What Every Texas Homeowner Files
Whatever county you live in, the application is the same: Form 50-114, Residence Homestead Exemption Application, filed with your county appraisal district (not the tax office, and not the state Comptroller). It is free, and you file it once; it carries over year to year unless the district asks you to re-verify.
- What you get statewide: $140,000 off your value for school taxes, plus $60,000 more if you are 65 or older or disabled ($200,000 in total), a cap of 10% a year on increases in your home's taxable value, and at 65 a ceiling that freezes your school tax bill. Our Texas homestead exemption guide explains each one.
- Deadline: between January 1 and April 30 of the tax year. Bought after January 1? You no longer have to wait for next year: you can claim it for the part of the year you own and live in the home, provided the previous owner did not get the same exemption that year.
- Missed it? Texas accepts late applications for up to two years after the delinquency date (normally February 1), and refunds what you overpaid once it is approved.
- What to attach: a copy of your Texas driver's license or state ID. Its address must match the home.
What It Is Worth in Your County
The state exemption only applies to school taxes. On top of it, counties, cities and other local units can offer a percentage exemption (up to 20% of value) and their own 65+ exemptions, and those apply automatically once your homestead is on file. That local layer is where counties differ most.
Worked example, Bexar County. A $350,000 home in San Antonio, in Northside ISD, using the county's official 2025 rates:
| Taxing unit | Homestead exemption | Value removed | Yearly saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northside ISD (school) | $140,000 (state) | $140,000 | ~$1,407 |
| City of San Antonio | 20% | $70,000 | ~$379 |
| Bexar County | 20% | $70,000 | ~$193 |
| Total, before the hospital district and other units | ~$1,979 | ||
At 65, Northside ISD adds the state's $60,000 plus a local amount, the city adds $85,000 and the county $50,000, and the school bill is frozen. Rates and local exemptions change every year; your appraisal notice and your district's property search list the ones applied to your account.
Where and How to File, by County
Harris County (Houston): HCAD
- Easiest route: the free HCAD Info and Exemptions mobile app (iOS and Android). Photograph the front and back of your license and enter your move-in date. The name and address on the license must match the account. The app also shows the status of your application.
- Other routes: the Exemption Wizard on hcad.org, or by mail or in person.
- Local exemptions: Harris County offers a 20% homestead exemption, and the City of Houston also offers 20%, both on top of the state school exemption.
- Phone: 713-957-7800.
Dallas County: DCAD
- Online: on dallascad.org, use Search Appraisals, click your property address, then File Homestead Exemption Online. Uploads take PDF, JPG or TIF, one file at a time. Processing can take up to 90 days.
- By mail: Dallas Central Appraisal District, Attn: PRE, PO Box 560328, Dallas, TX 75356-0328. Phone 214-631-0910.
- Watch your mail in December: DCAD sends "reapply" letters to re-verify exemptions. If you do not respond within 30 days, the exemption is removed.
- Local exemptions: the City of Dallas offers 20% plus $175,000 for owners 65+ or disabled.
Tarrant County (Fort Worth): TAD
- Online: TAD's application lives inside a free TAD.org account. Add your property with the Online PIN printed on your value notice (you can request one if you do not have it), then apply. The PDF form is still accepted.
- Local exemptions: Tarrant County raised its homestead exemption to 20% starting in 2025, and Fort Worth offers 20% plus an amount for 65+.
- Exemptions line: 817-284-4063.
Bexar County (San Antonio): BCAD
- Online: create a login on BCAD's Online Services portal and upload your license or ID showing the property address. Military homeowners without a Texas license can use a military ID plus a utility bill.
- Other routes: mail, fax, in person, or the help.bcad.org contact form. No fee.
- Local exemptions: Bexar County 20% (minimum $5,000) and $50,000 for 65+; City of San Antonio 20% and $85,000 for 65+; University Health (hospital district) 20% and $30,000 for 65+.
Travis County (Austin): TCAD
- Online: the portal at traviscad.org/homesteadexemptions takes uploads, shows your application status and sends email alerts.
- Re-verification in 2026: TCAD is re-checking homestead exemptions granted between 2010 and 2019. If you get a letter, answer it.
- Local exemptions: Travis County and the City of Austin both offer percentage and 65+ exemptions; check your TCAD account for the amounts applied.
- Homestead hotline: 512-873-1560.
Collin County (Plano, Frisco, McKinney): CCAD
- Online: through CCAD's Taxpayer Portal. You can also mail it, file in person in McKinney, or use the 24/7 drop box. Emailed applications are not accepted.
- Local exemptions: Collin County gives 5% (minimum $5,000), $30,000 for 65+, and a county tax freeze at 65. Cities vary; Plano and Frisco both offer 20%.
- Phone: 469-742-9200.
Denton County: DentonCAD
- Routes: online through DentonCAD's public portal, by mail, or in person at 3911 Morse St, Denton.
- Local exemptions: vary sharply by city: Flower Mound and Frisco offer 20%, while some cities offer little or none. Your account page shows what applies.
How to Check It Is Applied
Look up your account in your appraisal district's property search. The exemptions on file are listed on the account (often as codes such as HS for homestead and OV65 for over-65), and they also appear on your appraisal notice in the spring. If your tax bill in the fall shows no homestead exemption, call the district; with the two-year late-filing window, you can usually still fix it and get a refund.
Why Applications Get Rejected
- The ID address does not match the home. By far the most common. Update your address with the Department of Public Safety first, then file.
- A homestead is still claimed somewhere else, in Texas or another state. You swear on the form that you claim no other homestead; districts may ask for proof the old one was removed.
- The home is not your principal residence, or part of it is rented and not excluded.
- You are not on the deed. Heirs, co-heirs living in the home, and some trust situations need the supporting affidavits on Form 50-114-A.
- No reply to a request for information. You get 30 days (one extension of up to 15) before it is denied.
- Ignoring a re-verification letter, which removes an exemption you already had.
Never Pay to File
Every spring, official-looking letters offer to file your homestead exemption for a fee. Filing is free, directly with your appraisal district, in every county above. If the exemption is on file but your value still looks too high, that is a separate step: protest your appraisal by May 15 or 30 days after your notice.
Bottom Line
File Form 50-114 with your county appraisal district, using its app or portal, by April 30, with a Texas ID showing the home's address. In the big metro counties the state school exemption alone is worth $1,400 to $1,700 a year, and the local percentage exemptions often add several hundred more. If you missed it, you have two years to file late and get the money back. Look up your county's rates on our Texas property tax pages.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Portal steps and local exemption amounts are taken from appraisal district and local government sources as of October 2026 and change each year. Confirm with your appraisal district.