How property tax works in Texas
Texas has no state property tax. Each county's appraisal district sets your home's value at 100% of market value on January 1, and every taxing unit that covers your address (county, city, school district, college, hospital and special districts) adopts its own rate per $100.[4][1] The bill is the sum of each unit's rate times the value left after that unit's exemptions.
Tax = Σ (appraised value − unit's exemptions) × unit rate ÷ 100
Texas property tax by county: the same home everywhere
A $350,000 home in each area we track, without and with the homestead exemptions:
| County | Area | Rate per $100 | No exemptions | Homestead | Effective (homestead) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris County | City of Houston, Houston ISD | $2.1364 | $7,477 | $4,813 | 1.38% |
| Harris County | Unincorporated Harris County, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (Lone Star College) | $1.8190 | $6,366 | $3,686 | 1.05% |
| Harris County | City of Pasadena, Pasadena ISD (San Jacinto College) | $2.4483 | $8,569 | $5,776 | 1.65% |
| Dallas County | City of Dallas, Dallas ISD | $2.2267 | $7,793 | $5,191 | 1.48% |
| Dallas County | City of Garland, Garland ISD | $2.3947 | $8,382 | $6,103 | 1.74% |
| Dallas County | City of Irving, Irving ISD | $2.1391 | $7,487 | $5,278 | 1.51% |
| Tarrant County | City of Fort Worth, Fort Worth ISD | $2.2270 | $7,795 | $5,612 | 1.60% |
| Tarrant County | City of Arlington, Arlington ISD | $2.1909 | $7,668 | $5,445 | 1.56% |
| Bexar County | City of San Antonio, Northside ISD | $2.3600 | $8,260 | $6,002 | 1.71% |
| Bexar County | City of San Antonio, San Antonio ISD | $2.5120 | $8,792 | $6,321 | 1.81% |
| Travis County | City of Austin, Austin ISD | $2.1211 | $7,424 | $5,363 | 1.53% |
| Collin County | City of Plano, Plano ISD | $1.7030 | $5,960 | $4,125 | 1.18% |
| Collin County | City of McKinney, McKinney ISD | $1.7113 | $5,990 | $4,413 | 1.26% |
| Collin County | City of Frisco, Frisco ISD | $1.6776 | $5,871 | $4,063 | 1.16% |
| Collin County | City of Allen, Allen ISD | $1.7510 | $6,129 | $4,428 | 1.27% |
| Denton County | City of Denton, Denton ISD | $1.8847 | $6,596 | $4,973 | 1.42% |
| Denton County | City of Lewisville, Lewisville ISD | $1.6976 | $5,942 | $4,423 | 1.26% |
| Denton County | Town of Flower Mound, Lewisville ISD | $1.6485 | $5,770 | $3,980 | 1.14% |
| Denton County | City of Frisco (Denton County part), Frisco ISD | $1.6283 | $5,699 | $3,965 | 1.13% |
Texas exemptions in one table
School districts must exempt $140,000 of a homestead's value and $60,000 more for owners 65 or older or disabled; any unit may add a local-option homestead of up to 20% of value (minimum $5,000) and its own over-65 amount.[5][6] Disabled veterans get $5,000 to $12,000 by rating, and a 100% rated or unemployable veteran's homestead is fully exempt.[7][8] County-by-county amounts and how much each saves are on homestead exemption Texas.
| Exemption | Amount | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| General homestead (school) | $140,000 | School district tax |
| Over-65 or disabled (school) | +$60,000 and tax ceiling | School district tax |
| Local-option homestead | Up to 20% (min $5,000) | Units that adopt it |
| Local over-65 or disabled | At least $3,000 | Units that adopt it |
| Disabled veteran 10–99% | $5,000–$12,000 | All units |
| Disabled veteran 100% or unemployable | Total exemption | All units, homestead |
The 10% homestead cap
Once a home qualifies as a homestead, its appraised value can rise at most 10% a year plus new improvements, even if the market rose more.[9] Example: last year's appraised value was $330,000 and the market value is now $400,000; the taxable appraised value is capped at $363,000. Enter the capped value from your notice in the calculator. Non-homestead property valued at or below $5,320,000 is capped at 20% a year for 2026 under a temporary circuit breaker that expires at the end of 2026.[10][11]
Texas property tax due dates
Bills are mailed in the fall and due on receipt; they become delinquent if not paid by January 31, with the next business day timely when January 31 falls on a weekend.[12][13] Penalties start at 6% plus 1% interest in February and reach 12% plus interest on July 1.[14] Protests are due May 15 or 30 days after your appraisal notice, whichever is later.[15]
County pages
- Harris County property taxCity of Houston · Unincorporated Harris County · City of Pasadena
- Dallas County property taxCity of Dallas · City of Garland · City of Irving
- Tarrant County property taxCity of Fort Worth · City of Arlington
- Bexar County property taxCity of San Antonio · City of San Antonio
- Travis County property taxCity of Austin
- Collin County property taxCity of Plano · City of McKinney · City of Frisco · City of Allen
- Denton County property taxCity of Denton · City of Lewisville · Town of Flower Mound · City of Frisco (Denton County part)
Texas is compared with the other states on property tax rates by state.
