Your Kaufman County property tax bill is your home’s appraised value, minus any exemptions you qualify for, multiplied by the combined tax rate of every local unit that covers your address: the county, your school district, your city if you’re inside one, and any special districts. The Kaufman County Appraisal District sets the value each January 1. The Tax Assessor-Collector mails the bill in the fall, and payment is due by January 31.
How the Bill Is Calculated
Appraisers at the Kaufman County Appraisal District value every parcel as of January 1 using recent sales of comparable homes, property condition, and neighborhood trends. That appraised value is reduced by any exemptions you’ve been granted, giving you a taxable value.
Each taxing unit that overlaps your property sets its own rate, expressed per $100 of taxable value. Your bill is the sum of what each unit charges. A home with a taxable value of $300,000 in an area where the combined rate is $2.50 per $100 would owe $7,500 for the year.
What the Rates Look Like
Where you live inside the county matters more than most new homeowners expect. For 2025, the county’s own rate (including road and bridge) totals roughly $0.4151 per $100. School district rates run from about $0.73 in Wills Point ISD up to $1.29 in Forney ISD. City rates add another $0.05 to $0.82 depending on the municipality.1Kaufman County Appraisal District. 2025 Tax Rates A homeowner in one part of Kaufman County can pay close to twice the effective rate of a homeowner a few miles away, purely because of which school district and city boundaries apply. The appraisal district publishes a full rate sheet each year.
Exemptions That Lower Your Bill
Texas law offers several exemptions that cut your taxable value before rates are applied, and the savings add up fast. You have to apply. The appraisal district does not grant them automatically.
General Residence Homestead
Any homeowner who uses the property as a primary residence can claim the general homestead exemption. School districts must exempt $140,000 of your home’s appraised value from school taxes. Counties that collect farm-to-market or flood control taxes must provide an additional $3,000 exemption, and any taxing unit can adopt an optional exemption of up to 20 percent of appraised value, with a $5,000 floor.2Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions
Over-65 and Disabled Homeowners
If you are 65 or older, school districts must grant an additional $60,000 exemption on top of the general homestead. The same amount applies if you have a qualifying disability. School districts also impose a tax ceiling: the amount of school taxes you pay the first year you turn 65 becomes a cap, and you will never pay more than that in school taxes as long as you own and occupy the home. Some years the bill may drop below the ceiling; it can never exceed it.3Texas Law Help. Over 65 Property Tax Exemptions and Deferrals – Section: What Is the Tax Freeze?
Disabled Veterans
Veterans with a service-connected disability rating from the VA get a partial exemption scaled to the rating:
- 10–29%: $5,000 off appraised value
- 30–49%: $7,500 off appraised value
- 50–69%: $10,000 off appraised value
- 70–100%: $12,000 off appraised value
Veterans with a 100 percent disability rating qualify for a complete exemption from property taxes on their primary residence, not just a dollar reduction.4Texas Veterans Commission. Property Tax Exemptions Available to Veterans per Disability Rating
When to Apply
File your exemption application with the Kaufman County Appraisal District before May 1 of the tax year.2Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions Late homestead applications are accepted for up to two years after the deadline. Once approved, your homestead exemption stays on the property as long as you continue to own and live there. You do not need to refile each year.
Protesting Your Appraisal
If the appraisal district overvalues your home, you pay more tax than you should until you push back. Protests are free, and you don’t need an attorney.
Start with the annual appraisal notice, which lists your account number and the proposed value. The strongest evidence is sales of comparable homes nearby that went for less than what the district has you at. Photos of foundation cracks, roof damage, or drainage problems help where condition brings your value down. If your appraisal looks high relative to similar homes in the area, an unequal-appraisal argument can work as well as a straight market-value challenge.
File a Notice of Protest using Form 50-132, the version used in counties with populations over 120,000.5Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Owner’s Notice of Protest – Form 50-132 The deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the appraisal district mails your notice, whichever is later.6Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Appraisal Protests and Appeals You can file through the appraisal district’s online portal or by certified mail.
The appraisal district will schedule an informal meeting with a staff appraiser first. Most protests end here, with the appraiser agreeing to lower the value on the spot. If that doesn’t produce a number you can accept, the case moves to the Appraisal Review Board, a panel of local citizens who hear your evidence and the district’s and issue a written order setting the value. The hearing is more structured than the informal meeting, but it is not a courtroom. If the ARB’s number still isn’t acceptable, you have 60 days to appeal through binding arbitration or a district court petition.
Paying the Bill
Bills go out in the fall, and payment is due by January 31. Taxes unpaid on February 1 are delinquent.7Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Paying Your Taxes
You can pay online by credit card or e-check, by mailed check or money order, or in person at the county tax office during business hours. Credit card payments typically carry a convenience fee of 2 to 3 percent. Many homeowners never handle the payment directly, because their mortgage servicer collects monthly escrow and pays the bill on their behalf.
Installment Option for Seniors and Disabled Homeowners
If you are 65 or older, disabled, or a disabled veteran with a homestead exemption, you can split the bill into four equal installments without penalty or interest. The first is due before February 1, and the other three before April 1, June 1, and August 1.8Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Payment Options – Section: Installment Payments Include a written notice with your first payment stating that you intend to use the installment option. Miss a deadline on any installment and that installment becomes delinquent, picking up a 6 percent penalty plus 1 percent monthly interest.
What Happens If You Pay Late
Texas does not give grace periods on delinquent property taxes, and the penalties escalate quickly. A tax unpaid after January 31 picks up a 6 percent penalty in the first month, with another 1 percent added for each additional month through June. On July 1 the total penalty jumps to 12 percent regardless of how many months have passed. Interest accrues on top of that at 1 percent per month from the delinquency date until the balance is paid.
In dollars: a $5,000 bill left unpaid through July 1 would pick up roughly $600 in penalty and about $300 in interest, bringing the balance to around $5,900. The 1 percent monthly interest never stops running.
Liens and Foreclosure
A property tax lien attaches automatically on January 1 of the year the tax is assessed. If taxes stay delinquent long enough, the taxing units can sue to foreclose and sell the property at public auction. If the home was your residence homestead when the suit was filed, you have a two-year redemption period to buy it back by paying the purchaser what they paid plus taxes, penalties, and costs, along with a 25 percent premium in the first year or 50 percent in the second. Non-homestead properties have a 180-day redemption window.
Deferring Taxes if You Can’t Pay
If you are 65 or older, disabled, or a qualifying disabled veteran, you can defer collection of property taxes on your homestead entirely. Filing a deferral affidavit with the appraisal district blocks the taxing units from suing or selling the home as long as you continue to own and live there. The taxes are not forgiven. They remain as a lien, and interest accrues at 5 percent per year instead of the standard 1 percent per month. Collection resumes 181 days after you stop occupying the home as your primary residence.
The option exists for homeowners on fixed incomes who can’t keep up with rising bills but don’t want to lose the house. The balance grows over time and will eventually come due, typically when the property changes hands.
Deducting Property Taxes on Your Federal Return
If you itemize on your federal return, you can deduct property taxes paid to Kaufman County, subject to the state and local tax (SALT) cap. For the 2026 tax year, the cap is approximately $40,000 for most filers, phasing down for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income above $500,000. Because Texas has no state income tax, Kaufman County homeowners can typically apply the full SALT cap toward property taxes alone. The cap only matters if you itemize at all; if the standard deduction is larger than your itemized total, taking the standard deduction saves you more.