Austin property taxes: 2026 rates, exemptions and deadlines

What are the Austin and Travis County property tax rates for 2026?

Austin property taxes come from several taxing units, not one. A home inside the City of Austin and Austin ISD pays five: Travis County, Travis Central Health, the City of Austin, Austin Community College and Austin ISD. The Travis County Tax Office's 2026 rate list, updated September 25, 2026, posts $0.386210 per $100 of taxable value for Travis County, $0.132863 for Central Health, $0.579948 for the City of Austin and $0.103643 for Austin Community College. The City's own tax rate page states the same $0.579948 for fiscal year 2026-27.

Austin ISD is the open line. As of September 26, 2026, the tax office list showed no 2026 adopted rate for Austin ISD, only its 2026 no-new-revenue rate of $0.9452 and voter-approval rate of $0.9213. The district's 2025 rate was $0.9252. The tax office calendar gives September 29 as the deadline for taxing units to adopt the current year's rate, so check the list again after that date. The four posted 2026 rates add up to $1.202664 per $100 before any school tax (computed).

Parts of Austin sit in other school districts, and the table above lists the 2026 rates Travis County posts for seven of them, from Eanes ISD at $0.8254 to Leander ISD at $1.1169. A slice of the city also lies in Williamson and Hays counties; the City's 2026-27 taxpayer impact statement links to those appraisal districts too. The Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) property search, by owner name, address or account number, shows which units tax a parcel, and the property research desk walks through the other public records.

Sources: Travis County Tax Office: Truth in Taxation summary and tax rates ↗ · Travis County Tax Office: tax rates by taxing unit, 2026 and prior years (spreadsheet) ↗ · City of Austin Budget and Organizational Excellence: Tax Rates ↗ · City of Austin 2026-27 Taxpayer Impact Statement ↗ · Travis Central Appraisal District: Property Search ↗

How much are property taxes on a $500,000 home in Austin? A worked example

Take an example homestead in the City of Austin and Austin ISD with a $500,000 appraised value, owned by someone under 65. Each taxing unit subtracts its own exemption, taken from TCAD's 2026 exemption listing: 20% ($100,000) for Travis County, Central Health and the City; 1% with a $5,000 minimum at Austin Community College, which here is $5,000; and the state's $140,000 at Austin ISD. That leaves taxable values of $400,000 for three units, $495,000 for the college and $360,000 for the school district.

Each line is the taxable value times the rate, divided by 100. At the 2025 rates, the example bill comes to $7,914.09: $1,503.38 to Travis County, $472.09 to Central Health, $2,096.07 to the City of Austin, $511.83 to Austin Community College and $3,330.72 to Austin ISD (all computed). At the posted 2026 rates, the four non-school units total $4,909.11, up $325.74 from $4,583.37 for the same units in 2025. The 2025 total is about 1.58% of the $500,000 appraised value (computed), which is the example's effective tax rate. The City's line rises most in 2026, from $2,096.07 to $2,319.79.

Austin ISD will set the rest. If the district adopted its 2026 voter-approval rate of $0.9213, its line on $360,000 would be $3,316.68 (computed), but only the adopted rate counts. The example holds the value flat to isolate the rate change; a real bill uses TCAD's 2026 value for the parcel, limited by the homestead cap below. The journal's Austin property taxes and your home budget turns a bill like this into a monthly payment.

Sources: Travis County Tax Office: tax rates by taxing unit, 2026 and prior years (spreadsheet) ↗ · Travis Central Appraisal District: 2026 exemption listing report, July 19, 2026 ↗ · Texas Comptroller: Property Tax Exemptions ↗

How do property taxes work in Austin and Travis County?

Texas has no state property tax, the Texas Comptroller states; cities, counties, school districts and special districts levy it, and the county collects it. Three offices touch every Austin bill. The Travis Central Appraisal District sets each property's value as of January 1 and grants exemptions. Each taxing unit's elected board adopts a rate. The Travis County Tax Office combines the units into one bill and collects it.

The Comptroller summarizes the cycle: the appraisal district values property as of January 1, the appraisal review board begins hearing protests around May 15, the tax office collects around October 1, and taxpayers have until January 31 of the following year to pay. In between, TCAD's chief appraiser certifies values on July 25 in the tax office's calendar, and each unit publishes its benchmark rates before voting on its own.