If the appraised value itself is too high, the Texas property tax protest window is May 15 or 30 days after your notice.[15] The property tax assessment appeal calculator turns 3–5 comparable sales into a fair-value estimate and the tax you could save. Not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate property tax in Texas?
Add each taxing unit's rate per $100, applied to the appraised value minus that unit's exemptions. School districts subtract $140,000 for a homestead; counties and cities subtract their own local-option amounts.
What is the average property tax rate in Texas?
The median Texas homeowner paid $4,108 on a $313,200 home in 2024, an effective 1.31% (Census ACS). Big-city rates before exemptions are about 2.1% to 2.5%.
How much is the Texas homestead exemption?
$140,000 off the school district value, plus any local-option exemption (up to 20%) from the county, city and other units, and $60,000 more for school taxes at 65 or older.
When are property taxes due in Texas?
By January 31 of the year after the tax year; February 1 they become delinquent and penalties start.
Sources
- 2025 Tax Rates and Levies (school district, city, county, special district XLSX; version dated 01/28/2026)
- Table B25103: Mortgage Status by Median Real Estate Taxes Paid (American Community Survey 2024 1-year)
- Table B25077: Median Value (Dollars), owner-occupied housing units (American Community Survey 2024 1-year)
- Texas Tax Code §23.01 – Appraisals Generally
- Property Tax Exemptions
- Texas Tax Code §11.13 – Residence Homestead
- Texas Tax Code §11.22 – Disabled Veterans
- Texas Tax Code §11.131 – Residence Homestead of 100 Percent or Totally Disabled Veteran
- Texas Tax Code §23.23 – Limitation on Appraised Value of Residence Homestead
- Texas Tax Code §23.231 – Circuit Breaker Limitation on Appraised Value of Real Property Other Than Residence Homestead
- Appraisal and Tax Limitations
- Texas Tax Code §31.02 – Delinquency Date
- Texas Tax Code §1.06 – Effect of Weekend, Holiday, or Office Closure
- Texas Tax Code §33.01 – Penalties and Interest
- Texas Tax Code §41.44 – Notice of Protest
- Jurisdictions (rates, homestead percent, over-65 and disabled amounts; data feed behind the page)
- Truth in Taxation – Notice of Adopted 2025 Tax Rate
- 2025 Ad Valorem Tax Rates for Dallas County (notes on SB 4 / SB 23 amounts)
- Truth in Taxation Summary (adopted rates by taxing unit, tax years 2021–2026)
- Rates and Exemptions – Detail (2026 Tax Rates & Exemptions)
- 2024 Actual Tax Rates / 2025 Actual Tax Rates chart (as of 12/05/2025)
- 2025 Actual Tax Rates / 2026 Actual Tax Rates chart
- Jurisdiction tax rates, current and prior four years (qryJurisRateWeb2025.xls; 2026 file for rate2026)
- Jurisdiction tax rates (qryJurisRateWeb2026.xls)
- Austin City Council approves amended Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget
- Collin CAD Entity List – All Years (dataset 6jr2-fr7b behind the Collin CAD rates and exemptions table; years 2025 and 2026)
- Tax Rates and Exemptions (taxing entity exemptions and rates by year)
- Truth in Taxation Summary (Tax Code §26.16): adopted, M&O, debt, no-new-revenue and voter-approval rates by taxing entity, tax years 2022–2026 (Wayback Machine snapshot of 2026-11-04; the live page is behind a bot check)
- Adopted FY 2026-2027 budget earmarks funds for public safety, judicial system; lowers tax rate again
- Tax Rate and Budget Information – Tax Code Section 26.18 (tax rates FY 2025–FY 2027; Wayback Machine snapshot of 2026-08-14, live file returns 403 to automated requests)
- Denton City Council Adopts Fiscal Year 2027 Budget and Fee Schedule (tax rate $0.548485; Wayback Machine snapshot of 2026-09-26)
- Budget and Tax Facts (FY2025-26 rate .419009; Wayback Machine snapshot of 2026-05-16, live page returns 403 to automated requests)
- My Tax Dollars (homestead exemption history: 20% from 2025; $150,000 over-65 from 2023)