead exemption. … A disabled person must meet the definition of disabled for the purpose of receiving disability insurance benefits under the Federal Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance Act administered by the Social Security Administration.”

    Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts · Verified November 5, 2026

  • If you are a veteran

    A veteran rated 100% disabled from service (or individually unemployable) pays no tax on the main home. Other disabled veterans get a partial exemption on one property, by disability rating.

    What the source says· Tex. Tax Code §11.131, §11.22
    “Tax Code Section 11.131 entitles a disabled veteran awarded 100 percent disability compensation due to a service-connected disability and a rating of 100 percent disabled or of individual unemployability to a total property tax exemption on the disabled veteran's residence homestead, as determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. … Tax Code Section 11.22 provides a partial exemption for any one property owned by a disabled veteran. The exemption amount varies depending on the disabled veteran's disability rating.”

    Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts · Verified November 5, 2026

How it works

Where your bill comes from

The local government puts a value on your home, subtracts the exemptions you apply for and applies the rate of each body that taxes it: the county, the city, the school district and others.

  1. The value assigned to your home
  2. The exemptions you apply for
  3. The rates of each taxing body (county, city, schools)
  4. Your yearly bill

The effective rate on this page is something else: our estimate (typical tax ÷ typical value, from Census data) for comparing places. It is not the rate your local government sets.

Buying or selling

Taxes on the sale

Some states charge a tax or fee when the deed is recorded. What the official source says:

  • The constitution bars new real estate transfer taxes

    The Texas Constitution says that after January 1, 2016, no law may be passed that imposes a transfer tax on a transaction conveying fee simple title to real property. This does not stop a tax on issuing title insurance or a change in the rate of a tax that already existed on January 1, 2016.

    Tex. Const. art. VIII, §29 · Texas Constitution (Texas Legislature) · Verified October 16, 2026

Frequently asked questions

How much is property tax in Texas?

The typical owner pays $4,232 a year, about 1.49% of the home’s value, per the Census (Average 2020–2024). Nationwide the effective rate is 0.94%. Your bill depends on your county, city, school district and the exemptions you claim.

How much can my home's assessment rise in Texas?

If your home had the homestead exemption last year and this year, its appraised value cannot rise more than 10% a year. A new improvement you add is counted on top, at its market value.

What is the deadline to protest the assessment in Texas?

You can protest the value to the appraisal review board (ARB) on Form 50-132. The deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the appraisal district mails the notice, whichever is later. Before the hearing you can ask the district for an informal meeting.

How do I apply for the homestead exemption in Texas?

School districts must take $140,000 off the value of your main home before taxing it. Each city, county or district may add its own exemption. You apply with your county's appraisal district on Form 50-114, generally before May 1.

When is property tax paid in Texas?

Taxing units start mailing bills in October and payment is due on receipt. In most cases you must pay by Jan. 31; what is unpaid on Feb. 1 gets penalty and interest.

Which county in Texas pays the most property tax?

By amount, the highest typical tax is in Travis County ($7,727) and the lowest in Borden County ($460). By effective rate, the highest is El Paso County (2.03%) and the lowest Glasscock County (0.55%).

What is the effective rate?

The typical tax divided by the typical home value in the same place. It is our estimate from two Census medians, not the rate your local government sets; it is for comparing places.

More about owning a home