Some Cameron County Homeowners Can Pay Property Taxes in Four Installments

If you're 65 or older, disabled, a disabled veteran, or the surviving spouse of one, and you carry a homestead exemption on the home, you don't have to clear the whole property tax bill in one January payment. Section 31.031 of the Property Tax Code lets you spread it across four installments, and the Cameron County Tax Office runs the plan.

The quarters fall due January 31, March 31, May 31, and July 31. You start it by paying the first quarter by the January deadline instead of the full amount; that act enrolls you. Miss a later installment, though, and penalty and interest land on the part you skipped, so it's a plan that rewards keeping those four dates on the calendar.

One quirk to remember: the first payment is the trigger. Pay the whole bill in January out of habit and you've simply paid in full, with no installment plan to fall back on after the fact.