Midlothian property tax bills come from three places at once: the City of Midlothian at $0.65 per $100 of assessed value for fiscal year 2025–2026, Midlothian ISD at roughly $1.1069 per $100, and Ellis County on top of both.1Midlothian, TX – Official Website. Budget and Tax Rate Information2Midlothian Independent School District. School Funding Election Each entity sets its own rate and applies it to the value assigned by the Ellis Central Appraisal District, so what you actually pay comes down to three things: the appraised value on your notice, the exemptions you’ve claimed, and whether you pay by January 31.
The Three Taxing Jurisdictions
Every Midlothian homeowner is billed by the City of Midlothian, Midlothian Independent School District, and Ellis County. Each holds its own hearings and adopts its own rate, but the Ellis County Tax Assessor-Collector collects for all three and sends you a single combined bill.3Ellis County Tax Office. Ellis County Tax Office Your total is each rate multiplied by your taxable value, which is the appraised value minus any exemptions.
How Your Home Gets Valued
The Ellis Central Appraisal District (Ellis CAD) sets the market value of every taxable property in the county as of January 1 each year.4State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 23.01 – Appraisals Generally A Notice of Appraised Value lands in your mailbox each spring. Single-family homes should get theirs by April 1, or as soon afterward as practical; other property types by May 1.5Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Valuing Property
Open the notice. Check the square footage, bedroom count, and any listed features. If the district has you down for a pool you don’t own or an extra bathroom that doesn’t exist, you’re being taxed on value that isn’t there. That same notice starts the clock on your right to protest.
Exemptions That Lower What You Owe
Residence Homestead
The homestead exemption is the biggest single break available. For school district taxes, it removes $140,000 from your home’s appraised value before the school rate is applied.6State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 11.13 – Residence Homestead That figure went up from $100,000 after Texas voters approved Proposition 13 in 2025.7Ballotpedia. Texas Proposition 13, Increase Homestead Property Tax Exemption Amendment (2025) On a home appraised at $350,000, the school district taxes only $210,000. The city and county may offer optional homestead exemptions as well.
The property has to be your primary residence, and the application requires a Texas driver’s license or state ID showing that address. File through Ellis CAD before May 1 of the tax year.8Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions Miss the deadline and you can still file a late application for up to two years after the delinquency date, but every month you wait is a month at the higher bill.
Over-65 and Disability
Homeowners aged 65 or older who qualify for the homestead exemption get something more valuable than a dollar reduction. The school district locks in a tax ceiling: once you qualify, school taxes on your home cannot rise above the amount imposed in the first year you held the exemption, even if your property value climbs or the rate goes up.9State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.26 – Limitation of School Tax on Homesteads of Elderly or Disabled Homeowners with qualifying disabilities get the same freeze. It applies only to school taxes; the city and county portions can still change.
Disabled Veterans
Veterans with a service-connected disability rating from the VA receive an exemption that scales with the rating:10State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 11.22 – Disabled Veterans
- 10% to 29% rating: up to $5,000 off assessed value
- 30% to 49% rating: up to $7,500 off assessed value
- 50% to 69% rating: up to $10,000 off assessed value
- 70% to 99% rating: up to $12,000 off assessed value
A veteran rated 100% disabled for a service-connected condition pays zero property tax on the residence homestead.11State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 11.131 – Residence Homestead of 100 Percent or Totally Disabled Veteran None of these are automatic. Apply through Ellis CAD with your VA rating documentation.
Protesting Your Appraisal
If the number on your Notice of Appraised Value is too high, you can protest. The deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the notice was mailed, whichever is later.12State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.44 – Notice of Protest File online through Ellis CAD, by mail using state Form 50-132, or in person at the Ellis CAD office in Waxahachie.
Most protests get worked out in an informal meeting with an Ellis CAD appraiser before anyone ever sees a hearing room. If you can’t reach agreement there, the case goes to the Appraisal Review Board, a panel of local residents independent of the appraisal district. Both sides present evidence under oath and the board decides.
What wins a protest is specific, organized evidence. Recent sales of comparable homes in your area that closed below your appraised value do the heaviest lifting. Photos of foundation cracks, deferred maintenance, or other condition problems help. Repair estimates in writing help more. “This feels too high” is not evidence. A successful protest can trim hundreds of dollars from your annual bill, and the lower value sticks until the next reappraisal moves it.
When the Bill Is Due
Tax bills go out by October 1, and the full amount is due on receipt.13Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Bills You have until January 31 to pay without penalty. On February 1, the balance is delinquent and the charges start.14State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest
The Ellis County Tax Assessor-Collector takes payment online, by mail to the Waxahachie office, or in person at satellite offices including the Midlothian location at 661 Aspen Pkwy, Suite 100.3Ellis County Tax Office. Ellis County Tax Office Credit cards carry a convenience fee of roughly 2% to 2.25%. Electronic check payments are also available. Keep the receipt or confirmation number.
Installments for Seniors and Disabled Homeowners
If you are 65 or older or have a qualifying disability, you can split the bill into four equal installments. Pay the first before February 1 and notify the tax office that you intend to use the installment option. The remaining three are due before April 1, June 1, and August 1, with no penalty or interest as long as each one arrives on time.15State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 31.031 – Installment Payments by Certain Taxpayers
What Late Payment Costs
Missing January 31 sets off a schedule that gets expensive fast. The first month adds 6% penalty plus 1% interest. Each month after that adds another 1% penalty and 1% interest through June.14State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest The combined charges stack up like this:
- February: 7% added to the base tax
- March: 9%
- April: 11%
- May: 13%
- June: 15%
- July: 18%, plus a potential attorney collection fee
July is the cliff. If the taxing unit has contracted with a collection attorney, it can add a penalty to cover those legal costs on taxes still delinquent as of July 1.16State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.07 – Additional Penalty for Collection Costs for Taxes Delinquent February 1 That collection penalty commonly runs 15% to 20% of what you owe, so the added cost can jump from 15% in June to well over 30% in July. Interest keeps compounding at 1% per month after that. On a $6,000 bill, letting it ride until December can add close to $2,900 in penalties, interest, and collection fees.
Buying or Selling Mid-Year
When a Midlothian home changes hands, the year’s tax bill is split by days of ownership. The seller covers January 1 through the day before closing, the buyer takes it from there through December 31. Divide the annual tax by 365 for the daily rate and multiply by each side’s days.
Bills aren’t finalized until October, so closings earlier in the year prorate using the prior year’s tax as an estimate. Standard Texas real estate contracts include a reproration clause so the parties can settle up once the real number arrives. At closing, the proration shows up as a credit or debit on the settlement statement, typically a seller credit to the buyer, who then pays the full bill when it comes due.
Texas property tax liens take priority over mortgages and other private liens, so any unpaid taxes have to clear before or at closing. The title company checks this, but it is worth verifying for yourself through the Ellis County Tax Office search tool before you sign.