Harris County Property Tax Due Dates and Penalties

Harris County property taxes are due in full by January 31 of the year after the tax year, using the bill the Harris County Tax Office mails out in October or November. Pay by that date and you owe nothing extra. Miss it, and on February 1 your account is delinquent, with a 6% penalty and 1% interest applied that same day.¹²

How the January 31 Deadline Works

The tax year starts on January 1, when the Harris Central Appraisal District values every property.³ After local taxing units set their rates, the tax office mails bills in October and November.⁴ From the day the bill arrives until January 31, you can pay in full with no penalty or interest.¹

If January 31 falls on a weekend or a legal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. Anything still unpaid on February 1 is delinquent.⁵

What a Late Payment Costs You

Texas Tax Code Section 33.01 sets the schedule. On February 1, a 6% penalty and 1% interest apply immediately. Each additional month adds another 1% penalty and another 1% interest. On July 1, the penalty becomes a flat 12% of the tax owed no matter how many months have passed, and interest keeps accruing at 1% per month on top of that.²

On a $5,000 bill left completely unpaid, the added charges look like this:

February 1: 6% penalty plus 1% interest, or $350 added.
April 1: 8% penalty plus 3% interest, or $550 added.
July 1: 12% penalty plus 6% interest, or $900 added.

Once the account is referred to delinquent tax attorneys, additional collection fees can be added to the balance. Paying whatever you can on time reduces both the penalty base and the interest going forward, even if you cannot cover the full bill.

Splitting the Bill Into Installments

Texas Tax Code Section 31.031 lets certain homeowners pay in four equal installments with no penalty or interest. You qualify if you are 65 or older, have a disability, or are a disabled veteran (or the unmarried surviving spouse of one) receiving an exemption under Tax Code Section 11.22.⁶

Installments are due before the first of each listed month:

First payment: before February 1.
Second payment: before April 1.
Third payment: before June 1.
Fourth payment: before August 1.

Send written notice with your first payment saying you intend to use the plan. Miss any installment date and penalty and interest apply to the unpaid portion as if it had been delinquent since February 1.⁶

If you do not qualify for the quarterly plan, Harris County still takes partial payments on real property through June. Penalty and interest begin on February 1 regardless of how much you have already paid, but every partial payment shrinks the balance those charges are calculated against. Any amount still owed after June can be rolled into an installment agreement with the tax office, spread over the following six months.¹

How to Pay on Time

Harris County accepts payments online, by mail, by phone, and in person.⁷ You need the account number from your tax statement, or you can look up your account by address or owner name on the tax office website.⁸

Online and Phone

The MyHarrisCountyTax portal takes credit cards, debit cards, and electronic checks (ACH bank transfers).⁹ Electronic checks carry a $0.50 convenience fee. Credit and debit cards are charged 2.40% with a $1.00 minimum, which comes to $120 on a $5,000 bill, so e-check is far cheaper. You get an email confirmation once the payment processes, and if you have an account, the receipt is stored in your payment history.⁷

By Mail

A mailed payment counts as timely if the envelope carries a USPS postmark on or before January 31. A February 1 postmark makes it late, even if you dropped the envelope in a mailbox two days earlier. This matters more now than it once did: as of late 2025, the USPS applies postmarks when mail reaches automated processing rather than when the Postal Service first takes possession, which can delay a postmark by one to three days, especially with blue collection boxes or areas far from a regional processing facility.¹⁰

If you are mailing close to the deadline, go to a post office counter and send the payment by certified or registered mail. Both give you a dated receipt as proof. A manual counter postmark confirms the date but does not leave you with a retained document. Metered postage and online-printed labels do not count as postmark proof.¹⁰

In Person

The tax office runs a main office and several satellite locations with drop boxes. Check the current locations and hours before you go, especially in the final days of January when lines are longest.

If Your Mortgage Escrows Your Taxes

With an escrow account, your lender collects a share of your estimated property taxes each month and pays the tax office directly. Under federal rules, the servicer must pay by the deadline as long as your escrow account holds enough to cover the bill.¹¹

When Harris County values rise, your escrow contribution often lags. That produces a shortage, discovered in the annual escrow analysis. If the shortage is less than one month’s escrow payment, the servicer can require you to pay it off within 30 days. If it equals a month or more, you must be given at least 12 months to repay in equal monthly installments.¹¹

You are still ultimately responsible if the lender fails to pay. Read the annual escrow statement, confirm the tax office shows a zero balance for your account after January 31, and follow up right away if it does not.

Other Deadlines That Shape the Bill

Two earlier dates in the year decide what your January bill will look like. Missing them will not make you late on the tax itself, but they cost money either way.

The homestead exemption application is due April 30 of the tax year. A general residence homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of your home by $100,000 for school district taxes, and additional exemptions apply for homeowners 65 or older or with a disability, including a school-tax ceiling for those groups. Late homestead applications are accepted up to two years past the deadline for most exemption types.

If the appraised value looks too high, you can protest. In most cases the Notice of Protest is due by May 15, or 30 days after the date on your appraisal notice, whichever is later.¹² A successful protest lowers the taxable value that produces your October bill.

Key Dates at a Glance

January 1: property is valued as of this date for the coming tax year.³
April 30: deadline to file a homestead exemption application for the current tax year.
May 15 (or 30 days after your appraisal notice): deadline to file a Notice of Protest.¹²
October–November: tax bills are mailed to property owners and mortgage companies.⁵
January 31: last day to pay without penalty or interest.¹
February 1: delinquency date. 6% penalty and 1% interest apply immediately.²
July 1: penalty jumps to a flat 12% of the unpaid tax, plus accumulated interest.²

1
Harris County Tax Office. Property Tax Frequently Asked Questions
2
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest
3
Harris Central Appraisal District. Understanding the Property Tax Process
4
Harris Central Appraisal District. Guide to Understanding the Property Tax Process
5
Harris County Tax Office. Harris County Property Tax – Section: How Property Tax is Determined
6
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Payment Options – Section: Installment Payments
7
Harris County Tax Office. Harris County Property Tax
8
Harris County Tax Office. Tax Statement Search and Payments
9
MyHarrisCountyTax. MyHarrisCountyTax
10
Internal Revenue Service. New US Postal Service Rules Could Affect Whether Your Tax Filing Is Considered On Time
11
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1024.17 Escrow Accounts
12
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Protest and Appeal Procedures