Handling homeowner taxes in Texas can feel overwhelming. Why does the bill change yearly, and why are taxes climbing so high? What can you do to make sure you aren’t overpaying your taxes? And what do property taxes do, anyway?
Many homeowners may be unfamiliar with the process of protesting property taxes or worry that trying to lower their home’s appraised value will hurt its market value down the line. Learning more about your rights as a taxpayer can empower you as your budget for property taxes and manage your property, giving you the information to act quickly and fight for significant savings on your next tax bill. Keep reading to uncover the seven most important things every homeowner in Texas needs to know about their taxes.
1. What Homeowner Taxes Pay For
Texas does not have a state income tax; in fact, it’s one of the nine US states without it. Because of this, many of the elements that state income taxes in other areas cover—such as education and health care— come from other funding avenues. In Texas, the bulk of this funding comes from property taxes. The broad categories of different levies are written out in property tax bill notices each year; they typically include:
- City taxes, which cover police departments, fire protection and emergency medical services, street construction or maintenance, and other city-based programs
- County taxes, which cover county road maintenance, sheriff’s department costs, and more
- Local school district taxes
- Junior college or community college taxes
2. How Homeowner Tax Rates Are Calculated
Your property’s tax bill follows this basic formula: [your home’s appraised value] x [your effective tax rate] = [total taxes due]. This formula rapidly becomes more complex. Your local appraisal district will revise that first number each year based on market trends and any exemptions that apply to your home. Part of your property may also be exempted or removed from the calculation for specific levies. Similarly, that second value comprises all the individual levies (city, county, school district, etc.), each of which has its rate.
On the local government level, the rate of the individual categories is based on need. Local government officials calculate the total needed revenue and then consider the taxable values of the properties within their district. The tax rate will fluctuate to make sure the calculations break even. In most situations, the tax rates will not change significantly year after year.
Local governments can only raise revenue from property taxes by 3.5% by getting approval from local voters. Because many Texas communities also see an increase in residents and properties through new construction projects, the total revenue demand is split across a growing number of taxpayers.
3. How Your Home’s Appraised Value Is Calculated
Let’s circle back to the first number in the formula: a home’s appraised value. This number is based on market values as of January 1 of the given tax year. Suppose your county experienced a surge in housing demand, as many communities did in the past few years. This could significantly impact your home’s property value, even if it never went on the market.
The county or other local tax body has an appraiser on staff who manages appraised value calculations. Assessors from the tax appraisal district consider the selling prices of other homes near you, any improvements you may have made to the property, and improvements in the surrounding area, such as new schools, more roads, and new public facilities.
These factors can raise or lower a home’s value over time. They can even have a long-lasting residual effect. While the housing market is cooling, leaving sellers with a smaller profit than they may have received a year ago, the sales prices of surrounding homes will be cemented into historical calculations until enough time goes by.
However, some checks on the system can help stabilize your home’s appraised value. The most notable one is the homestead exemption. It’s a provision for qualifying homeowners with a primary residence in Texas.
If you have a homestead exemption, the tax appraisal district cannot raise your home’s appraised value by more than 10% in a given year (not including any increases due to improvements like installing a pool). Even if neighboring homes see a 20% increase in appraised value, a homestead exemption sets a hard stop at 10% for protected properties.
Related: How the Assessed Value of a Property Affects the Property Tax Rates in Texas
4. How Most Homeowners Pay Their Taxes
While homeowners receive their final property tax bills in the fall, which are due at the end of the following January, that doesn’t reflect how most homeowners pay their taxes. Suppose you have a mortgage on your home. In that case, you likely have an escrow account managed by your mortgage lender that collects portions of your home insurance and property taxes, not just the principal and interest payments on your mortgage. The annual bills for taxes and home insurance are in the thousands of dollars each for most property owners, which can be a shock to anyone’s budget.
Instead, lenders wrap roughly 1/12 of your anticipated property tax bill and home insurance premiums into each monthly payment. They hold that money until the bill is due and then release the funds. This stabilizes the process; many lenders either require or incentivize this setup to ensure taxes are on time and insurance coverage is maintained.
What Happens If the Lender Guesses Wrong on Your Estimated Property Taxes?
Each year, your escrow account managing service calculates your expected property taxes. They predict the amount based on market forecasts if you have a homestead exemption and other considerations. If they overestimate the amount, you may receive a ‘refund’ after the bill is paid, or you can apply it to the following year’s taxes. If they underestimate, your monthly mortgage may increase to make up for the unexpected expense.
5. Important Dates for Staying on Top of Your Property Taxes
There are several key dates throughout each annual property tax cycle. Every homeowner should know these dates:
- January 1: The appraisal district determines property values for the upcoming year.
- January 31: Your property taxes for the previous year are due.
- April 1: Chief appraisers begin to send out Notices of Appraised Value to properties that saw an increase in appraised value.
- May 15 (or 30 days after the delivery of a Notice of Appraised Value): This is the deadline for filing a property tax protest.
- October 1: Property tax rate is finalized and bills are sent out .
By staying on top of these dates, homeowners can ensure they receive notices on time, can apply for all the exemptions they qualify for, and protest their property taxes on time. There are additional dates for paying in installments (for qualifying homeowners).
6. Exemptions That Can Reduce Your Property Taxes in Texas
Exemptions are measures established by the Texas Comptroller’s Office to provide tax relief for qualifying individuals. They remove a portion of the home’s appraised value from tax calculations, lowering your effective tax rate and total property tax bill. Some of the most common exemptions are:
- General homestead exemption: This provision removes $40,000 of a home’s appraised value from school district tax calculations and other reductions. It also caps potential increases in your home’s appraised value by 10%.
- Age 65 or older and disabled exemptions: These measures remove an additional $10,000 from school tax calculations. It also places a tax ceiling on school district taxes.
- Disabled veteran exemption: Disabled veterans can qualify for a partial or complete reduction of property taxes based on the extent of the disability as rated by the VA.
You can verify that your existing exemptions are still in place by contacting your tax appraisal district’s office or website.
Related: 5 Benefits of Homestead Exemption Texas Homeowners Can Use
7. How to Protest Your Property Taxes If You Disagree With the Appraised Value or Total Taxes Due
If you believe the chief appraiser didn’t assess your property correctly or that your exemptions weren’t correctly applied, you have the right to protest your property taxes. File a Form 50-132, Notice of Protest, by May 15, and provide supporting evidence about why you believe there is an error. If you’re protesting your property’s appraised value, you can make a counter-assessment with a number you feel is accurate.
Once the tax appraisal district receives the form, they will:
- Make an adjustment or correction. The process ends here if you believe the matter has been handled satisfactorily. However, if you are unsatisfied, the process moves to the next stage.
- Schedule an informal meeting or hearing. You can make your case to the appraisal district in an informal setting. You move to the final stage if a satisfactory conclusion is again not reached.
- Schedule a formal hearing. At the formal hearing, you or your appointed representative and the chief appraiser will present your cases to a small panel. You may present evidence and documentation and examine the chief appraiser’s evidence. Then the panel will make a final decision.
Home Tax Shield Is Here to Help You Navigate Homeowner Taxes in Texas and Manage the Protest Process
Protesting your property taxes is vital in ensuring you’re paying a fair amount for your property. However, meeting the deadlines, attending the hearings, and gathering evidence can be challenging if you specialize in something other than taxes or real estate.
At Home Tax Shield, we help manage the process on your behalf, starting with assessing your property’s value. We can also file the protest form for you and handle the informal and formal hearing processes. Sign up today to get started on your 2023 property taxes!