Texas Porch

Homestead Exemption

How to lower your tax bill with a homestead exemption

Texas law lets you reduce the taxable value of the home you live in — file once with the Burnet County Appraisal District.

If you own the home you live in, you can apply for a residence homestead exemption. Texas law requires school districts to subtract $140,000 from your home's appraised value before calculating school taxes. That can mean real savings every year. Homeowners age 65 and older get an extra $60,000 off their school district value.

You file with the Burnet County Appraisal District, not the state. The general deadline is before May 1 of the tax year. You only need to file once — the exemption stays as long as the home is your principal residence. Check burnet-cad.org or the Texas Comptroller's exemptions page for the current form and any local option exemptions that taxing units in the county may offer.

Source to confirm: Texas Comptroller — Property Tax Exemptions

More Burnet County notes