Homeowners in Tarrant County can lower their property tax bill through several exemptions administered by the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD). The largest is the general residence homestead exemption, which removes $140,000 from your home’s value for school district taxes. Additional exemptions stack on top for homeowners age 65 or older, those with qualifying disabilities, and disabled veterans, and a 100 percent disabled veteran can owe nothing at all on a homestead. Most exemptions are claimed on a single form filed with TAD, usually by April 30.
General Residence Homestead Exemption
Every owner who uses a Tarrant County property as a primary residence qualifies for the general homestead exemption. For school district taxes, the exemption takes $140,000 off your home’s appraised value before the tax rate is applied.1Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions A home appraised at $350,000, for instance, is taxed by the school district on $210,000. Counties that levy farm-to-market or flood control taxes must also provide a separate $3,000 exemption.
Individual taxing units in Tarrant County, including cities, the county itself, hospital districts, and community college districts, may adopt an additional local option homestead exemption of up to 20 percent of appraised value, with a $5,000 floor.1Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions Whether a particular unit offers it, and at what percentage, varies. Your tax statement or the TAD account page will show which local exemptions already apply to your property.
Age 65 or Older
Turning 65 unlocks an additional $10,000 school district exemption on top of the general homestead.2State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.13 – Residence Homestead Cities, the county, and other taxing units may add their own over-65 amount as well.
The bigger benefit is the tax ceiling. When you first qualify, each taxing unit locks in that year’s tax amount as the most you will ever pay it, so long as you stay in the home.2State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.13 – Residence Homestead Appraised values can keep climbing, but the dollar amount you owe stays frozen. The only way the ceiling rises is if you add improvements such as a room addition or garage, and then only for the value of the new construction.
If the qualifying homeowner dies, a surviving spouse who is at least 55 can keep the tax ceiling, provided they continue to live in the home and do not remarry.3Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Form 50-311 – Tax Ceiling Certificate for Homeowner Age 65 or Older The surviving spouse has to apply to TAD for the transfer; it does not happen on its own.
Disability
Homeowners who meet the Social Security Administration’s medical criteria for disability insurance benefits qualify for essentially the same package as the over-65 exemption: an additional $10,000 off school district value and a frozen tax ceiling.2State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.13 – Residence Homestead You do not have to be drawing SSDI payments. You just have to meet the standard.
You cannot receive both the over-65 and disability exemption from the same taxing unit. If you qualify for both, you can claim one from one unit and the other from another, but not stack them within a single unit. The dollar amounts are the same either way, so most people simply keep whichever they qualified for first.
Disabled Veterans
Texas runs two separate veteran exemption programs, and the gap between them is large.
The partial exemption under Section 11.22 is tied to your VA disability rating:4State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.22 – Disabled Veterans
- 10% to 29% disability: up to $5,000 off assessed value
- 30% to 49%: up to $7,500
- 50% to 69%: up to $10,000
- 70% or higher: up to $12,000
This exemption applies to any property you own, not only your homestead. A surviving spouse who does not remarry keeps the same dollar amount.4State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.22 – Disabled Veterans
The second program is far more generous. Under Section 11.131, a veteran the VA rates 100 percent disabled from a service-connected condition, or rates as individually unemployable, pays no property tax at all on the residence homestead.5State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.131 – Residence Homestead of 100 Percent or Totally Disabled Veteran The full appraised value is exempt from every taxing unit. On a $400,000 Tarrant County home, that can be $8,000 to $10,000 a year.
A surviving spouse of a veteran who qualified, or would have qualified, for the total exemption keeps it in full, as long as the spouse does not remarry and continues living in the home.5State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.131 – Residence Homestead of 100 Percent or Totally Disabled Veteran If the surviving spouse later moves, the exemption transfers to the new homestead as a fixed dollar amount equal to the previous year’s exemption on the former home.
Heir Property
You can still claim a homestead exemption on a home you inherited even if your name is not on the recorded deed. This comes up often when a parent or grandparent died without a will or the estate was never probated. Texas allows heir property owners to apply by providing an ownership affidavit, the prior owner’s death certificate, a recent utility bill for the property showing occupancy, and a citation to any related court record if one exists.1Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions
If other heirs also live in the home, each has to sign an affidavit authorizing you to submit the application.1Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions Recording your interest with the Tarrant County Clerk is not required for the exemption, but it makes future filings easier and protects your ownership over time.
How to Apply
All of these exemptions are claimed on the same form: the Application for Residence Homestead Exemption, Form 50-114.6Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Form 50-114 – Residence Homestead Exemption Application You can download it from the Texas Comptroller’s site or from TAD. One form covers general homestead, over-65, disability, and disabled veteran.
The most common problem is the driver’s license address. The address on your Texas driver’s license or state ID has to match the property address on the application. If it does not, use the waiver section on the form itself to explain.6Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Form 50-114 – Residence Homestead Exemption Application An unexplained mismatch will stall the application.
Supporting documents depend on what you are claiming. Over-65 applicants need proof of age. Disability applicants need documentation from the Social Security Administration or a physician. Veterans claiming the 100 percent exemption should attach the VA award letter showing the rating. You will also need your TAD account number, which is on prior appraisal notices or searchable on the TAD website.
Where to Submit
TAD accepts applications by mail, in person, and online. Mail applications to:7Tarrant Appraisal District. Homestead Exemption
Tarrant Appraisal District, Exemption Division, PO Box 185579, Fort Worth, TX 76181-0579
For hand delivery or the drop box, the office is at 2500 Handley-Ederville Road, Fort Worth, TX 76118.7Tarrant Appraisal District. Homestead Exemption Filing through the TAD online portal is usually fastest and gives immediate confirmation that your documents arrived.
Deadlines
The standard deadline is April 30 of the tax year you want the exemption to apply to. Filing by then puts the exemption on your initial tax bill in the fall.
If you miss April 30, you can still file a late application up to two years after the delinquency date, which is typically February 1 of the following year. Disabled veterans claiming the 100 percent exemption under Section 11.131 get up to five years.8Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Residence Homestead Exemptions Approved late applications trigger a recalculation of taxes for the applicable years, and any overpayment is refunded.
Tax Deferral if You Can’t Pay
If you qualify for the over-65, disability, or disabled veteran exemption but still cannot cover the bill, Texas lets you defer collection entirely while you live in the home. Filing a deferral affidavit with TAD stops all collection efforts, including lawsuits and tax sale proceedings, for as long as the deferral is in place.9State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.06 – Deferred Collection of Taxes on Residence Homestead of Elderly or Disabled Person or Disabled Veteran
The catch: the tax lien remains on the property and interest builds at 5 percent per year during the deferral, which is lower than the standard delinquent rate.10Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Form 50-126 – Tax Deferral Affidavit Age 65 or Older or Disabled Homeowner Once you no longer own and occupy the home, taxing units have 181 days after delivering a delinquency notice to begin collection.9State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.06 – Deferred Collection of Taxes on Residence Homestead of Elderly or Disabled Person or Disabled Veteran Practically, the accumulated taxes and interest come due when the home is sold or passed to heirs. Deferral keeps you from losing the home to a tax sale, but the balance does not go away.
If Your Exemption Is Denied
If TAD denies the application, you can challenge the decision by filing a protest with the Appraisal Review Board. The deadline is May 15, or 30 days after you receive the notice of determination, whichever is later. Late protests may be accepted for good cause, but only before the ARB approves that year’s appraisal records. Filing a protest costs nothing, and the hearing is informal: you present your evidence, TAD presents theirs, and the board rules. If the ARB decision goes against you, you can appeal to district court or, for properties under a certain value threshold, pursue binding arbitration.