Property tax in Carrollton, TX is an ad valorem tax based on your property’s appraised value, with rates set each year by the City Council and the other taxing entities whose boundaries cover your parcel. For fiscal year 2026, the City of Carrollton’s rate is $0.5375 per $100 of assessed value, a slight drop from the prior year.1City of Carrollton, TX. Carrollton City Council Adopts Budget and Lowers FY26 Tax Rate That city rate is only one line on your bill. School district, county, and special district levies stack on top, and your total depends on which county you’re in and which exemptions you claim.
Who Appraises, Who Bills, Who Collects
Carrollton’s city limits cross three counties: Dallas, Denton, and Collin. Your property is appraised by whichever county’s central appraisal district covers your parcel. The City of Carrollton does not appraise property itself.2City of Carrollton, TX. Tax and Revenue Collection
The appraisal district sets your market value and processes exemption applications. It does not send you a bill. Billing and collection are handled by the county tax assessor-collector. If you want to dispute your value, you talk to the appraisal district. If you want to pay or check a balance, you go to the tax office. New homeowners often mix the two up.
Several taxing entities share your bill. The City of Carrollton and the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District each set their own rate, and your county and any applicable special districts add their levies on top. The effective rate you pay is the sum of every overlapping rate applied to your taxable value.
Current Tax Rates
The City of Carrollton’s fiscal year 2026 rate is $0.5375 per $100 of assessed value, split between maintenance and operations and debt service.1City of Carrollton, TX. Carrollton City Council Adopts Budget and Lowers FY26 Tax Rate That’s down from $0.53875 the year before. The city rate is adopted each August alongside the budget.2City of Carrollton, TX. Tax and Revenue Collection
The Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD rate for 2025 was $0.9481 per $100 of assessed value.3Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District. Tax Office County and special district rates depend on which side of the city line you sit on.
To estimate your bill, take your taxable value (appraised value minus exemptions), divide by 100, and multiply by the combined rate of every entity on your bill. A $400,000 home with the school district’s $140,000 homestead exemption is taxed by the school district on only $260,000 of value.
Exemptions That Lower Your Bill
The residence homestead exemption is the biggest tax break most Carrollton homeowners get. If you own and occupy your home as your primary residence, school districts must exempt $140,000 of appraised value from taxation. Other taxing entities, including the City of Carrollton, may adopt a local option exemption of up to 20 percent of appraised value, with a minimum benefit of $5,000.4State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.13 – Residence Homestead
Over-65 and Disabled Homeowners
Homeowners 65 or older, and those with a qualifying disability, get an additional $60,000 school district exemption on top of the standard $140,000.4State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.13 – Residence Homestead The school district cannot tax the first $200,000 of value for those homeowners.
The more valuable piece is the school district tax ceiling. Once you qualify for the over-65 or disability exemption, your school district tax is frozen at the amount imposed in the year you first qualified. If your home appreciates later, your school district bill stays flat.5State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.26 – Limitation of School Tax on Homesteads of Elderly or Disabled The ceiling transfers proportionally if you sell and buy a new Texas homestead. Cities and counties may adopt a similar freeze on their portion of the bill but aren’t required to.
Disabled Veterans
Veterans with a 100 percent disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs qualify for a total exemption of their homestead’s appraised value, wiping out the property tax bill entirely.6Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. 100 Percent Disabled Veteran and Surviving Spouse Frequently Asked Questions Unremarried surviving spouses also qualify. Veterans with partial disability ratings get smaller exemptions scaled to the rating.7Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions
The 10 Percent Appraisal Cap
Separate from the dollar exemptions, Texas law caps how fast the appraisal district can raise your homestead’s appraised value: no more than 10 percent above the prior year, plus the value of any new improvements you added.8State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 23.23 – Limitation on Appraised Value of Residence Homestead The cap applies to the appraised value used for tax calculations, not to the district’s opinion of market value. Both numbers stay on record, and your tax is calculated on the lower one.
This matters most in fast-appreciating neighborhoods. If comparable homes jump 25 percent in a year, the cap holds your taxable increase to 10 percent. The gap between market and capped value carries forward, so if prices flatten out later, the capped value slowly catches up.
