Texas Property Tax Deadlines & Timeline 2026

Every Texas property owner navigates the same year-round procedural calendar: appraisal notices in April, protests by May 15, ARB hearings through July, certification on July 25, tax bills in October, payment by January 31. The dates are statutory, the same across all 254 counties, and the consequences of missing them range from inconvenient to permanent. This guide is the complete 2026 calendar with every deadline that matters, and the statutory citation behind each one.

The four deadlines that matter most

If you remember nothing else from this guide, remember these four dates. Missing any of them has financial consequences ranging from "annoying" to "you cannot fix this for a year":

The complete 2026 calendar

Month by month, every Texas property tax procedural date:

January 2026

February – March 2026

April 2026

May 2026

June 2026

July 2026

August – September 2026

October – December 2026

January 2027

What's due by quarter

The shorter mental model for a typical Texas homeowner:

• Q1 (Jan–Mar): Pay last year's tax bill by January 31. Wait for the appraisal notice.
• Q2 (Apr–Jun): Notice arrives. File homestead exemption if applicable (by April 30). File protest by May 15. Informal review happens.
• Q3 (Jul–Sep): Formal ARB hearing if your protest didn't settle informally. Decide whether to appeal beyond the ARB. Taxing entities set new rates.
• Q4 (Oct–Dec): Tax bill arrives in October. Pay by January 31 of next year (or pay in December if you want the federal deduction for the current calendar year, subject to SALT cap rules).

What happens if you miss a deadline

The consequences depend entirely on which deadline you miss:

Statutory exceptions and back-claim windows

Texas Tax Code provides specific relief mechanisms for several common situations:

• §11.431 — Late homestead application: applications for the residence homestead exemption may be filed up to two years after the delinquency date (typically January 31) of the relevant tax year. A 2025 homestead exemption can be back-claimed until January 31, 2028.
• §25.25(c) — Clerical correction motions: for clerical, computer, or other systemic errors, a correction motion can be filed up to 5 years after January 1 of the relevant tax year — regardless of whether the May 15 protest deadline was met. This is value-neutral, however; you can correct facts (square footage, owner name, exemption status) but not challenge appraisal value.
• §25.25(d) — Substantial overvaluation correction: for residential properties, a motion can be filed up to the date taxes become delinquent if the property's appraised value exceeds market value by 25% or more. This is harder to win than a timely §41 protest but is the residential safety net.
• §41.44(b) — Good cause late protest: the ARB may consider a late-filed protest if the taxpayer can show good cause (military deployment, hospitalization, mistaken address on file). The standard is strict; routine "I forgot" does not qualify.
• §42.21 — District court appeal: ARB determinations may be appealed within 60 days of receipt to state district court in the county where the property is located.
• §41A — Binding arbitration: for residential properties under $5M and certain commercial under $5M, binding arbitration through the Comptroller's office is an alternative to district court appeal. Cheaper and faster but binding.

Variations by county

The statutory dates above apply uniformly to all 254 Texas counties. However, individual CADs vary in their operational timing:

• Notice mailing dates — large CADs (HCAD, TCAD, DCAD, TAD, CCAD, Denton CAD) typically mail in April. Smaller rural CADs sometimes lag into early May. If you have not received a notice by May 1, contact your CAD.
• Informal review scheduling — varies. Some counties begin informal reviews immediately after May 15; others wait until June.
• Formal ARB scheduling — varies. Larger counties operate multiple panels in parallel through August; smaller counties may finish all hearings by mid-July.
• Tax bill mailing — varies by tax assessor-collector. Most metro counties mail in October; some smaller counties later in November.

For county-specific deadline detail, see our county guides: Collin, Dallas, Tarrant, Denton, Harris (Houston), Travis (Austin), Bexar (San Antonio), Johnson.

FAQ — deadlines

When is the Texas property tax protest deadline in 2026?

May 15, 2026, or 30 days after the appraisal district mailed your Notice of Appraised Value, whichever is later. Texas Tax Code §41.44.

When are Texas property taxes due in 2026?

2026 taxes are due January 31, 2027. Penalties and interest begin February 1, 2027.

When does the Texas appraisal district mail the Notice of Appraised Value?

Texas CADs typically mail between April 1 and May 1. §25.19 requires delivery by April 1 or as soon as practicable thereafter. If you haven't received a notice by May 1, contact your CAD.

Can I protest property taxes after May 15 in Texas?

Only under narrow conditions. §41.44(b) allows a late protest for good cause (e.g., military deployment, hospitalization). §25.25 correction motions can fix factual errors but not value disputes. Routine late filings are not accepted. File on time.

When is the homestead exemption deadline in Texas?

April 30 of the tax year for current-year application. §11.431 allows back-claim up to two years after delinquency — so a 2026 exemption can be retroactively applied until January 31, 2029 in many cases.

When does the ARB issue determinations on protests?

Formal ARB determinations are issued in writing after the hearing, typically within 30 days. By July 25 the ARB must certify the appraisal roll, so most residential determinations are issued before then.

What if my tax bill arrives in November or December instead of October?

That's normal in some counties. The statutory payment deadline (January 31) is fixed regardless of when the bill mails. Late-arriving bills get the same January 31 due date.

Can I pay Texas property taxes in installments?

Default: no. Texas property taxes are due in full by January 31. However, §31.031 allows quarter-installment payments for owners over 65, disabled, or with 100% disabled-veteran homestead exemption. Some counties also offer split-payment plans through the tax assessor-collector — call your county's office to verify.