Texas property tax exemptions at 65 and older
Turning 65 adds a larger school exemption and freezes your school taxes. Here is how to make sure both are on your record.
A Texas homeowner 65 or older gets an additional $60,000 school district exemption from tax year 2025, on top of the $140,000 general homestead exemption, for $200,000 total. It also sets a school tax ceiling that keeps school taxes from rising except for new improvements (Tax Code §11.26). Apply within one year of turning 65; a district can add it without an application when its records show your age (§11.43(m)).
What you get
- School district: $60,000 more exempted (§11.13(c)), for $200,000 with the general homestead.
- Other taxing units: any city, county or special district may add a local over-65 exemption of at least $3,000 (§11.13(d)). Amounts vary by unit.
- School tax ceiling: your school tax on the home cannot go above the level set when you qualified, adjusted down for later exemption increases and rate compression, and up only for new improvements (§11.26). Cities, counties and junior colleges may adopt their own ceilings.
When and how to apply
The over-65 exemption applies to the entire tax year in which you turn 65 (§11.42(c)). File Form 50-114 with your birth date no later than one year after you qualify (§11.43(k)), or later under the two-year late-filing rule.
Under §11.43(m), an appraisal district grants the over-65 exemption without a new application when its records or Texas DPS information show your age. Do not rely on that: look up your record, and if the over-65 exemption is not listed, apply.
Surviving spouses
A surviving spouse who was 55 or older when the owner died can keep the over-65 exemption and the school tax ceiling on the same home if the owner was receiving it (§11.13(q); §11.26(i)). Some districts apply this automatically when they learn of the death (§11.43(m-2)); confirm it on your record.
Protection from losing it
Before cancelling an exemption for an owner 65 or older for not answering a request, the chief appraiser must send written notice with a response form and a prepaid return envelope, and wait 60 days (§11.43(q)). If you receive such a letter, answer it.
Not sure what your record shows? The free check reads your county record with you, applies the rules on this page, and shows any back-year refunds and yearly savings. If you are already covered, it says so.
Run the free 3-minute checkCommon questions
Does the over-65 exemption happen automatically in Texas?
Often, but not always. Tax Code §11.43(m) lets the appraisal district grant it without an application when its records or DPS data show your age. Check your property record and apply if it is not listed.
Can my school taxes go up after I turn 65 in Texas?
Generally no, because of the school tax ceiling. They can rise if you add improvements, such as an addition, and the ceiling is lowered when exemptions increase.
Can I transfer my over-65 tax ceiling to a new home?
Yes, proportionally. Ask your current appraisal district for a ceiling transfer certificate and give it to the district for the new home (Tax Code §11.26(g), (h)).
Related guides
- The 10% homestead cap and the tax ceilingHow the Texas 10% homestead appraisal cap and the 65+/disabled school tax ceiling work, when they start, why they reset after a sale, and how to keep them.
- The Texas disability homestead exemptionTexas homeowners who are disabled get $60,000 more off school taxes and a tax ceiling. The Social Security standard, documents, and combining it with 65+.
- The $140,000 homestead exemption: what changed in 2025Texas voters raised the school homestead exemption to $140,000 and the 65+/disabled exemption to $60,000 for tax year 2025 on. What changed and what to check.
Sources
- Property Tax Exemptions — Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts — Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
- Texas Tax Code, Chapter 11 (Taxable Property and Exemptions) — Texas Legislature
- Texas Proposition 11, Increase Homestead Tax Exemption for Elderly and Disabled Amendment (2025) — Ballotpedia
ExemptBack is private self-help software, not a government service, law firm, or property tax consultant. This guide is general information about Texas law, not legal advice. Your appraisal district decides every application.