The senior freeze tax is a valuable program for eligible seniors in Texas, providing much-needed relief from rising property taxes. If you're a senior homeowner in Texas, it's worth exploring the senior property tax freeze and submitting a senior freeze application to your county appraisal district.
Many Texas homeowners wonder how long their property taxes can remain delinquent before their home is foreclosed on, and, unfortunately, the answer is – there is no specific answer. The state of Texas and individual counties don't set specific repayment deadlines for delinquent property taxes.
To put it in simple terms, the seller will be responsible for the property tax balance that accrued from the beginning of the tax year until the date of closing, and the buyer will be responsible for property taxes that are due for the period after the closing date. This is a process called proration.
To obtain a tax deferral, an individual must file the tax deferral affidavit with the appraisal district of the county they reside in. Please refer to What is A Property Tax Deferral information sheet (PDF) to learn how a property tax deferral may affect you.
Ing to the Comptroller, there is no provision for the cessation of property taxes at any stage. However, there is a Texas property tax exemption for people over the age of 65, which offers temporary tax relief for seniors. At the age of 65, seniors can apply for an exemption from Texas property taxes.
To qualify for a general or disabled homestead exemption you must own your home on January 1. If you are 65 years of age or older you need not own your home on January 1. You will qualify for the over 65 exemption as soon as you turn 65, own the home and live in it as your principal residence.
Proposition 4 is a property tax relief package passed in 2023 that increased the state's homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000. This results in an additional $60,000 value reduction benefit. The homestead exemption is $110,000 for Texas homeowners 65 and older.
A property owner must apply for an exemption in most circumstances. Applications for property tax exemptions are filed with the appraisal district in the county in which the property is located. The general deadline for filing an exemption application is before May 1.