How to file a homestead exemption in Texas

Before you start

• Who files: you, the owner. No agent or company is needed.
• Where: the appraisal district in the county where the home is, not the tax office or the state. Find yours in the Comptroller county directory.
• Cost: free.
• Form: Form 50-114 for the general, over-65, disability and 100% disabled veteran exemptions; Form 50-135 for the partial disabled veteran exemption.

What to include

• A copy of your Texas driver license or state-issued ID. The address must match the home (§11.43(n)), with waivers for active-duty military and their spouses and a few other cases. Some districts do not accept passports or temporary licenses.
• Each owner’s name and share of ownership. Some districts require each signer’s ID to match.
• Your date of birth (required for the over-65 exemption).
• For an inherited home without a deed in your name: an ownership affidavit, the prior owner’s death certificate, a recent utility bill, and affidavits from other heirs living there (§11.43(o)).
• For disability: the documents your district specifies. For a disabled veteran: the VA rating letter.

Filing online in DFW

• Dallas County (Dallas Central Appraisal District): Yes. Search your property on dallascad.org, open the property address, and choose "File Homestead Exemption Online." The same page has a "Print Homestead Exemption Form" link.
• Tarrant County (Tarrant Appraisal District): Yes. Tarrant Appraisal District launched a new online homestead application on February 11, 2025, at tad.org/forms/homestead-exemption, with a dashboard to check your exemption status. A downloadable application is still available.
• Collin County (Collin Central Appraisal District): Yes, through the Collin CAD Taxpayer Portal at onlineportal.collincad.org. Collin CAD says emailed applications are not accepted.
• Denton County (Denton Central Appraisal District): Denton CAD says the printed application can be emailed back to info@dentoncad.com. Its FAQ does not describe a separate online filing portal.

Other counties: start from the Comptroller county directory.

After you file

Processing commonly takes weeks. Denton CAD, for example, says the homestead usually shows on its website within 90 days, and it does not mail an approval notice. If your application is denied, the appraisal district sends a written notice that explains the denial and how to protest it to the appraisal review board.

Step by step

1. Find your property record

   Go to your county appraisal district’s website, search your address, and read the exemptions currently listed for the home.

2. Update your ID if needed

   Make sure your Texas driver license or state ID shows the home’s address. If not, update it with Texas DPS first, because the appraisal district generally cannot grant the exemption without a match.

3. Complete Form 50-114

   Fill in each owner’s name and ownership share, the date you began living there, and check every exemption you qualify for: general homestead, age 65 or older, disability, or 100% disabled veteran.

4. Ask for late years

   If you are filing late, state in writing which past tax years you are claiming, within the late-filing window.

5. Attach documents

   Attach a copy of your ID. Add any other documents the form asks for, such as heirship affidavits for inherited property or disability or VA rating letters.

6. Submit to the appraisal district

   Submit online through the district’s portal if it has one, or by mail or in person. Keep a copy and proof of the date you filed.

7. Confirm approval

   Check your property record online after several weeks. Some districts do not mail approval notices. Then check your next tax statement.

Common questions

Related guides

• Texas homestead exemption deadlinesTexas homestead exemption deadlines: April 30 for most owners, one year after buying, one year after turning 65, and late windows of 2 or 5 years.
• Filed late? How to get back years of homestead savingsForgot to file? Texas accepts late homestead applications up to 2 years after the delinquency date (5 for disabled veterans) and refunds taxes paid. Dates by year.
• Paid homestead letters: what they are and what to doOfficial-looking letters charge fees for a "designation of homestead." Filing a Texas homestead exemption is free. How to tell real appraisal district mail apart.