Texas Homestead Exemption: Who Qualifies and How to Apply

Who qualifies

A residence homestead is a home (and up to 20 acres) that you own and occupy as your principal residence (Tax Code §11.13(j)). You can claim only one homestead. If you move out temporarily, the home generally keeps its status if you're away less than two years and intend to return, or if you're away for military service or living in a care facility.

How much it's worth

Starting with the 2025 tax year, the school district homestead exemption is $140,000, up from $100,000 (Tax Code §11.13(b)). Counties provide a $3,000 exemption, and cities, counties, school districts, and special districts may each adopt a local option exemption of up to 20% of the home's value, with a $5,000 minimum.

Local exemptions in Travis County for 2026, from TCAD's published exemption listing:

Local amounts are adopted each year, so check TCAD's current listing for your taxing units.

The 10% homestead cap

Once your home has qualified for a full year, its appraised value can rise no more than 10% a year, plus the value of any new improvements (Tax Code §23.23). The cap starts on January 1 of the tax year after the first year you qualify. Your notice shows both the market value and the capped value. The cap limits increases; it doesn't stop you from protesting the market value.

If you just bought your home

You don't have to wait until next January 1. If you buy a home and move in during the year, you can receive the general homestead exemption for the rest of that year, as long as the previous owner didn't receive the same exemption on the home for that year (Tax Code §11.42(f)). Apply before the first anniversary of buying the home. If the seller had the exemption, it covers the rest of the year, and you apply for the following year.

How to apply

1. Get Form 50-114, the Residence Homestead Exemption Application, from the Comptroller or your appraisal district.
2. Attach a copy of your Texas driver's license or state ID. The address must match the home (Tax Code §11.43(j), (n)). Active-duty military members and their spouses can use a military ID and a utility bill instead.
3. File with your appraisal district. In Travis County, apply online through TCAD's portal, by mail to P.O. Box 149012, Austin, TX 78714-9012, or in person at 850 East Anderson Lane. TCAD's exemption helpline is (512) 873-1560.

The general deadline is April 30. There's no fee, and you don't need to hire anyone. Once the exemption is granted, you generally don't need to reapply unless the appraisal district asks you to in writing.

Late applications

If you missed the deadline, you can still apply. Texas law allows a late homestead application up to two years after the delinquency date for that year's taxes, and an approved late exemption is credited or refunded (Tax Code §11.431). Disabled veterans have up to five years.

65+, disability, and veteran exemptions

• Age 65 or older, or disabled: an additional $60,000 school district exemption (Tax Code §11.13(c)), plus a school tax ceiling that generally keeps your school taxes from rising above the amount in the year you qualified, except for new improvements (§11.26). The ceiling can move with you to a new Texas home as a percentage. If the district already has your birth date, the 65+ exemption can be applied automatically.
• Surviving spouses: a spouse who was 55 or older when the 65+ spouse died can keep the local exemption and the school tax ceiling.
• Disabled veterans: a veteran rated 100% disabled or individually unemployable by the VA is exempt on the full value of the homestead (§11.131), and an unremarried surviving spouse keeps it. Partial exemptions of $5,000 to $12,000 apply based on disability rating (§11.22).