Protesting Your Appraisal
If you think your appraisal is too high, you have the right to protest. File a written notice of protest no later than May 15, or the 30th day after the appraisal notice was delivered, whichever comes later.9State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.44 – Notice of Protest Because Dallas, Denton, and Collin counties all have populations over 120,000, the form to use is Form 50-132, available from your appraisal district.10Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Owners Notice of Protest for Counties with Populations Greater than 120,000
Most protests argue the market value is too high, but you can also protest on grounds like unequal appraisal, denial of an exemption, or errors in how your property is described.11State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.41 – Right of Protest
Evidence wins protests. Pull recent sales prices for comparable homes near yours, ideally sales within the last six months that match your home’s size, age, and condition. Photos of deferred maintenance, foundation issues, or other problems the district may not have factored in help. Independent fee appraisals and contractor repair estimates also carry weight. After you file, the appraisal district typically offers an informal meeting where most protests get resolved. If you can’t settle, your case goes to the Appraisal Review Board for a hearing, and the board’s order is binding unless you appeal to district court or through binding arbitration.
You can also authorize a property tax consultant, attorney, or other agent to handle the protest for you by filing Form 50-162 with the appraisal district.12Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Appointment of Agent for Property Tax Matters Many Dallas-Fort Worth consultants work on contingency, taking a percentage of the tax savings, so there’s no upfront cost if they don’t reduce your value.
Paying the Bill
Tax bills go out in October, and payment is due by January 31. Taxes become delinquent on February 1 of the year after the tax year.13State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 31.02 – Delinquency Date You can pay online through the county tax assessor-collector’s portal, by mail, or in person. Credit cards, e-checks, and paper checks are all accepted.
If your mortgage company pays through escrow, verify each year that the payment actually went through. The legal obligation to pay stays with you regardless of what your servicer does.
Installment Plans
Homeowners with the over-65, disability, or disabled veteran exemption can split the bill into four equal installments without penalty or interest. The first installment must be paid before February 1, along with written notice to the taxing unit that you’re paying in installments. The remaining three payments are due before April 1, June 1, and August 1. Miss one, and you owe a 6 percent penalty on the missed amount plus 1 percent monthly interest, but the harsher standard penalty schedule doesn’t apply.14State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 31.031 – Installment Payments of Certain Homestead Taxes
What Happens If You Pay Late
Penalties escalate fast. On February 1, delinquent taxes take a 6 percent penalty plus 1 percent interest. Each additional month adds another 1 percent penalty and 1 percent interest. By July 1, the penalty hits 12 percent and combined interest reaches 6 percent, so you owe 18 percent on top of the original tax.15State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest
If a taxing unit has contracted with a collection attorney, another penalty of up to 20 percent for attorney fees is added when the account is referred. Interest keeps accruing at 1 percent per month until the balance is paid.15State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest On a $5,000 tax bill, waiting until July can add $1,500 or more in penalties, interest, and attorney fees. Taxing units can also place a lien on the property and ultimately force a sale.
If You Own a Business in Carrollton
Business owners have a separate obligation. If you use tangible personal property to produce income (equipment, inventory, furniture, computers), you must file a rendition listing that property as of January 1 with your county appraisal district by April 15. Failing to file, filing late, or turning in an incomplete or unsigned rendition triggers an automatic 10 percent penalty on the taxes imposed on that property for the year. A waiver may be available for good cause if you request it within 30 days of the penalty notice.
Deducting Carrollton Property Taxes Federally
If you itemize on your federal return, you can deduct the property taxes you pay in Carrollton as part of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, which also covers state income or sales taxes. The federal cap sat at $10,000 for years but was raised for tax years 2025 through 2029 under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act signed in July 2025. For 2026, the cap is $40,400 for most filers and $20,200 for married filing separately, rising 1 percent annually through 2029. Combined property, state, and local taxes above the cap aren’t deductible, and if your total itemized deductions come in below the standard deduction, itemizing may not be worth it even at the higher cap.