Collin County Property Tax Due Date: January 31 and 2026 Shift

The Collin County property tax due date is January 31, the last day to pay without penalty under Texas law. Because January 31, 2026 falls on a Saturday, Texas Tax Code Section 1.06 pushes the effective deadline to the next regular business day: Monday, February 2, 2026.¹ Any balance still unpaid after that date becomes delinquent, and penalties start piling on the following month.

The January 31 Deadline and the 2026 Weekend Shift

Texas Tax Code Section 31.02 makes property taxes delinquent if they’re not paid before February 1 of the year after they’re imposed.² In practice, your last penalty-free day is January 31. Collin County mails tax statements in October, and the county confirms the 2026 deadline as January 31.³

For 2026, January 31 is a Saturday. Under Section 1.06, when the last day to perform an act falls on a Saturday, Sunday, state or national holiday, or a day the collector’s office is closed, the act is timely if completed on the next regular business day.¹ That makes Monday, February 2, 2026, the effective last day to pay without penalty. If you mail a check, the postmark must fall on or before the due date for the payment to count as timely.⁴

How to Pay Before the Deadline

You’ll need your property account number, printed on the top of the tax statement mailed in October. If you’ve misplaced the statement, search by name or address through the Collin County Tax Assessor-Collector’s online portal at taxpublic.collincountytx.gov.³ Verify the exact payoff amount before paying, because the total will change if penalties or interest have already started accruing.

Collin County accepts payments three ways:

Online through the county’s portal using an e-check or credit card. E-checks carry a small flat fee; credit card payments involve a percentage-based convenience fee. Confirm the fee before submitting.
By mail, with a check or money order payable to “Collin County Tax Assessor-Collector” and sent to P.O. Box 8006, McKinney, TX 75070-8006. Postmark date controls, not the date the county opens the envelope.⁵
In person at one of three county tax offices: McKinney (2300 Bloomdale Rd.), Frisco (6101 Frisco Square Blvd.), or Plano (900 E. Park Blvd.). Each location has a drop box for after-hours payments.³

If your mortgage includes an escrow account, your loan servicer collects property tax funds in your monthly payment and remits them to the county on your behalf. Even then, the penalties attach to your property if the servicer pays late, so check your annual escrow statement to confirm the tax payment actually went out.⁶

What a Late Payment Costs

Once the delinquency date passes, the bill starts growing immediately. Texas Tax Code Section 33.01 imposes a 6% penalty in the first month of delinquency, plus an additional 1% for each later month. Interest runs at 1% per month on top of that, and it keeps running as long as the balance is unpaid.⁷

Here is how the combined penalty and interest adds up month by month:

February: 6% penalty + 1% interest = 7%
March: 7% penalty + 2% interest = 9%
April: 8% penalty + 3% interest = 11%
May: 9% penalty + 4% interest = 13%
June: 10% penalty + 5% interest = 15%
July 1: 12% penalty + 6% interest = 18%, plus a potential collection attorney penalty

July 1 is where things get painful. If taxes that became delinquent between February 1 and May 1 remain unpaid on July 1, the taxing unit can add a separate penalty to cover the cost of hiring a collection attorney.⁸ The amount matches whatever the attorney’s contract specifies, and those contracts commonly run 15 to 20 percent of the delinquent amount. After July 1, interest keeps compounding on everything.

Taxing units can also sue to collect unpaid taxes and foreclose the tax lien. A judgment can lead to the property being sold at public auction. A tax bill that was manageable in February can grow by a third or more before any lawsuit is filed.

Installment and Split-Payment Options

Two legal alternatives let certain homeowners stretch the deadline, but eligibility is narrow.

Quarter-Payment Plan

If you are 65 or older, disabled, or a qualifying disabled veteran, you can pay in four equal installments without penalty or interest. The first quarter is due before the standard delinquency date, and you must notify the taxing unit that you intend to use the installment plan. The remaining three payments are due before April 1, June 1, and August 1.⁹ Missing any installment date triggers penalties on the unpaid portion.

Split Payment

Some taxing units let any property owner split taxes into two halves: the first due before December 1, the second before July 1.² It only applies if the governing body of a taxing unit that collects its own taxes has formally adopted the option.¹⁰ Check with the Collin County Tax Assessor-Collector to see whether any taxing unit on your bill offers it.

Deferral for Seniors, Disabled Homeowners, and Veterans

If you are 65 or older, disabled, or a qualifying disabled veteran and you own and occupy your home as your primary residence, you can defer collection of your property taxes indefinitely. This is a full postponement, not a payment plan. While taxes are deferred, no taxing unit can sue you for the debt or sell your property at a tax sale.¹¹

File an affidavit with the Collin Central Appraisal District stating that you meet the age, disability, or veteran requirements and that the property is your residence homestead. The tax lien stays on the property and interest accrues at 5% per year during the deferral, with no monthly penalties.¹¹ Deferred taxes come due 181 days after you stop living in the home. A surviving spouse aged 55 or older who still lives in the home can continue the deferral.

Confirm Your Homestead Exemption Before You Pay

Before writing the check, make sure your bill reflects every exemption you qualify for. If you own and live in your Collin County home as your primary residence, you likely qualify for a residence homestead exemption that reduces the taxable value of your property. For school district taxes, the exemption is $140,000 off your home’s appraised value.¹² For most homeowners that alone is worth well over a thousand dollars a year.

Homeowners who are 65 or older or disabled qualify for an additional $10,000 off the appraised value for school district taxes, plus a ceiling that freezes school district taxes at the amount owed in the year you qualified. Counties, cities, and other taxing units may offer their own homestead exemptions on top. Apply through the Collin Central Appraisal District, not the tax office. New homestead exemption applications are generally due by April 30 of the tax year.

1
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 1.06 – Effect of Weekend, Holiday
2
Justia. Texas Tax Code – Collections
3
Collin County. Tax Assessor – Property Taxes
4
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 1.08 – Timeliness of Action by Mail or Common or Contract Carrier
5
Tax Assessor-Collectors Association of Texas. Tax Assessor-Collectors Association of Texas – Collin County
6
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1024.17 Escrow Accounts
7
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest
8
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.07 – Additional Penalty for Collection Costs for Taxes Due Before June 1
9
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 31.031 – Installment Payments of Certain Homestead Taxes
10
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Payment Options
11
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.06 – Deferred Collection of Taxes on Residence Homestead of Elderly or Disabled Person or Disabled Veteran
12
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions