Texas Homestead Exemption Calculator

This Texas homestead exemption calculator shows Texas homeowners how much the residence homestead exemption cuts their 2026 property tax bill, taxing unit by taxing unit. It applies the $140,000 school district exemption, the extra $60,000 for owners 65 or older or disabled, and any local homestead exemptions your county or city offers to your own appraised value and tax rates. Figures checked October 2026 against the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Quick answer: Multiply each exemption by that taxing unit's rate per $100 and divide by 100. A Texas homestead exemption calculator shows the $140,000 school exemption at a $0.95 rate saves $1,330 a year, rising to $1,900 with the $200,000 total for owners 65 or older or disabled. County and city exemptions add more where adopted.

What Is the Texas Homestead Exemption?

The Texas homestead exemption is an amount taken off the appraised value of the home you own and live in as your principal residence before each taxing unit applies its rate. Texas has no state property tax, so the saving comes from school districts, counties, cities and special districts, and each one treats the exemption differently.

The formula in plain words: for each taxing unit, add up the exemptions it gives, take them off your appraised value, then multiply what is left by the rate per $100 and divide by 100. Your saving is the tax on the full value minus the tax on the reduced value. Tax Code Section 11.13(b) requires every school district to give $140,000, and Section 11.13(c) adds $60,000 for owners 65 or older or disabled.

How to Use the Texas Homestead Exemption Calculator

Step 1: Enter Your Appraised Value

Use the homestead appraised value on your notice from the appraisal district, not the market value or the price you paid. Once a home qualifies as a homestead, the taxable appraised value can rise more slowly than the market, and the notice already shows that limited figure.

Step 2: Choose Your Owner Status

Pick 65 or older, or disabled, if either applies to you. This adds the $60,000 school exemption and switches on the local senior exemption fields, which by law cannot be less than $3,000 where a county, city or other unit adopts one.

Step 3: Enter Your Tax Rates and Local Exemptions

Copy each rate per $100 from last year's tax statement or your appraisal district's website. The defaults are example rates, not any real district's. Enter a local option percentage if that unit offers one, up to 20%. Where 20% of your value is under $5,000, the calculator gives the $5,000 minimum automatically.

Step 4: Read Your Saving

The headline is your yearly saving across all units, with the monthly figure for escrow. The table shows how much value each unit exempts, the tax you still owe it and what you save. If your lender collects taxes monthly, the percentage increase calculator shows how much a new escrow payment differs from the old one, so you can check the change.

How Much Does the Homestead Exemption Save in Texas?

On school taxes alone, the $140,000 exemption saves $1,120 to $1,540 a year at school rates between $0.80 and $1.10 per $100, and $1,600 to $2,200 for owners 65 or older or disabled. The exact figure depends on your school district's rate and on whether your county and city offer local exemptions.

School tax rate per $100	Saving under 65 ($140,000)	Saving 65 or older, or disabled ($200,000)
$0.80	$1,120	$1,600
$0.90	$1,260	$1,800
$0.95	$1,330	$1,900
$1.00	$1,400	$2,000
$1.10	$1,540	$2,200

Worked example: Marisol owns a home in a fast growing Austin suburb with a homestead appraised value of $350,000. Using example rates of $0.95 for the school district, $0.35 for the county with a 20% local option, $0.45 for the city and $0.30 for other districts, her bill without exemptions would be $7,175. The school exemption saves $1,330 and the county's $70,000 exemption saves $245, so she pays $5,600 and saves $1,575 a year, or $131.25 a month. When she turns 65, the school exemption rises to $200,000 and her school saving grows to $1,900.

Who Qualifies for a Homestead Exemption in Texas?

You qualify if you have an ownership interest in the home and use it as your principal residence. According to the Texas Comptroller, the general deadline to apply is before May 1, and an owner who buys after 1 January can receive the general homestead exemption for the part of the tax year after they qualify. You apply once to your county appraisal district, not to each taxing unit. If you are weighing a move between states, the Florida doc stamp calculator shows the transfer tax a Florida purchase adds, which Texas does not charge in the same way.

Which Local Homestead Exemptions Can Texas Counties and Cities Offer?

Any taxing unit can adopt a local option exemption of up to 20% of appraised value, and it cannot be less than $5,000. Units can also adopt an exemption for owners 65 or older or disabled of at least $3,000. These are choices made each year, so a neighbouring county may give nothing while yours gives 20%. Property taxes you pay on your home may also be deductible if you itemise, as the IRS guide to deductible taxes explains, subject to the federal limit on state and local tax deductions. Your appraisal district lists the exemptions each unit has adopted for the current year, so you can copy them straight into the calculator.

This Texas homestead exemption calculator does not model the over 65 school tax ceiling, the exemptions for disabled veterans or a partial year after a purchase, so treat its result as an estimate and confirm the final figures with your appraisal district.

Frequently Asked Questions