Two benchmark rates explain most tax headlines. The Travis County Tax Office defines the no-new-revenue rate as the rate that would raise the same revenue from the same properties as the year before, and the voter-approval rate as the highest rate a unit can adopt without an election. For 2026 the City of Austin's rate of $0.579948 and Travis County's $0.386210 both equal their voter-approval rates on the tax office list, so neither needs an election.

Sources: Texas Comptroller: Property Tax Basics ↗ · Travis County Tax Office: Important dates ↗ · Travis County Tax Office: Truth in Taxation summary and tax rates ↗ · Travis County Tax Office: tax rates by taxing unit, 2026 and prior years (spreadsheet) ↗

Why did Austin property tax rates go up for 2026?

The City of Austin's rate rose from $0.524017 for fiscal year 2025-26 to $0.579948 for 2026-27, a 10.7% increase in the rate (computed). The City's tax rate page says the 2026-27 budget will raise $89,349,535 more in property tax revenue than the year before, a 7.4% increase, and that $19,155,677 of it comes from new property added to the tax roll.

The City's 2026-27 taxpayer impact statement puts a number on it for a typical owner. On the projected median non-senior homestead, net of the 20% exemption, the City's property tax rises from $2,074.28 to $2,188.04, or $113.76 a year. Counting Austin Energy, Austin Water, trash, drainage and the other city fees, the statement's typical household pays $5,952.68 a year, up $285.84 or 5.0%.

The other units moved less or not at all. Travis County went from $0.375845 to $0.386210, and its 2026 notice says the county adopted a rate that will raise more for maintenance and operations than last year. Central Health rose from $0.118023 to $0.132863; its September 2026 hearing notice put the average homestead's taxable value at $503,334 for 2026, down from $515,433. Austin Community College's rate is nearly flat at $0.103643, and the college says average homestead bills fall about 1%.

Sources: City of Austin Budget and Organizational Excellence: Tax Rates ↗ · City of Austin 2026-27 Taxpayer Impact Statement ↗ · Travis County: Notice About 2026 Tax Rate ↗ · Central Health: Notice of Public Hearing and Vote on Tax Increase, 2026 ↗ · Austin Community College: ACC approves new property tax rate for FY2026-27 ↗ · Travis County Tax Office: tax rates by taxing unit, 2026 and prior years (spreadsheet) ↗

What homestead exemptions lower an Austin property tax bill?

The homestead exemption is really five exemptions, one per taxing unit, with state law setting the floor. The Texas Comptroller states that Tax Code §11.13(b) requires school districts to exempt $140,000 of a residence homestead, that §11.13(c) adds $60,000 for owners 65 or older or disabled, and that §11.13(n) lets any unit adopt a local option exemption of up to 20% of appraised value, at least $5,000. TCAD's 2026 exemption listing shows the City of Austin, Travis County and Central Health each at the full 20%, and Austin Community College at 1%.

The age 65 and disability exemptions are much larger. TCAD's 2026 listing shows $204,000 from the City of Austin, $145,269 from Travis County, $197,000 from Central Health and $75,000 from Austin Community College. Austin ISD adds $25,000 of its own to the state's $60,000 for owners 65 or older, and $15,000 for disabled owners. The City says the Austin City Council raised its amount from $192,000 on May 28, 2026. The listing also marks a tax ceiling at Austin ISD and Austin Community College, so those taxes stop rising for a qualifying owner.

Qualifying is procedural. TCAD says the general exemption goes to owners who own and live in the home on January 1 and requires a driver's license or state ID showing the property's address; applications can be filed online. Tax Code §11.43(d) sets the deadline before May 1, and the City notes that owners do not need to reapply each year once granted.

Sources: Texas Comptroller: Property Tax Exemptions ↗ · Travis Central Appraisal District: 2026 exemption listing report, July 19, 2026 ↗ · City of Austin 2026-27 Taxpayer Impact Statement ↗ · Travis Central Appraisal District: Homestead Exemptions ↗ · Texas Tax Code Chapter 11, §§11.13, 11.42, 11.43 (exemptions) ↗

How does the 10% homestead cap work in Travis County?

