Bexar County Homestead Exemption Deadline: Filing and Appeals

In Bexar County, the homestead exemption deadline is April 30 of the tax year you want the exemption to take effect, and the application goes to the Bexar Central Appraisal District.¹ If you miss April 30, Texas law still lets you file a late application for up to two years after the taxes on the property become delinquent, and the savings apply retroactively.²

The April 30 Deadline

The filing window opens January 1 and closes April 30 of the tax year you want the exemption to start.³ Filing inside that window lets the appraisal district adjust your taxable value before local taxing entities finalize their budgets and rates for the year, so the reduction shows up on your tax statement without any back-and-forth.

One filing is enough. Once the Bexar Appraisal District approves your exemption, it stays in place year after year without any renewal paperwork. The district reviews exemptions periodically on its own to confirm the property still qualifies. You only need to file again if you buy a new home and want the exemption on that property, or if your circumstances change and you no longer use the home as your primary residence.

If You Miss April 30

A missed April 30 deadline is not the end of the exemption. The chief appraiser must accept a late application as long as you submit it no later than two years after the delinquency date for the taxes on that property.² Texas property taxes become delinquent on February 1 of the year after the tax year, so for the 2026 tax year the delinquency date is February 1, 2027, and the late-filing window runs through January 31, 2029.

When the district approves a late application, the tax collector either reduces your outstanding bill or, if you already paid in full, issues a refund. You do not have to file a separate refund request. The refund is automatic within 60 days of approval.²

There is a cost to waiting, though. If you let the tax bill go unpaid while you file late, penalties start at 6 percent in February and climb to 12 percent by July, with 1 percent interest added each month.⁴ Those penalties ride on the pre-exemption tax amount, so filing late can leave you paying penalties on taxes you ultimately did not owe. The practical lesson is to file as soon as you realize you missed the deadline, and to keep paying any outstanding bill while the late application is pending so penalties stop accruing.

How to File

The form is Texas Comptroller Form 50-114, “Application for Residence Homestead Exemption.”⁵ You can download it from the Bexar Appraisal District or the Texas Comptroller. The form asks for your property identification number, which appears on prior tax statements and in the district’s online property search, along with ownership details and the exemptions you are claiming.

Attach a copy of your Texas driver’s license or state-issued identification card. The address on the ID must match the property address on the application.⁶ If your license still shows an old address, update it with the Texas Department of Public Safety before you apply. A mismatch is the most common reason applications get denied. Two narrow exceptions apply: active-duty military members stationed away from the home can substitute a military ID and a utility bill in their name, and participants in the attorney general’s address confidentiality program are not held to the matching rule.

Check that the name on your application matches the name on the recorded deed exactly. Small discrepancies delay processing or trigger a denial. Include a working phone number and email so the district can contact you for clarification instead of rejecting the file outright.

Where to Send It

The Bexar Appraisal District accepts applications through its online filing portal, where you upload Form 50-114 and your ID. The portal is the fastest route and gives you an immediate receipt. You can also mail the completed form and ID copies to the district’s office. If you mail, send it certified so you have proof of timely filing; the postmark controls if the delivery date is ever in dispute.

Expect a formal notice of approval or denial roughly 90 days after the district receives your application. If approved, the adjusted taxable value will appear on your next statement from the Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector.

If Your Application Is Denied

A denial notice from the appraisal district will state the reason. The most common cause is the ID-to-property address mismatch described above, which you can usually fix by updating your license and refiling. Other denials trace back to ownership discrepancies or missing documentation.

You have the right to protest a denial to the Bexar County Appraisal Review Board, an independent panel separate from the appraisal district staff who made the initial decision. File the protest within 30 days of the denial notice. Bring the documents that answer the stated reason for denial: updated ID, deed, and utility bills in your name at the property address.

Special Situations That Change the Timeline

Inherited Homes

If you inherited the home and your name is not on a recorded deed, you can still apply, but the application has to include extra documentation: an affidavit establishing your ownership interest, the prior owner’s death certificate, and a recent utility bill for the property.³ Any other heirs who also live in the home must sign affidavits authorizing the application. Gather these before the April 30 deadline because collecting them often takes longer than filling out the form.

Active-Duty Military

If you are on active duty and stationed away from your Bexar County home, you can keep or claim the homestead exemption even though you are not physically living there, as long as you have not established a new principal residence elsewhere.⁶ Submit a copy of your military ID and a utility bill in your name for the property in place of the matching-ID requirement.

Declared Disasters

When the governor declares a disaster area that includes Bexar County, affected homeowners can request extensions of property tax deadlines on a case-by-case basis.⁷ A separate temporary disaster exemption exists for homes that sustain at least 15 percent damage, with its own filing window of 105 days after the disaster declaration. That temporary exemption is a different program from the residence homestead exemption and does not change the April 30 deadline for the regular one.

One Homestead at a Time

You can only claim one property as your homestead in any given tax year, even if you own homes in other Texas counties or other states. The application asks you to affirm you have no other homestead exemption in effect anywhere.³ When you move, cancel the exemption on your old property before applying for one on the new residence. Claiming an exemption on two properties at once can trigger a 50 percent penalty on the taxes owed for the second property.⁴

1
Bexar County, TX. Property Tax Frequently Asked Questions
2
State of Texas. Texas Code TAX 11.431 – Late Application for Homestead Exemption
3
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions
4
State of Texas. Texas Code TAX 33.01 – Penalties and Interest
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Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Residence Homestead Exemption Application
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State of Texas. Texas Code TAX 11.43 – Application for Exemption
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Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Disaster Relief Information