Property tax · Texas
The number that surprises everyone moving to Texas.
Texas levies no state income tax, and it collects a great deal more in property tax than most states. That trade is the single biggest adjustment for anyone relocating here, and the part almost nobody is told is what the homestead exemption and the 10% appraisal cap are worth over time. Put a value in and see both.
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Your numbers
The home
County, city, school district and any special districts, added together. The default sits inside the range seen across Dallas–Fort Worth. It is not a quote for any address — your county appraisal district publishes the exact rate.
The projection
Appreciation is an assumption about the future — yours, not mine. It is visible and adjustable because it decides how quickly the cap starts saving you money.
Before you write an offer
Municipal utility districts (MUD) and public improvement districts (PID) are additional assessments used to fund infrastructure, and they are common in newer developments. They do not appear in the list price and they can raise the effective rate on a home materially compared with an otherwise similar house nearby. They are worth checking before you write an offer, not after — and I check them on every property we consider.
If you are weighing this against staying in a rental, the rent versus buy calculator uses the same tax arithmetic inside a full comparison.
The estimate
The exemption saves an estimated $1,386 a year.
- With the exemption
- $7,964$664 a month
- Without any exemption
- $9,350$779 a month
Year 10 · the cap at work
On 3% assumed appreciation, by year 10 the home is worth about $554,529 while the value used to tax it is held at roughly $554,529. Over the whole period the exemption and the cap together account for about $13,860 of tax not paid.
- Total tax, 10 years, with exemption
- $93,327
- Total tax, 10 years, without
- $107,187
This is an estimate built from the rate and value you entered. Rates vary by county, city, school district, MUD and PID, and they are set separately every year, so no figure here is a bill for any particular address. It is not a property valuation, not an appraisal and not tax or legal advice. Your county appraisal district is the authority on your rate and your exemption; a tax professional is the right person for your own position. The split between the school-district portion and everything else is an assumption used so the exemption applies to the part it actually applies to.
Have the tax line checked before you offer.
The exemption has to be applied for, the cap only starts once it is in place, and a special district can change the monthly cost of an otherwise identical house. I check all three on every property we look at.
Property tax
What people ask about this.
- What is the general residence homestead exemption?
- It is a reduction in the taxable value of a home you own and occupy as your principal residence. It currently removes $140,000 of value from the school-district portion of your bill, and once it is in place the appraised value used for taxes cannot rise more than 10 percent a year. It is not automatic — you apply for it with the county appraisal district where the home sits. Exemption amounts change with legislation, so confirm the current figures with the Texas Comptroller or your appraisal district.
- Why does the ten-year projection show two different lines?
- One line is the tax bill on the assumed market value with no exemption. The other is the bill on the capped taxable value with the exemption in place. Once the market rises faster than 10 percent a year, the capped value falls behind market value and stays behind — and the gap between the two lines is real money. Almost nobody moving to Texas has been told this, and it is the single most useful thing on this page.
- Why is this only an estimate?
- Because there is no single Texas property tax rate. Your rate is the combination of county, city, school district and any special districts covering that specific address, and each of those is set separately every year. The rate on this page is a typical Dallas–Fort Worth range, not a quote. Your appraisal district publishes the exact rate for an address, and I check it on every property we consider.
- What are MUD and PID districts and why do they matter?
- They are additional assessments used to fund infrastructure — water, sewer, roads, amenities — and they are common in newer master-planned developments. They do not appear in the list price, and they can raise the effective tax rate on a home materially compared with an otherwise similar house a few miles away. They are worth checking before you write an offer, not after.
- How does the over-65 exemption work?
- An owner who qualifies receives an additional school-district exemption on a homestead, and the school-district portion of the bill is subject to a ceiling so it does not rise from that point. The rules, amounts and qualifying dates are set by statute and administered by the county appraisal district, and they change. Treat the figure here as an illustration and confirm your own position with the appraisal district and a tax professional.
- Is any of this tax advice?
- No. This is an estimate built from a rate you accept or change yourself, for general information. It is not a property valuation, not an appraisal and not tax or legal advice. For your actual bill, your appraisal district is the authority; for your tax position, a CPA is the right person.
Next
Know the real cost before you fall for the house.
A private consultation covering the tax line, the exemption, special districts and what any of it means for the homes you're actually considering.