Property Tax Help for Low-Income Homeowners in Texas (2024)

FAQs

What is the property tax help for low income homeowners in Texas? ›

Property Charge Program

Provides assistance to eligible Texas homeowners with qualified hardships to pay past due property taxes, past due mortgage statement, property tax statement, and/or homeowner/condo association fees. The Program provides up to the total program cap of $65,000 per eligible household.

A property owner must apply for an exemption in most circ*mstances. Applications for property tax exemptions are filed with the appraisal district in the county in which the property is located. The general deadline for filing an exemption application is before May 1.

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please visit our Help for Texans Page. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) will administer $842,214,006 under HAF, to assist homeowners with past due mortgage, tax, insurance, HOA payments and/or utilities.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) helps families pay for basic living needs. The Repatriation Program provides loans to qualified U.S. citizens and their dependents who are returning from a foreign country because of crisis, or who are without resources.

In addition to the senior freeze tax, Texas also allows senior homeowners to defer their property taxes until their estates are settled after their death. To qualify for this program, the homeowner must be 65 years or older, have a limited income, and own and occupy the home as their primary residence.

The TX-HAF Program is administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The Homeowner Assistance Fund was established by the American Rescue Plan to help homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments or property charges because of hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You must have a minimum credit score of 620. There areTDHCA income limits (ranging from $74,500 to $101,600 for one or two people, then a range from $85,675 to $115,920 for three or more people). There are also purchase price limits (ranging from $294,600 to $359,460 in most areas).

When homeowners don't pay their property taxes, the overdue amount becomes a lien on the property. A lien effectively makes the property act as collateral for the debt. All states have laws that allow the local government to sell a home through a tax sale process to collect delinquent taxes.

What does a $12 000 property tax exemption mean in Texas? ›

$12,000 from the property's value. A disabled veteran may also qualify for an exemption of $12,000 of the assessed value of the property if the veteran is age 65 or older with a disability rating of at least 10 percent; totally blind in one or both eyes; or has lost use of one or more limbs.

The new law passed with 83% of the vote in November, according to the Texas Tribune. “The measure raised the homestead exemption—the amount of money a homeowner can take off the value of their house (and primary residence) before it is taxed—from $40,000 to $100,000 per year,” a Newsweek article explained.

Weatherization Assistance Program | Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

Homeownership Across Texas grants 5 percent of the loan amount with VA, FHA, or USDA financed loans. Borrowers with conventional loans receive 3 percent grants. Grants do not come with any repayment or recapture period, nor is there a first-time homebuyer requirement.

The Texas Rent Relief Program (TRR) and the Texas Eviction Diversion Program (TDEP) were the first statewide rental and utility assistance and eviction diversion programs in Texas. The programs launched in February 2021 and closed in the summer of 2023.

Senate Bill 2 (Bettencourt/Meyer) provides property tax relief through tax rate compression, an increase in the homestead exemption, and a pilot project limiting the growth in appraised values. For tax year 2023, this will save the average Texas homestead owner over $1,200.

What this means is that, at the age of 65, you can file your affidavit requesting that the local tax authority stop collecting taxes on your homestead - not indefinitely, but for a specific period. The deferral will end 181 days after one of two events: 1) the homeowner's death or 2) the sale of the property.

This means you will pay less property tax on your home. As of August 2023, you're entitled to up to $40,000 in value reductions. This is only a general guideline figure, though. Every county and tax district has its own rules.

In Texas, veterans with a disability rating of: 100% are exempt from all property taxes. 70 to 100% receive a $12,000 property tax exemption. 50 to 69% receive a $10,000 property tax exemption.