Texas Property Tax Exemptions: Complete Guide

Texas Property Tax Exemptions: Which Ones Do You Qualify For?

Texas property tax exemptions reduce the taxable value of your home, directly lowering your tax bill. Unlike a protest (which challenges your appraised value), exemptions are automatic deductions applied to your taxable value each year after you apply.

Most Texas homeowners qualify for at least one exemption. Many qualify for several. The table below summarizes every major exemption — click through to the detailed guides for eligibility requirements, application steps, and savings calculations.

Quick Reference: Texas Property Tax Exemptions

How Exemptions Lower Your Taxes

Exemptions work by reducing the value your tax bill is calculated from. Here's a simple example:

• Assessed value: $400,000
• Homestead exemption (school): -$100,000
• Local homestead exemption (20%): -$80,000
• Taxable value: $220,000

At a combined 2.5% tax rate, that's $4,500 less in annual property taxes compared to paying on the full assessed value.

Exemptions stack — if you qualify for both the general homestead and over-65 exemptions, you receive both. A senior homeowner could exempt $200,000 or more from school taxes alone.

General Homestead Exemption

The homestead exemption is available to any Texas homeowner who owns and occupies their home as a primary residence. It's the most common exemption and provides the largest benefit for most homeowners.

As of 2024 (Proposition 4), the school district homestead exemption is $100,000 — up from $40,000 previously. Most cities and counties offer additional optional exemptions of up to 20% of your home's assessed value.

The homestead exemption also activates the 10% annual cap on assessed value increases, which limits how much your taxable value can rise each year.

Read the full homestead exemption guide — covers eligibility, how to apply, 2026 amounts, and the 10% cap.

Over-65 / Senior Exemption

Texas homeowners aged 65 and older receive additional exemptions beyond the general homestead:

• Additional $10,000 off school district taxes (on top of the $100,000 homestead exemption)
• School district tax freeze — your school taxes are capped at the amount you owed the year you turned 65
• Many local taxing entities offer additional senior exemptions
• Tax deferral option — seniors can defer all property tax payments until the home is sold

The combined school tax exemption for seniors can reach $200,000 or more.

Read the full over-65 exemption guide — covers the tax freeze, deferral option, surviving spouse rules, and how to apply.

Disabled Person Exemption

Homeowners with a qualifying disability receive an additional $10,000 school district exemption, similar to the over-65 exemption. You cannot claim both the over-65 and disabled person exemptions — whichever applies first is used.

Disabled homeowners also qualify for a tax ceiling (freeze) on school district taxes and may defer property tax payments.

Read the full disabled homeowner exemption guide — covers qualifying disabilities, disabled veteran exemptions, and application process.

Disabled Veteran Exemption

Texas offers exemptions for veterans with a VA disability rating:

• 10-29% disability: $5,000 exemption
• 30-49% disability: $7,500 exemption
• 50-69% disability: $10,000 exemption
• 70-100% disability: $12,000 exemption
• 100% disability: Full (total) exemption from all property taxes

Surviving spouses of disabled veterans may also qualify. The disabled veteran exemption is separate from and stacks with the general homestead exemption.

Read the full disabled veteran exemption guide — covers VA rating requirements, surviving spouse eligibility, and how to apply.

Solar Energy Exemption

If you install solar panels on your Texas home, the added property value from the solar installation is exempt from property taxes under Texas Tax Code Section 11.27. You must own the system (leased panels don't qualify) and file Form 50-123 with your county appraisal district by April 30.

Read the full solar exemption guide — covers qualifying devices, application steps, and documentation requirements.

How to Apply for Exemptions

1. Download the application — Get Form 50-114 (homestead) or the relevant form from your county appraisal district's website
2. Gather documentation — Driver's license showing the property address, proof of disability or age if applicable
3. Submit by April 30 — File with your county appraisal district by mail, online, or in person
4. One-time application — Once approved, the homestead exemption renews automatically each year (no need to re-apply unless you move)

Late applications are accepted up to one year after the delinquency date for the tax year in which you qualify.

Exemptions + Protests = Maximum Savings

Exemptions and property tax protests work together. Exemptions reduce your taxable value by a fixed amount. A successful protest reduces your appraised value — and exemptions are then applied to that lower number.

Example:

• Appraised value: $450,000
• Protest reduction: -$40,000 → $410,000
• Homestead exemption (school): -$100,000 → $310,000 taxable

Without the protest, you'd pay taxes on $350,000. With both, you pay on $310,000 — an extra $1,000 in annual savings at a 2.5% rate.

For a complete overview of every relief option — including payment plans, deferrals, and protest rights — see: Texas Property Tax Relief: Every Program Available.

Ballard Property Tax Protest handles the protest side — filing, evidence, and hearings — so you can combine exemption savings with protest reductions. You don't pay unless we lower your value.

Sign up today.