Texas Property Tax Calculator 2026

How Texas Property Tax Works

Property tax in Texas is an annual tax levied on real estate by local governments — primarily counties, municipalities, and school districts. The amount you owe is determined by your property's assessed value multiplied by the local mill rate. The statewide effective rate is approximately 1.74% of market value, placing Texas 0.64% above the national average of 1.10%.

The effective rate combines all local levies: county tax, municipal tax, school district tax, and any special assessments. Because Texas has multiple taxing jurisdictions, your actual rate depends heavily on where in the state your property is located. The 1.74% figure is a weighted average across all Texas counties.

On the median Texas home valued at $285,000, the typical annual property tax bill is about $4,959 — or roughly $413 per month when paid through a mortgage escrow account.

Who Collects Property Tax in Texas — and How Rates Are Set

In Texas, property taxes are assessed and collected at the county level. Each county has an assessor who determines property values and a treasurer (or equivalent office) who collects taxes. The state sets the framework and maximum rates; counties, municipalities, and school districts each add their own levies within those limits.

One terminology note that trips up newcomers: Texas does not quote "mills". Texas taxing units publish their rate as dollars per $100 of assessed value, so a rate of $1.74 per $100 is the same thing as the 1.74% used by this calculator. Rates are adopted annually against local budget needs, and appraisal districts reappraise at least once every three years — the large urban districts do it annually. If your home's market value rises faster than neighboring properties, your share of the tax burden can increase even if the mill rate stays the same.

To find your exact rate, contact your Texas county assessor's office or check your county's official website. Your most recent property tax bill will also show the breakdown of all levies applied to your parcel.

Texas Property Tax Exemptions and Relief Programs

Texas offers a $140,000 general homestead exemption for school district taxes on your primary residence, plus an additional $60,000 for homeowners who are 65 or older or disabled — a combined $200,000 school-district exemption for those who qualify. These are the current amounts after Texas voters approved Proposition 13 (general exemption, $100,000 → $140,000) and Proposition 11 (over-65/disabled add-on, $10,000 → $60,000) on 4 November 2025. Both apply retroactively to tax years beginning 1 January 2025, so they are already reflected in the bill due 31 January 2026. State estimates put the saving at roughly $350–$500 a year for a typical homeowner, and $900 or more for an over-65 household. See the Texas Comptroller's property tax exemptions guide for the current schedule.

Veterans may qualify for a partial or full exemption depending on disability rating and service history. Agricultural land often receives a preferential assessment based on use-value rather than market value. If you believe your assessment is incorrect, you have the right to appeal — typically within 30 to 90 days of receiving your assessment notice.

To apply for any exemption, contact your county assessor. Most exemptions require an annual or one-time application and proof of eligibility (residency, age, disability documentation, etc.).

Texas Property Tax Calculator by County: Harris, Dallas, Travis, Bexar, Tarrant (2026)

The 1.74% statewide effective rate masks wide county variation. Verified 2026 effective rates from the Texas Comptroller's property-tax division for the big-five Texas counties: Harris (Houston) 1.94%, Dallas 1.83%, Travis (Austin) 1.69%, Bexar (San Antonio) 1.97%, Tarrant (Fort Worth) 1.87%. Suburb premiums add up to 0.4 percentage points more (Fort Bend, Williamson, Collin, Denton). On a $400,000 home, that's a $7,520 Bexar bill versus $6,760 in Travis — a $760/year difference for the same home value. The $140,000 school homestead exemption (raised from $100,000 by Proposition 13 in November 2025) cuts the school-district portion of the bill — but the city/county/MUD portion still applies in full. Counties with municipal utility districts (MUDs, common in Houston exurbs) often add another 0.3–0.7% on top of the published county rate; this calculator doesn't auto-include MUD overlays, so confirm your specific parcel rate via your county appraisal district's website for the exact figure.

Tips to Manage Your Texas Property Tax Bill

First, verify your assessment is accurate. Review your property record card at the county assessor's office and check for errors in square footage, bedroom/bathroom count, or lot size. Even small errors can inflate your assessed value and tax bill. If the assessment seems high, look up recent sale prices of comparable homes in your neighborhood and file an appeal if warranted.

Second, apply for every exemption you qualify for. Homestead, senior, veteran, and disability exemptions can reduce your taxable value by thousands of dollars. Third, if your mortgage servicer handles tax payments through escrow, review your escrow statement annually. Servicers sometimes over-estimate and hold excess funds — you may be entitled to a refund. Finally, Texas property taxes are due January 31 each year.

The Over-65 School Tax Ceiling and the May 15 Protest Deadline

Two Texas-specific rules change the bill more than any rate estimate, and neither shows up in a flat percentage calculation. The first is the school tax ceiling under Texas Tax Code §11.26: once you qualify for the age-65-or-older or disabled-person homestead exemption, the school district portion of your bill is frozen at the dollar amount you paid in the first qualifying year. It does not rise when your appraised value rises, and it transfers to a surviving spouse aged 55 or older. Only school taxes freeze — city, county, hospital and MUD levies keep moving, which is why an over-65 bill still creeps up a little each year. The second is the protest deadline: you must file with your county Appraisal Review Board by 15 May, or 30 days after your notice of appraised value is delivered, whichever is later. Miss it and the appraised value stands for the whole year, even when it is plainly wrong. Homestead-capped homes also get the 10% annual appraisal cap, so check whether your assessed value already sits below market before protesting. Both programs and the filing steps are set out by the Texas Comptroller property tax exemptions guidance. Updated 2026-08-18.

Worked Example: What the $140,000 Homestead Exemption Saves You in 2026

The calculator above applies a blended effective rate, so it is worth seeing the exemption math on its own. Take a $400,000 home in Harris County and split the bill the way Texas actually splits it — the school district portion runs roughly $1.10 per $100 of value, with city, county, hospital and MUD levies making up the rest of the 1.94% county rate.

• School district portion: the exemption comes off first. $400,000 − $140,000 = $260,000 taxable × 1.10% = $2,860. Under the old $100,000 exemption the same home was taxed on $300,000 = $3,300 — a saving of $440 a year.
• All other taxing units: the general homestead exemption does not apply here. City, county, hospital district and any MUD still tax the full $400,000, at roughly 0.84% combined = $3,360.
• Total 2026 bill: about $6,220, versus $6,660 before Proposition 13.
• If you are 65 or older or disabled: Proposition 11 adds $60,000 more, so the school district taxes only $200,000 = $2,200 — around $1,100 less per year than under the old $100,000/$10,000 pair.

Two things this shows that a flat-rate estimate hides. First, the exemption only bites on the school-district slice, which is why a $40,000 jump in exemption does not cut your bill by 1.74% of $40,000. Second, your saving scales with your school district's rate, not your home value — two $400,000 homes in different ISDs save different amounts. There is also a 10% annual cap on how much the appraised value of a homesteaded property can rise, which matters more than the exemption in a fast-appreciating market. Rates and exemption amounts per the Texas Comptroller. Updated 2026-08-02.