Once a home has a homestead exemption, Texas Tax Code §23.23 limits how fast its taxable value can rise. The appraised value for a year cannot exceed the lesser of the market value or the prior year's appraised value plus 10%, plus the market value of any new improvements, such as an addition or a pool. TCAD appraises the market value anyway and must show both numbers, which is why a notice can list a market value above the value you are taxed on.

The cap has a start and an end. Under §23.23(c) it takes effect on January 1 of the tax year after the owner first qualifies for the homestead exemption, and it expires when neither that owner nor a spouse or surviving spouse qualifies. A sale ends it, so a buyer is appraised at market value until the buyer's own cap begins. Rentals and second homes get a separate 20% limit, the circuit breaker in §23.231, for real property valued at up to $5 million in 2024, adjusted by inflation since; the statute says that section expires December 31, 2026.

Sources: Texas Tax Code §§23.23, 23.231 (homestead cap and circuit breaker) ↗

How do you protest your Travis County property tax appraisal?

TCAD sets the deadline to file a protest at May 15 or 30 days after your notice is mailed, whichever is later. You can file through TCAD's online portal, which TCAD calls the easiest and fastest way, by mail, or in person at 850 East Anderson Lane. Everyone who files gets access to TCAD's evidence packet in the portal, and a formal hearing notice includes the right to inspect the evidence TCAD plans to use.

After you file, TCAD offers an informal meeting with an appraiser. If that does not settle the value, the Travis Appraisal Review Board hears the protest. Bring what the appraiser cannot see from the street: closed sales of similar nearby homes, repair estimates, photos of condition problems and the square footage from your own records. Also check that the notice lists every exemption you have applied for.

A protest changes the value, not the rate. Rates are adopted by each taxing unit at the public hearings listed in their truth-in-taxation notices, and those notices invite owners to comment before the vote. The Austin market data page shows recent price and inventory trends for a first sense of whether a value looks high.

Sources: Travis Central Appraisal District: The Protest Process ↗ · Central Health: Notice of Public Hearing and Vote on Tax Increase, 2026 ↗

When are Travis County property taxes due, and what happens if you pay late?

The Travis County Tax Office calendar gives October 1 as the start of collection, when bills may be mailed, and January 31 as the last day to pay without penalty and interest. A bill for the prior year postmarked after January 10 automatically postpones the delinquency date. If you need a paid receipt for a federal income tax deduction, the tax office says to pay by the end of December. Its online account search shows current and prior statements and whether the taxes are paid, and lets you pay online or enroll in a payment plan.

Late payment gets expensive fast. Tax Code §33.01 adds a 6% penalty for the first month a tax is delinquent plus 1% for each additional month before July 1, when the penalty becomes 12%, and interest of 1% a month on top. Owners with an over-65, disabled, disabled veteran or surviving spouse exemption can instead enroll in the tax office's installment plan by February 28, with payment deadlines on March 31, May 31 and July 31.

Sources: Travis County Tax Office: Important dates ↗ · Texas Tax Code §33.01, Penalties and Interest ↗ · Travis County Tax Office: Property tax account search ↗

How does buying a home change your Austin property taxes?

Three rules decide a buyer's first bills. First, the seller's homestead exemption stays on the home for the year of the sale: Tax Code §11.42(f) lets a buyer who acquires a home after January 1 receive the homestead exemption for the rest of that year only if the previous owner did not have the same exemption. Under §11.43(d) the buyer applies before the first anniversary of the purchase. Second, the 10% cap ends with the sale, so the next value starts from market.

Third, the year's taxes are split at closing. The TREC One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale) says current-year taxes are prorated through the closing date, that the proration may account for changes in exemptions, and that the parties adjust it when the actual tax statements come out. If the taxes are not paid at or before closing, the buyer pays them. That is why the seller's last bill, with its capped value and exemptions, is a poor guide to yours.

New homes add their own line items. Many Austin-area subdivisions sit in a municipal utility district or public improvement district that taxes or assesses on top of the units above, and the seller must disclose it before you sign. The new construction homes in Austin guide covers those districts and their rates, and the home search and payment estimator lets you test a full payment.

Sources: Texas Tax Code Chapter 11, §§11.13, 11.42, 11.43 (exemptions) ↗ · Texas Tax Code §§23.23, 23.231 (homestead cap and circuit breaker) ↗ · TREC form 20-19, One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale) ↗