January 1st of each year is the date that the Central Appraisal District "re-evaluates" your property and determines your current year taxable value.

Previous tax bill payment due BEFORE February 1st or it becomes delinquent. Penalty and interest charges begin accumulating on most unpaid tax bills. Installment plans or deferrals are some times an option.

If your taxes are escrowed confirm with your lender that they are paid or plan to be paid on your behalf from your escrow account. You are welcome to confirm with your servicer that it is paid. Lenders typically pay your bill in the previous December.

If your taxes are not escrowed, begin to make plans to pay the full amount on or before this date.

Contact your lender if you are unsure.

If you purchased or sold a home in the prior year, here's what you should prepare for your tax return. Please note we always advise that you connect with a CPA should you have any further questions about this.

• Copy of closing disclosure (if purchased)

• Copy of closing disclosure from original date of purchase of home (if sold)

• A listing of improvements made to the home as well as the amount of money spent (if sold)

• Form 1098 – tax form from the mortgage company showing the amount of mortgage interest paid during the year

• Amounts paid for property taxes during the year

• Information on how long you lived in and owned the property (if sold)

• A list of energy efficient improvements made to the home (for potential green tax credits)

You should be receiving your notice of appraised value through the mail in April or May, but it is also available online through your county’s website. You can find links below to most nearby counties.

You typically have 30 days from receiving your notice of value to submit your protest with the Central Appraisal District.

Below you can find a link to our step-by-step guide on how to confidently protest your appraisal on your own. We’ve also included contact information for Tax Specialists that may be able to help!

Reach out to us to request our complimentary service where we can provide you with relevant sales data to support your yearly protest of value.

If you purchased a primary residence this year (or purchased before this year, but have not filed your homestead or other applicable exemptions), now is a great to file your exemption!

Please know that the address on your Driver's License/ Photo ID must match the address of which you are applying for the homestead exemption.

See below for more information on exemptions and applying.

Be on the lookout in your mailbox for this year's tax bill to see how the tax rate and your appraised value were calculated to total your yearly tax amount. If you do not receive it this month, check online or contact the county for them to resend your hard copy! If your lender is responsible for paying the bill from your escrow account, the bill may have gone to them.

Once your bill is posted/paid, consider contacting your servicer to discuss any changes that might happen to your monthly payment next year and prepare either for any escrow increases, or escrow overages that you might be able to have refunded. In the event your property tax bill increased, they can advise you on what your options are (usually when you have an increase in monthly payment you can choose to add to your monthly cost, or pay in a lump sum).

*Note from TCAD: State law allows us to begin mailing tax bills on Oct. 1. However, we must wait for all government entities to send their tax rate to our office, and the results of elections (such as a bond election) where voters may decide additional tax rates, before we can mail out tax bills. The fastest way to receive your tax bill is by email by signing up for eBill.