Property owners in Pasadena, Texas pay a combined property tax rate of roughly $2.18 per $100 of assessed value in 2025, which works out to about $4,360 per year on a home assessed at $200,000 before any exemptions. The actual number on your bill depends on which taxing districts cover your address, which exemptions you’ve filed for, and whether the 10% homestead cap has held your assessed value below market value.
What Makes Up Your Bill
Your Pasadena property tax bill is really four bills stacked together, each set by a different local body after its own budget hearings. The rate for each is expressed per $100 of assessed value.
- Pasadena Independent School District: $1.1722 per $100, split between $0.8322 for maintenance and operations and $0.34 for debt service1Pasadena ISD Tax Office. Frequently Asked Questions – Tax Office
- City of Pasadena: approximately $0.47 per $1002City of Pasadena. Notice About 2025 Tax Rates
- Harris County: $0.3810 per $100, with $0.3370 for maintenance and operations and $0.044 for debt3Harris County Tax Office. Truth in Taxation Summary
- San Jacinto Community College District: approximately $0.16 per $1004San Jacinto College. Notice About 2025 Tax Rates
The school district is more than half the total by itself. Depending on your location, you may also see smaller line items for the Harris County Flood Control District, the Harris County Hospital District, or the Port of Houston Authority.
How Your Home Gets Valued
The Harris Central Appraisal District, known as HCAD, sets the market value of every property in Pasadena as of January 1 each year. HCAD doesn’t set rates or collect money, but its number drives everything you owe. Each spring you’ll receive a Notice of Appraised Value showing two figures that matter: the market value (what HCAD thinks the home would sell for) and the assessed value (what your taxes are actually calculated against).5Harris Central Appraisal District. Guide to Understanding the Property Tax Process
Those two numbers are often different, and the gap can save you real money. If you have a homestead exemption, Texas Tax Code Section 23.23 caps the annual increase in your assessed value at 10% over the prior year, plus the value of any new improvements.6State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 23.23 – Limitation on Appraised Value of Residence Homestead A 30% jump in market value only translates into a 10% jump in what you’re taxed on. The cap starts January 1 of the year after you first qualify for the exemption, which is why filing early matters: every year the cap is in place potentially widens the gap. The cap resets to full market value when the property sells.
Exemptions That Lower the Bill
Exemptions are the most direct way to cut what you owe. The residence homestead exemption is the one almost every owner-occupant should file. State law requires school districts to exempt $140,000 of appraised value from school taxes.7Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions Other taxing entities may adopt a local-option exemption of up to 20% of appraised value, with a $5,000 minimum.8State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.13 – Residence Homestead
Over-65 and Disability
Homeowners who are 65 or older or who have a qualifying disability get an additional $60,000 exemption from school district taxes on top of the standard homestead amount. Local entities can add their own exemptions for these groups with a minimum of $3,000.
The bigger benefit is the school tax ceiling. Once you qualify for over-65 or disability status, your school tax amount freezes at whatever you paid that year. It can go down if your assessed value falls, but it can never rise above the ceiling unless you add new improvements like an extra room. The ceiling transfers to a new homestead if you move within Texas.
Disabled Veterans
Veterans with a VA disability rating receive a separate exemption tied to the rating:
- 100% disability: full exemption from all property taxes
- 70–99%: $12,000 exemption
- 50–69%: $10,000 exemption
- 30–49%: $7,500 exemption
- 10–29%: $5,000 exemption
A veteran rated 100% disabled, or that veteran’s surviving spouse, pays no property tax on the homestead at all.9Texas Veterans Commission. Property Tax Exemptions Available to Veterans Per Disability Rating
How to File
To claim any of these, file Form 50-114 (Application for Residence Homestead Exemption) with HCAD.10Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Residence Homestead Exemption Application You’ll need your property account number and a Texas driver’s license or state ID showing the property address. If the ID address doesn’t match, HCAD will delay or deny the application, so update your license first. Once approved, you don’t refile each year unless something about your circumstances changes.
Protesting Your Appraisal
If HCAD’s number comes in higher than you think the home is worth, you can protest. The deadline is May 15, or 30 days after HCAD mails your Notice of Appraised Value, whichever is later.11State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.44 – Notice of Protest Miss that date and you lose the right to challenge the appraisal for the whole year.
File online at owners.hcad.org using your account number and the iFile number printed on your notice. After filing, you can opt into iSettle, where an appraiser reviews your case and proposes a new value electronically. If you back up your opinion of value with evidence, many protests settle this way without a formal hearing.12Harris Central Appraisal District. iFile and iSettle
If iSettle doesn’t produce a result you can accept, your protest goes to the Appraisal Review Board. HCAD must notify you of the hearing date at least 15 days ahead and share its evidence at least 14 days ahead. You can appear in person, by phone, by video, or in writing.13Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Appraisal Protests and Appeals Bring recent sales of comparable homes, photos of damage or deferred maintenance, or a fee appraisal from a licensed appraiser. If you lose at the ARB, you can appeal further through binding arbitration or district court.
Paying What You Owe
The Harris County Tax Office collects for all the Pasadena taxing entities. You can pay online at MyHarrisCountyTax.com, by mail, by phone, or in person at a branch, and the office accepts partial payments.14Harris County Tax Office. Harris County Tax Office – Property Tax Credit and debit cards carry a third-party processing fee.
If your mortgage lender escrows for taxes, the servicer pays the tax office on your behalf and sends you an annual escrow statement.15Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1024.17 Escrow Accounts Confirm the payment actually posted each year by checking the tax office’s records directly. Lender errors happen, and the tax lien attaches to the property, not to the servicer.
Installments for Seniors, Disabled Homeowners, and Disabled Veterans
If you’re 65 or older, disabled, or a disabled veteran with a homestead exemption, you can split your tax bill into four equal installments at no penalty or interest. Pay the first installment before February 1 along with written notice to the tax office that you’re using the plan. The remaining payments are due before April 1, June 1, and August 1.16State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 31.031 – Installment Payments of Certain Homestead Taxes Miss an installment and a 6% penalty plus 1% monthly interest applies, but only to the missed payment, not the whole bill.
Deadlines and the Cost of Being Late
Tax bills go out in October and November. You have until January 31 to pay with no penalty.
On February 1, unpaid taxes become delinquent. Penalties start at 6% with 1% interest in February and climb by one percentage point of penalty and one point of interest each month through June, reaching 15% total by June under Texas Tax Code Section 33.01.17State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest On July 1 the penalty resets to a flat 12% with 6% interest, and the taxing unit can tack on an additional collection penalty tied to its attorney contract, often up to 20% of the delinquent amount.18State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.07 – Additional Penalty for Collection Costs Interest keeps accruing at 1% a month after July 1. A $4,000 bill in January can run close to $5,500 by midsummer.
If delinquent taxes stay unpaid long enough, the taxing entities hold a lien and can sue to foreclose and sell the property at auction. That outcome is most common on inherited or rental properties where the owner isn’t tracking the bills.
Deferral for Seniors and Disabled Owners
Homeowners who are 65 or older or disabled can defer all property tax collection on the homestead for as long as they own and live in the home. Taxes still accrue during the deferral, with interest at 6% per year instead of the standard penalty schedule. No penalties are added, and the taxing entities cannot foreclose while the deferral is active. The full balance comes due when you sell, move out, or pass away. For a homeowner on a fixed income who can’t cover the current bill, the deferral is a lifeline; the trade-off is that the balance can grow substantially over years.