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1. When are taxes due?

Tax bills for each year are mailed in October. Taxes are due upon receipt of the statement and are delinquent if not paid on or before January 31st of the year following the year in which the tax was imposed.

Mailed Payments

If you mail payment for your taxes, the envelope must be postmarked by the U.S. Post Office no later than January 31st.

Example: 2017 Tax Bills are due no later than January 31, 2018. A payment with a U.S. Post Office postmark dated January 31, 2018 or earlier will be considered timely paid regardless of the date the mail was received.

Online Payments

Online payment services experience extremely high volumes January 31st. If you use online services to pay property taxes, please note tax payments made by 11:59 pm (midnight) central standard time on January 31st will be considered as timely payments.

2. What if I don't receive a tax bill?

If you do not receive a bill, please contact the Property Tax office or access our website for a copy of your bill.

Failure to receive a tax bill does not affect the validity of the tax, penalty, or interest, the due date, the existence of a tax lien, or any procedure instituted to collect a tax (section 31.01 (g), Texas Property Tax Code).

3. How long does it take for my property account to be updated when I mail in my payment?

Due to the high volume of property tax mail-in payments, please allow a minimum of 7 to 10 business days for processing.

4. I received a tax statement but my taxes are paid by my mortgage company. What should I do?

Original tax statements are sent to all taxpayers. A duplicate statement will be mailed to your mortgage company if requested by them. If your mortgage company did not request the statement, write your loan number on the statement and send it immediately to the mortgage company.

5. What happens if I can not pay my taxes by the due date?

If taxes are not paid by January 31st, penalties and interest will accrue are follows:

Month Tax Is Paid in	Penalty	Interest	Total
February	6%	1%	7%
March	7%	2%	9%
April	8%	3%	11%
May	9%	4%	13%
June	10%	5%	15%
July	12%	6%	18%

Further Penalties

Penalty reaches a 12% maximum and interest will increase 1% each month thereafter.

Personal Property & Mobile Home Accounts

Personal property and mobile home accounts not paid in full by March 31st of the year in which they become delinquent will be referred to the delinquent tax attorney for enforced collection and will incur an additional penalty equal to 15% to 20% of the total taxes, penalties, and interest due.

Real Property Accounts

All real property accounts not paid in full by June 30th of the year in which they become delinquent will be referred to the delinquent tax attorney for enforced collection and will incur an additional penalty equal to 15% to 20% of the total taxes, penalties, and interest due.

6. Who is responsible for paying taxes?

State law automatically places a tax lien on the property on January 1 of each year to ensure that taxes are paid. The person who owns or acquires property on or after January 1 of the tax year is personally liable for the tax. A person is not relieved of the obligation because he no longer owns the property. (Section 32.07, Texas Property Tax Code).

7. What form of payments do you accept for property taxes?

We accept cash in person and checks, cashier’s checks, or money orders in person or by mail. Credit card payments can be made in our office with an additional convenience fee.

Payments may also be made online. Payments made by eCheck do not have an additional convenience fee. Payments made by credit, debit or eCheck are posted "pending" until funding occurs. It is important when paying by eCheck that the bank routing and account number are accurately entered for proper posting. Please allow a minimum of 7 to 10 business days for processing.

We also accept wire transfer and Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments. Please contact the Property Tax office for details.

8. Do you accept partial payments?

Partial payments are accepted; however, any remaining amount not paid by January 31st will begin to accrue penalty and interest. Should you wish to make partial payments beginning in October when you receive your statement, please write your property account number on your check with the words "Partial payment" in remarks.

9. What kinds of payment options are available to taxpayers with an over-65 or disabled person exemption?

Only taxpayers with an over-65 or Disabled Person Exemption may pay current taxes on their homestead residence in four installments without penalty or interest; however, the taxpayer must request the quarterly payments in writing and must pay at least:

• 1/4 by January 31st
• 1/4 by March 31st
• 1/4 by May 31st
• 1/4 by July 31st

If an installment is missed, the 6% penalty is imposed and interest begins to accrue.

Waives & Deferrals

Restrictions

The Tax Assessor-Collector is restricted from waiving or deferring penalty and interest on a delinquent property tax

Penalty and interest fees resulting from failure to timely pay a property tax are statutory.

Governing Body Authorization

Only the governing body for the taxing unit(s) that imposes a tax on a property may authorize the waiver of a penalty and interest under specific criteria.

Failure to send or receive the tax bill does not affect the validity of the:

• Any procedure instituted to collect a tax
• Due date
• Existence of tax lien
• Interest
• Penalty
• Tax

(section 31.01(g), Texas Property Tax Code).

Specific Circumstances

Penalty and Interest may only be waived on a delinquent tax under specific circumstances. The Texas Property Tax Code is very strict pertaining to the waiver of penalty and interest. (section 33.011, Texas Property Tax Code).

Payment must be made; including penalty and interest, within 21 days from the date the taxpayer knew or should have known taxes are due. (section 31.011 (d)(g), Texas Property Tax Code).

10. What are exemptions and how do I file for an exemption?

Exemptions reduce the taxable value of your property and lower the tax amount billed. Common exemptions are:

• Disable Veteran
• Disabled Person
• General Residence Homestead
• Over-65
• Survivors of a Disabled Veteran

To file for an exemption, contact the appraisal district in your county.

11. My address is not correct on my bill; how do I get it corrected?

Contact the appraisal district in your county.