The complete guide
Texas property tax, explained.
How your home is valued, what the exemptions are worth, how and when to protest, what the rates are, and when the bill is due. Written by Sameer Ahmed, a Texas-registered Property Tax Consultant, and the team at My Texas Property Tax, a Houston-based protest service that won 96% of the protests it filed in 2026.
One formula, three levers.
Texas has no state property tax. Every bill is built locally from the same three parts:
(Appraised value minus exemptions) × local tax rates = your bill
- Value is set by the county appraisal district every January 1. You can protest it every year.
- Exemptions reduce the value that gets taxed. The homestead exemption is the big one; you file it once.
- Rates are adopted by school districts, counties, cities, and special districts each fall. You cannot protest them; you can vote.
How your value is set
Every January 1 your county appraisal district estimates what your home would sell for. That number, minus exemptions, times the local rates, is your bill.
Exemptions
The homestead exemption removes $140,000 from your school taxable value in 2026 and caps growth at 10% a year. Owners 65 or older or disabled get more.
Protesting your appraisal
You can challenge the value every year, for free, and most protests with evidence win. The deadline is May 15 or 30 days after your notice.
- How to protest property taxes in TexasFiling, evidence, the informal meeting, and the ARB hearing.
- The protest deadline and its exceptionsMay 15, the 30-day rule, and what to do if you missed it.
- Harris County: HCAD iFile and iSettleThe Houston-specific process, step by step.
- Commercial property tax appealsIncome-approach evidence and when to hire help.
Tax rates
There is no statewide rate. School districts, counties, cities, and special districts each set one, and the sum depends on your address.
Paying the bill
Bills arrive in October and are due January 31. Penalties start February 1 and climb every month.
Ownership situations
Inheritances, trusts, and seller financing all change who pays and what the tax consequences are.
- Capital gains tax on inherited propertyThe stepped-up basis and the mistakes that undo it.
- Transferring property into a trustRevocable vs. irrevocable, and the property tax reassessment risk.
- Who pays property taxes on a land contractThe buyer, almost always. Here is how it works.
- Do the Amish pay property taxes?Yes, including school taxes. The real exemption is narrower.
The Texas property tax year.
The same calendar every year, statewide. Two dates matter most: May 15 and January 31.
- January 1Valuation date. Your home is appraised as of today.
- AprilNotices of Appraised Value mailed. Values appear on district websites.
- May 15Protest deadline (or 30 days after your notice, if later).
- May to JulyInformal reviews, settlement offers, and Appraisal Review Board hearings.
- August to SeptemberTaxing units adopt rates after public hearings.
- OctoberTax bills mailed.
- January 31Taxes due. February 1: delinquent, penalties begin.
Common questions.
- How is property tax calculated in Texas?
- Your county appraisal district sets a market value for your property as of January 1. Exemptions (such as the $140,000 school homestead exemption) are subtracted to produce a taxable value, and each local taxing unit applies its adopted rate per $100 of that value. The sum of every unit's tax is your bill, mailed in October and due January 31.
- When can I protest my property taxes in Texas?
- Every year. Notices of Appraised Value arrive in April, and the protest deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the notice was delivered, whichever is later. Filing is free, no attorney is required, and most protests supported by comparable sales or condition evidence result in a reduction.
- What is the Texas homestead exemption worth in 2026?
- $140,000 of appraised value is exempt from school district taxes, plus $60,000 more for owners 65 or older or disabled, plus any local-option exemptions your county or city adopts. It also caps annual growth in taxable value at 10%. In the Houston area the savings commonly exceed $1,000 a year.
- Is there a federal property tax?
- No. Property tax in the United States is levied only by state and local governments. Texas has no state-level property tax either; every dollar comes from school districts, counties, cities, and special districts.
- When are Texas property taxes due?
- January 31. On February 1 unpaid taxes are delinquent and carry a 6% penalty plus 1% interest, rising each month to 12% penalty in July, when a collection fee of up to 20% is added. Seniors and disabled owners can pay in four installments or defer entirely.
- What does My Texas Property Tax do?
- We protest property appraisals for homeowners and commercial owners across the Houston, Austin, and Dallas-Fort Worth metros. A Texas-registered Property Tax Consultant files and argues each case. The fee is 20% of first-year savings; if the protest does not win, there is no charge.
Know the rules. Then let us work them for you.
Search your address for a free savings estimate. We file, argue, and only charge when your taxes go down.