Texas property tax guide
The homestead exemption is not automatic.
If you own and live in a Texas home as your principal residence, the residence homestead exemption can lower your taxable value. It can also unlock other protections. But you file it with the county appraisal district.
How to file it
1. Get the form
The application is Form 50-114. Many appraisal districts also take it online. Filing is free. You never need to pay a service to do it.
2. Match your ID
Attach a copy of your Texas driver's license or state ID. The address on it must match the property address. Update the license first if it does not.
3. Send it to your county appraisal district
Find yours in the Comptroller's county directory. The regular deadline is April 30 of the tax year. Miss it and you can still file late, for up to two years after the taxes for that year became delinquent.
What it is worth
The school exemption takes $140,000 off your home's taxable value for school taxes. At a school rate of about $1.00 per $100, that is roughly $1,400 a year. Run your own number with your local rates.
Homestead words, translated
Residence homestead
The home you own and live in as your principal residence.
Second homes and rentals do not use the same exemption.
Form 50-114
The standard Texas residence homestead exemption application.
File with the appraisal district.
10 percent cap
A limit on how much the appraised value can rise each year for a qualified residence homestead.
It is not the same as a 10 percent tax cap.
Over-65 or disabled exemption
An extra school exemption plus an automatic school tax ceiling for owners who qualify.
County, city, and junior-college ceilings are separate local options. Check the details for your parcel with your appraisal district.
What it changes
The homestead exemption lowers taxable value for school district taxes. It can also work with local optional exemptions. Once the home qualifies, it can also help with the residence homestead appraisal cap.
The cap is easy to misunderstand. It limits how much the appraised value can rise for a qualified homestead. It does not freeze the whole tax bill. It usually does not shield buyers in their first year.
For buyers, the practical move is simple. File when you qualify and keep proof. Then check the appraisal district account before the next notice and bill cycle.
After homestead, watch these
Estimate property tax
See how the exemption changes the planning number.
Open estimator ->Build a timeline
Put filing and appraisal deadlines on a calendar.
Build timeline ->Appraisal protests
Know what to do when the notice arrives.
Read guide ->Local Notes
Read short Texas tax and homebuyer notes.
Browse notes ->Sources
This guide uses Texas Comptroller exemption guidance and property-tax basics.
- Data vintage:
- Texas Comptroller guidance current as reviewed July 2026
- Last reviewed:
- July 10, 2026
- Texas Comptroller property tax exemptions - residence homestead, school exemption, age 65 or disabled exemption, and filing guidance
- Texas Comptroller property tax basics - local appraisal, Jan. 1 value date, tax bills, and payment timing
- Texas Comptroller appraisal protests and appeals - ARB protest rights, notice timing, evidence, and protest deadlines
- Texas property tax rate lookup - official local tax-rate notices, budgets, and adopted rates by address or taxing unit
Before you act: Texas Porch estimates from user-entered rates and values. It does not subtract optional local-unit exemptions because each unit can use a different taxable value. Appraisal districts, tax assessor-collectors, and taxing units control the parcel-specific numbers. How to use Texas Porch carefully.