You don't stop paying your property taxes! It's an obligation you should continue to fulfil so long as you live on the property. However, if you are over 65 and/or disabled, and have an "Over 65/Disabled Exemption", you can defer (i.e. postpone) payment of your delinquent property taxes. You need to file a Tax Deferral Affidavit with your County Appraisal District and your tax bill payments are postponed until you live in your home. Be aware that the payments are not canceled, they are only postponed and continue to accrue an interest of 5% p.a. Once you no longer own your home or live in it, you or the inheritor of your property, will have 180 days to pay back all the taxes, pre-deferral penalties and interest, together with the 5% deferral interest. If the taxes are unpaid even after 6 months, then the taxing units will proceed with their prescribed recovery steps including foreclosure, to recover their monies due.
The county creates a lien on your property. Even if you sell your house, the buyer has to pay the lien i.e. all the outstanding property taxes along with the accrued interest to the county and then proclaim ownership of the property.
Tax Code Section 11.13(c) provides homeowners aged 65 or older an additional $10,000 homestead exemption on top of the general residence homestead exemption of $100,000. Other taxing units in the county (e.g, city, county, community college, sewage district, MUD etc.) may offer an exemption upto 20% of the homestead's value. While they are not required by law to provide an exemption, if they do provide, it should be a minimum exemption of $5,000. For seniors, these taxing units may offer an additional exemption of at least $3,000.
Nope, seniors are not automatically exempt from property taxes, unless they qualify for a total exemption (e.g, a 100% P & T veteran). Property tax is an obligation you should continue to fulfil so long as you live on the property. However, if you are over 65 and/or disabled, and have an "Over 65/Disabled Exemption", you can defer (i.e. postpone) payment of your delinquent property taxes. You need to file a Tax Deferral Affidavit with your County Appraisal District and your tax bill payments are postponed until you live on that home. Be aware that the tax payments are not canceled, they are only postponed and continue to accrue an interest of 5% p.a. Once you no longer own your home or live in it, you or the inheritor of your property, will have 180 days to pay back all the taxes, pre-deferral penalties and interest, together with the 5% deferral interest. If the taxes are unpaid even after 6 months, then the taxing units will proceed with their prescribed recovery steps including foreclosure, to recover their monies due.
Seniors do get a "freeze" on the school district portion of their property taxes.
Property taxes aren't frozen per-se. However, when a residence homestead owner reaches age 65, the school district tax amount you pay at age 65 will be your "tax ceiling" or "tax limitation". In subsequent years, if your property's value increases or the school district increases their tax rate, you will remain unaffected. However, if the school district property tax decreases, your payment will also decrease correspondingly. This tax ceiling guards senior citizen against unforeseen tax raises. This tax-ceiling is also referred to as "senior freeze".
Nope, seniors go not get a discount on the actual property taxes payable. However, with the senior exemptions and tax-ceiling available, homeowners over 65 will pay lesser property tax than a non-senior. In fact, in many cases, the year that a homeowner turns 65, they actually see their property taxes go down compared to the year past.
Never! Unless they are totally exempt from property taxes, a homeowner continues to pay property tax even after age 65, so long as they live in that house. Homeowners aged 65 and above are eligible for a "tax-ceiling". Property taxes aren't frozen per-se. However, when a residence homestead owner reaches age 65, the school district tax amount you pay at age 65 will be your "tax ceiling". In subsequent years, if your property's value increases or the school district increases their tax rate, you will remain unaffected. However, if the school district property tax decreases, your payment will also decrease correspondingly.
You can apply for your over 65 exemption the year you turn 65. Beginning 2005, if you mentioned your date of birth on your general homestead application, then you will automatically receive the senior exemption the year you qualify. However, if you have been living in your homestead prior to 2005, then you need to make a fresh application. On Form 50-114, check "Yes" for "General Residence Homestead" and "Person aged 65 or Older". Once approved, your senior exemption applies for the entire tax year and for subsequent years as long as you own and live on the qualified residence homestead.
You can claim your homestead exemption retroactively upto 2 years including senior or disabled exemption].
Until 2022, the deadline for homestead exemptions used to be April 30th. Beginning 2022, you can apply for homestead exemption all year round. You can also file for a homestead exemption retroactively for upto two years. When filling out Form 50-114, check the 'Yes' box for 'Are you filing a late application' and indicate the tax year(s) for which you like to retroactively claim exemption. In case you have already paid property taxes for the past year(s), you will get a refund. If not paid, then you will get a new tax bill with a lower amount. If you file your homestead exemption before April 30th, you will be in time for the exemption to take effect when the current year's property tax bills are mailed in fall. Else, it will be applied retroactively.
When a residence homestead owner reaches age 65, the school district tax amount they pay at age 65 will be their tax ceiling. In subsequent years, if the property's value increases or the school district increases their tax rate, then seniors will remain unaffected. However, if the school district property tax decreases, then the tax payment for seniors will also decrease correspondingly. This tax ceiling guards senior citizen against unforeseen tax raises.
If you are over 65 and had the school district taxes frozen, then you can transfer the exact percentage of the school district tax ceiling. e.g., when you turned 65, say, your old house was valued at $100,000. Your ISD portion of the tax was $1,000, assuming a 1% ISD tax rate. Let's assume your old house is now valued at $200,000. But you continue to pay $1,000 in ISD taxes. So, your effective ISD tax rate is 0.5%. You would then pay 0.5% in school district taxes for your new home. This forms your tax ceiling on the old home. You can transfer the same tax percentage to your new home. Before moving, you will have to request a tax ceiling certificate from the Chief Appraiser in the appraisal district where your old home is located. And present that to the new appraisal district along with your new homestead application there.
Articles presented here are for general information and education only. It is provided as a courtesy to the general public. SQD Taxtech LLC does not warrant that it is accurate or complete. Opinions expressed and estimates or projections given are those of the authors or persons quoted as of the date of the article with no obligation to update or notify of inaccuracy or change. This article may not be reproduced, distributed or further published by any person without the written consent of SQD Taxtech LLC. Please cite source when quoting.
SQD Taxtech LLC, its managed affiliates and subsidiaries, as a matter of policy, do not give tax, accounting, regulatory or legal advice. Rules in the areas of law, tax, and accounting are subject to change and open to varying interpretations. You should consult with your other advisors on the tax, accounting and legal implications of actions you may take based on any strategies presented, taking into account your own particular circumstances.