How to Fill Out and Submit HCAD Form 11.13: Steps, Documents, Deadline

To claim a homestead exemption in Harris County, download HCAD Form 11.13, complete its five numbered steps, attach a copy of your Texas driver’s license or state ID showing the property address, and submit the package to the Harris Central Appraisal District by April 30. Once approved, the exemption removes $140,000 from your home’s taxable value for school district taxes and stays in place until you sell or move out; you do not refile each year.¹²

Who Can File

You need an ownership interest in the home and must occupy it as your principal residence. You cannot hold a homestead exemption on more than one property, in Texas or anywhere else. The baseline rule is that you must own and occupy the home on January 1 of the tax year. Buyers who close after January 1 can receive a prorated exemption for the remainder of that year, provided the prior owner did not already have a homestead exemption on the property for the year.³

Which Exemption Boxes Apply to You

Form 11.13 handles several exemption types on one application. Check every box that fits your situation; more than one can apply.⁴

General residential homestead, available to any qualifying homeowner, removing $140,000 from appraised value for school district taxes. Other local taxing units may offer an additional exemption of up to 20 percent of appraised value, with a $5,000 minimum.²
Over-65, which adds a $60,000 school district exemption on top of the general amount and freezes school district taxes at the first-year amount.⁵
Disability, with the same additional $60,000 school district exemption and tax ceiling as the over-65 exemption.²
100 percent disabled veteran, which exempts the entire appraised value of the residence for a veteran rated 100 percent disabled or individually unemployable by the VA. This exemption is governed by Section 11.131.⁶
Surviving spouse of an over-65 homeowner, continuing the exemption if you were at least 55 when your spouse died and the home remains your principal residence.²

Disabled veterans not rated at 100 percent fall under a separate, smaller exemption schedule in Section 11.22, ranging from $5,000 to $12,000 depending on disability rating. That is a different filing track from Form 11.13.⁷

Documents to Gather Before You Start

Missing paperwork, especially the driver’s license, is the most common reason applications stall. Every applicant needs:

A Texas driver’s license or state-issued ID. The address on the ID must match the property address on the application exactly, or the application will be rejected. Active-duty military whose ID shows a different address can substitute a military ID plus a utility bill for the property in the applicant’s or spouse’s name.⁴⁸
A driver’s license number, personal ID number, or Social Security number, as required by Texas Tax Code Section 11.43(f).⁸
Date of birth for each owner listed.
The HCAD account number, found through the property search tool on the HCAD website.
Percentage of ownership interest, if multiple owners share the property.

Some exemption types need extra documentation:

A 100 percent disabled veteran claim requires VA documentation of 100 percent disability compensation for a service-connected disability.⁸
An over-65 or disability applicant whose name is not on the recorded deed must provide an affidavit or other evidence of ownership interest.⁸
A manufactured or mobile home requires a copy of the Statement of Ownership and Location from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, a purchase contract, or a sworn affidavit if neither is available.⁸

Inherited or Heir Property

If you inherited the home through a will, transfer-on-death deed, or intestate succession and are not on a recorded deed, you can still apply. Include:

An affidavit establishing your ownership interest (Texas Comptroller Form 50-114-A is the standard supplemental affidavit).
A copy of the prior owner’s death certificate.
A copy of the property’s most recent utility bill.
A citation of any court record relating to your ownership, if you have one.

Filling Out the Five Steps

Download the current Form 11.13 from the HCAD forms page at hcad.org. The form is a fillable PDF.⁹

Step 1 collects owner information: name, driver’s license or Social Security number, date of birth, ownership percentage, mailing address, and phone number. If more than one owner is on the deed, each owner’s information goes here.

Step 2 asks for property details: HCAD account number, physical address, legal description, and the date you began occupying the home as your principal residence. The account number and legal description both live on the HCAD property search tool.

Step 3 is the exemption checklist. Check every box that applies: general residential, over-65, disability, 100 percent disabled veteran, or surviving spouse.

Step 4 covers special circumstances: manufactured home, first-time exemption on a newly purchased property, or driver’s license address waiver situations such as active-duty military. Answer each question; leaving a relevant item blank slows processing.

Step 5 is the signature and affidavit section. Sign and date. An unsigned application will be returned. If your exemption requires the supplemental affidavit (Form 50-114-A), complete and sign that too.

How to Submit the Application

HCAD accepts Form 11.13 three ways.

Through the HCAD Info and Exemptions mobile app, available on the App Store and Google Play. The app uses your phone’s camera to capture your driver’s license, and the name and address on the license must match the HCAD account.¹⁰
By mail, with a copy of your Texas driver’s license or state ID, to Harris County Appraisal District, P.O. Box 922004, Houston, TX 77292-2004. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof of delivery.¹¹
In person at the HCAD office, where staff can confirm the package is complete before you leave.

HCAD also offers an online submission form on its website. Do not use the iFile system for the homestead exemption; iFile is the portal for property tax protests, not exemption applications.⁹⁴

Deadline and Late Filing

The standard deadline is April 30 of the tax year for which you want the exemption. If April 30 falls on a weekend, the deadline moves to the following Monday.¹²

Missing April 30 is not fatal. You can file a late application up to two years after the original deadline, and the exemption applies retroactively for the year in question, allowing you to recover overpaid taxes. The same two-year window applies to over-65 and disability exemptions.¹²

If an exemption was dropped from the tax roll by a clerical error, you can file a motion for correction under Section 25.25(c) of the Tax Code. That route reaches back up to five prior tax years, but your property taxes cannot be delinquent at the time of filing.

Why Filing Quickly Pays Off

Once your exemption is in place, the appraised value of your home cannot rise by more than 10 percent per year, plus the value of new improvements. The cap does not start immediately. It takes effect on January 1 of the year after you first qualify for the exemption.¹³

If you qualify on January 1, 2026, the 10 percent cap takes effect January 1, 2027. If you bought mid-year and received a prorated exemption for 2026, the cap does not start until January 1, 2028, a year later, because the exemption did not fully qualify on a January 1 until 2027.¹³ In a rising market, that gap can be expensive, which is why filing right after closing is worthwhile.

After You File

Each January, HCAD mails a postcard to every address with a homestead exemption to confirm the owner still lives there. If the postcard comes back undeliverable, the district removes the exemption and you would have to file a new application to restore it. Keep your mailing address current with the district.¹

When a homesteaded property is sold, HCAD cancels the exemption as of January 1 of the following year and mails the new owner an application. New owners should not wait for that mailing; filing immediately after closing starts the prorated exemption and the appraisal cap clock sooner.¹

If HCAD needs more information to verify your claim, it will send a written request. Respond promptly. The exemption will not appear on your fall tax bill until the review is complete, and an unanswered request can end in a denial.

1
Harris Central Appraisal District. Property Tax Exemptions for Homeowners
2
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.13 – Residence Homestead
3
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions
4
Harris Central Appraisal District. Frequently Asked Questions
5
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.26 – Limitation of School Tax on Homesteads of Elderly or Disabled
6
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.131 – Residence Homestead of 100 Percent or Totally Disabled Veteran
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State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.22 – Disabled Veterans
8
Harris Central Appraisal District. Application for Residence Homestead Exemption
9
Harris Central Appraisal District. Harris Central Appraisal District – All Forms
10
Harris Central Appraisal District. Homestead
11
Harris Central Appraisal District. Communicating With HCAD
12
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Residence Homestead Exemptions
13
Fort Bend Central Appraisal District. Homestead Exemption and Homestead Cap Explained