Texas law requires school districts to give homeowners a $140,000 homestead exemption on the home they live in, The Texas Tribune reports. On a $200,000 house, that means school taxes are owed on only $60,000. Homeowners who are 65 or older or who have a qualifying disability get another $60,000 on top, and their school tax bill freezes at 65.
The homestead also unlocks the state’s 10% appraisal cap, which limits how fast a home’s taxable value can rise each year, and any city or county homestead exemptions, which are applied automatically once the state exemption is on file.
To qualify, you must own at least part of the home and live in it as your primary residence as of Jan. 1. You can claim only one primary residence anywhere in the country. Most applicants need a Texas driver’s license or state ID whose address matches the property; active-duty military and nursing-home residents are exempt from the address match. Heirs whose names are not on the deed can apply with an affidavit, a death certificate, a recent utility bill and documents showing the inheritance.
The application is free. Use your county appraisal district’s form or the Comptroller’s Form 50-114; some districts take it online. The regular deadline is April 30, but most homeowners who missed a year can still file for up to two years after that year’s taxes were paid and may get a refund. Some, such as disabled veterans, have up to five years for certain exemptions.
Appraisal districts usually do not send an approval letter. Check your property record online, or look for the exemption on the appraisal notice mailed in April and the tax bill mailed in October.
Why it matters. Property taxes are the biggest bill many Texas families pay after the mortgage itself, and this is money the Legislature has already said belongs to homeowners. If you bought a home recently, inherited one, or simply never filed, it is worth ten minutes to check.
The other side. Property-tax relief is also on the ballot in a bigger sense: Gov. Abbott proposes abolishing school property taxes for homeowners and cutting the appraisal cap to 3%, while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants to lower the age for senior benefits from 65 to 55. Critics in both parties ask how the state would replace the revenue.
Open questions. How many eligible Texans have never filed, and whether appraisal districts will do more outreach before the April 30 deadline.
