To Qualify:

• Property must be designed or adapted for human residence and the homeowner must own the property on January 1 of the year application is made
• The person claiming the exemption must reside at the property on January 1 and cannot claim a homestead exemption on any other property
• If more than one individual (not a married couple) owns the property, each separate individual must make application if they reside at the property
• Exemptions are allocated according to percent of ownership interest the applicant has in the property
• The exemption application must be completed, notarized and include a driver’s license or social security number and date of birth
• When filing for the General Residential Homestead exemption, you must file an application no later than two years after the delinquency date
• When filing for the Disability Homestead exemption, you must file an application no later than one year after the delinquency date

Late Filing:

• When filing for the General Residential Homestead exemption, you must file an application no later than two years after the delinquency date
• When filing for the Disability Homestead exemption, you must file an application no later than one year after the delinquency date

Benefits of Exemptions:

• All school districts in Texas grant a reduction of $25,000 from your market value for a General Residential Homestead exemption
• Some taxing units also offer additional optional reductions for the homestead exemption
• In addition, each school district will grant a minimum reduction of $10,000 from the market value for an over-65 exemption
• For optional exemptions, the governing body of each taxing entity decides whether it will offer the exemption and at what percentage or amount

Disabled Veterans with 100% Disability:

• You qualify for this exemption if you are a disabled veteran who receives from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or its successor 100 percent disability compensation due to a service-connected disability and a rating of 100 percent disability or of individual unemployability
• This exemption applies to the property on which you have your residence homestead exemption as of January 1, beginning with the 2009 Tax Year
• This entitles you to an exemption of the total appraised value of your residence homestead
• An exemption application must be completed and accompanied with a recent copy of your award letter, "VA tax letter" or other document from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs showing 100 percent disability compensation with the effective date that the percentage took affect.

To Qualify:

• Must be a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces and your service branch or the Veterans Administration has officially classified you as disabled with a percentage of 10% or more
• Must be a Texas resident
• Application can apply to any property you own on January 1 on which property taxes are assessed
• Must complete an application and attach a copy of a current dated letter from the Veterans Administration reflecting the percent of disability awarded
• Must file the application by April 30 or no later than one year after the delinquency date
• When the disabled veteran attains age 65, is totally blind in one or both eyes, or has lost the use of one or both limbs, they will qualify for 100% of the amount offered regardless of the disability percentage awarded by the V.A.

Late Filing:

• You may file a late application
• For the 2016 tax year and any tax year after that, a late application must be filed no later that five years after the delinquency date for the taxes on the designated property

Surviving Spouse or Child:

• A surviving spouse or child may also qualify to continue this exemption; a surviving spouse may continue the exemption if the survivor does not remarry
• A surviving spouse or child of an armed forces member killed on active duty may qualify for this exemption
• The surviving child must be under age 18 and unmarried or surviving spouse must be a Texas resident
• An application must be completed along with a letter from the Veterans Administration showing the person died while on active duty, copy of your marriage license
• A surviving child must attach a copy of proof of age and relationship to the deceased

To Qualify:

• Organization must be organized exclusively to perform religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes, engage exclusively in performing one or more of many charitable functions
• A charitable organization must be operated in a way that does not result in accrual of distributable profits, realization of private gain resulting from payment of compensation in excess of a reasonable allowance for salary or other compensation for services rendered, or realization of any other form of private gain, and some charitable organizations must be organized as a non-profit corporation as defined by the Texas Non-Profit Corporation Act
• See Section 11.18 of the Texas Property Tax Code for more details

To Qualify:

• Organization must be organized and operated primarily for the purpose of engaging in religious worship or promoting the spiritual well being of individuals
• Organization must be operated in such a way that no individual profits (other than salary) and the organization's bylaws, charter or other regulations must pledge its assets for use in performing the organization's religious functions
• See Section 11.20 of the Texas Property Tax Code for more details

To Qualify:

• This application covers property you owned on January 1 of this year
• You must file the completed application between January 1 and April 30 of this year
• Attach any additional documents requested
• You must apply for this exemption every year as it will not be automatically renewed