Texas Homestead Exemption

Only the home you own and live in most of the time. You must be a person, not a business, and the home must be your principal residence. If you bought this year, you can apply as soon as you close and get the exemption for the rest of the year, as long as the previous owner did not already have one on the home (Tax Code §11.42). If you are 65 or older or have a disability, that part starts on January 1 of the year you qualify.

No. The seller's exemption ends when the home changes hands, and the appraisal district removes it. You apply in your own name. Do it right after closing so it is in place for the current year. New to Texas property taxes? Start with our new-homeowner guide.

The place you own and live most of the time, whether it is a house, a condo, or a manufactured home on land you own or lease. Up to 20 acres of land can count as part of it if you use the land for residential purposes.

For most people, one thing: a Texas driver's license or Texas ID card that shows the address of the home. If your license still shows your old address, update it first, because the two addresses have to match. A manufactured home also needs its title or a statement of ownership. See the full list of documents.

No. Filing with your appraisal district is free, and Bezit files it for you for free too. Never pay anyone to file a homestead exemption. The letters offering to do it for $50 to $300 are selling you something the county gives away.

You appoint Bezit as your agent for property tax matters, which is a one-page form you sign online in a few clicks. That lets us submit the homestead application to your appraisal district on your behalf and answer any questions the district sends back. You stay the owner; we just handle the paperwork.

There are a few: - School taxes: Everyone with a primary home gets a $140,000 break for school taxes (Tax Code §11.13(b)). - County taxes: If your county has extra taxes for things like roads or flood control, you might get $3,000 off. - Age 65+ or disabled breaks: If you are 65+ or have a disability, you get a $60,000 break for school taxes on top of the $140,000, plus a ceiling that stops your school taxes from rising. If you qualify for both, you choose one. - Percentage breaks: Your city, county, school, or special district may take off up to 20% of your home's value, but never less than $5,000. - Extra age 65+ or disabled breaks: Some places give at least $3,000 more if you are 65+ or have a disability.

Once your homestead exemption is in place, the taxable value of your home cannot rise more than 10% a year, no matter how much the market value jumps. In a fast market this cap saves many owners more than the $140,000 exemption itself. It starts the year after your exemption is approved, which is one more reason to file early. The cap limits your taxable value; if the market value itself is too high, a protest is how you lower that.

April 30 of the tax year you want the break for. That is the regular deadline, but it is not the end of the road; see the next question.

Yes. Texas accepts a late homestead application for up to two years after the taxes for that year became delinquent, and the district refunds what you overpaid for those years (Tax Code §11.431). Bezit files late applications and does not charge anything for the refund. If you bought in 2024 and never filed, there is money to get back.

No. Once approved, the exemption stays on the home until you move or no longer qualify. The appraisal district may ask you to confirm it every five years, and you must tell them in writing if you move.

Check it every spring. Around April 15 the appraisal district releases the year's preliminary values, and that notice shows which exemptions are on the account. The quickest check is to search your address on Bezit: the property page shows your homestead status next to the new value, and if the value jumped you can file a protest from the same page.

A refinance or a second loan changes nothing: you still own the home and still live in it, so the exemption stays. Moving the deed into a living trust also keeps it, as long as the trust is the usual revocable kind where you keep the right to live there for life; the district may ask for a page of the trust to confirm. Putting the home in a company or LLC ends the exemption. Whenever a new deed is recorded, the district may drop the exemption until it is confirmed, so check the status the following spring.

Most districts approve a complete application in a few weeks, sometimes a couple of months in the spring rush. Once approved it appears on that year's tax bill in October, and any overpayment is refunded.

Yes. You get an extra $60,000 off for school taxes, and your school taxes are frozen at the amount you paid the year you turned 65, so they cannot go up as long as you live there (Tax Code §11.26). Many cities and counties freeze their portion too. The same applies if you have a disability. More ways seniors save on property tax.

Yes. Texas treats this as heir property. If you live in the home, you can receive the full exemption without a new deed by filing the homestead application with the heir property affidavit (Form 50-114-A), the death certificate, and a utility bill or ID showing you live there. If other heirs also own a share, each one living there can apply for their share. Bezit handles the affidavit as part of the filing.

The district sends a written notice saying why. The usual reasons are an ID that does not match the address, a missing signature, or a second exemption still active on an old home. You have 30 days from the notice to fix the problem or to protest the denial to the appraisal review board (Tax Code §41.41). When Bezit is your agent, the notice comes to us, and we correct and refile or protest for you.

No. If the home is uninhabitable after a disaster and you intend to return, the exemption stays for up to two years while you repair or rebuild, and longer when the governor has declared the area a disaster (Tax Code §11.135). You may also qualify for a temporary exemption on the damaged part of the home's value for that year; the district assesses the damage level from the notice you file.

Yes, as long as you intend to come back and do not claim another home as your primary residence. The absence can last up to two years, or longer if you are in military service or living in a health care or assisted-living facility.