Texas · Property tax exemptions for seniors · Updated Oct 2026
Texas property tax exemptions for seniors (2026)
Every statewide property tax break for older homeowners in Texas that our guide lists: extra exemptions, freezes, deferrals and age-based credits. What each is worth, the starting age, the income limit, the deadline and how to apply.
Short answer
The main property tax break for seniors in Texas is the Age 65 or Older or Disabled Residence Homestead Exemption. An extra $60,000 off your home's value for school district taxes (so $200,000 in all with the general exemption).
Worth
$60,000
Age
65 or older
Income limit
None listed in our sources
Deadline
Apply no later than one year after the date you turn 65 or become disabled; if you…
Some amounts depend on where you live. In Texas, some of these breaks or their amounts are set or adjusted by your county, city or town, as each exemption below explains. Ask your local assessor for the figure that applies to your home.
Property tax breaks for seniors in Texas
Seniors
Age 65 or Older or Disabled Residence Homestead Exemption
An extra $60,000 off your home's value for school district taxes (so $200,000 in all with the general exemption). Cities, counties and other local units may add their own extra exemption of at least $3,000. You can get either the age 65 or the disability exemption from a school district, not both.
Who qualifies
You are 65 or older (it counts for the whole year in which you turn 65), or you meet the Social Security disability definition, and you own and live in the home. A surviving spouse who was 55 or older when the qualifying spouse died can keep the 65+ exemption if the home stays his or her homestead.
How to apply
Check the age 65 or the disabled box on Form 50-114 and file it with your county appraisal district. Bring a driver's license or state ID. Disabled applicants may need proof of disability (for example, a Social Security award letter). If you already have the homestead exemption and the district has your birth date, you may not need to apply when you turn 65.
Apply no later than one year after the date you turn 65 or become disabled (Tax Code §11.43(k)); if you already have the homestead exemption and the appraisal district has your birth date, it may add the 65+ exemption without a new application (§11.43(m)). You can file a late application up to two years after the date that year's taxes become delinquent (usually February 1 of the next year), Tax Code §11.431.
Renewal
One-time, unless the appraisal district asks you to reapply.
School Tax Ceiling (tax freeze) for Age 65 or Older or Disabled
Your school district tax on the home cannot go above the amount you paid in the first year you got the 65+ or disabled exemption. The ceiling rises only if you add improvements (like a new room). Counties, cities and junior college districts may also adopt a freeze.
Who qualifies
Anyone who gets the age 65 or older or disabled homestead exemption. A surviving spouse 55 or older keeps the ceiling.
How to apply
Automatic once you get the age 65 or disabled exemption on Form 50-114.
Tax Deferral for Age 65 or Older, Disabled, or Disabled Veteran Homeowners
You can postpone paying property tax on your home for as long as you own and live in it. The tax is not forgiven: it stays a lien on the home and grows at 5% interest a year. It comes due 181 days after the tax office sends a delinquency notice once the home is no longer your homestead (for example, after you move or die, unless a surviving spouse continues the deferral).
Who qualifies
Homeowners 65 or older, disabled (Social Security definition), or disabled veterans who qualify under Tax Code §11.22, on their residence homestead. No income limit.
How to apply
Sign Form 50-126 (Tax Deferral Affidavit) in front of a notary and file it with your county appraisal district.
Deadline: Apply no later than one year after the date you turn 65 or become disabled (Tax Code §11.43(k)); if you already have the homestead exemption and the appraisal district has your birth date, it may add the 65+ exemption without a new application (§11.43(m)). You can file a late application up to two years after the date that year's taxes become delinquent (usually February 1 of the next year), Tax Code §11.431.
Renewal: One-time, unless the appraisal district asks you to reapply.
Deadline: Any time, even after taxes are delinquent; filing it can stop a pending tax lawsuit or tax sale.
Renewal: One-time; lasts while the home is your homestead.
Savings estimate for Texas
Roughly what an exemption could save you a year: the value it takes off, times your tax rate.
Eligibility finder for Texas
Answer a few questions to see which property tax breaks may fit you. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.
Pre-set for seniors: you own and live in the home, age 65. Change any answer to your own.
Document checklist for Texas
Pick the breaks you plan to apply for. You get a checklist of forms, documents, steps and deadlines to print or keep on your phone.
Questions about seniors property tax breaks in Texas
Who qualifies for property tax breaks for seniors in Texas?
Age 65 or Older or Disabled Residence Homestead Exemption: You are 65 or older (it counts for the whole year in which you turn 65), or you meet the Social Security disability definition, and you own and live in the home. A surviving spouse who was 55 or older when the qualifying spouse died can keep the 65+ exemption if the home stays his or her homestead. School Tax Ceiling (tax freeze) for Age 65 or Older or Disabled: Anyone who gets the age 65 or older or disabled homestead exemption. A surviving spouse 55 or older keeps the ceiling. Tax Deferral for Age 65 or Older, Disabled, or Disabled Veteran Homeowners: Homeowners 65 or older, disabled (Social Security definition), or disabled veterans who qualify under Tax Code §11.22, on their residence homestead. No income limit.
Is there an income limit for seniors' property tax breaks in Texas?
Our sources list no income limit for any of these breaks.
When is the deadline for seniors to apply in Texas?
Age 65 or Older or Disabled Residence Homestead Exemption: Apply no later than one year after the date you turn 65 or become disabled (Tax Code §11.43(k)); if you already have the homestead exemption and the appraisal district has your birth date, it may add the 65+ exemption without a new application (§11.43(m)). You can file a late application up to two years after the date that year's taxes become delinquent (usually February 1 of the next year), Tax Code §11.431. School Tax Ceiling (tax freeze) for Age 65 or Older or Disabled: Comes with the age 65 or disabled exemption. Tax Deferral for Age 65 or Older, Disabled, or Disabled Veteran Homeowners: Any time, even after taxes are delinquent; filing it can stop a pending tax lawsuit or tax sale.
Do seniors have to reapply every year in Texas?
Age 65 or Older or Disabled Residence Homestead Exemption: One-time, unless the appraisal district asks you to reapply. School Tax Ceiling (tax freeze) for Age 65 or Older or Disabled: Continues as long as you keep the exemption. Tax Deferral for Age 65 or Older, Disabled, or Disabled Veteran Homeowners: One-time; lasts while the home is your homestead.
Where do seniors apply for property tax breaks in Texas?
The appraisal district in your county (for example, the Harris Central Appraisal District) decides all homestead and veteran exemptions. You apply to that appraisal district, not to the state comptroller. For the Age 65 or Older or Disabled Residence Homestead Exemption: Check the age 65 or the disabled box on Form 50-114 and file it with your county appraisal district.
Can seniors get more than one property tax break in Texas?
Age 65 or Older or Disabled Residence Homestead Exemption: You can get either the age 65 or the disability exemption from a school district, not both.