The City of North Richland Hills, Tarrant County, the school district and other taxing entities offer senior tax exemptions as well as a senior tax freeze, also known as a tax ceiling, for homeowners age 65 and up. The exemption and freeze lower the property tax burden for seniors and help them stay in their home, even in times of increasing home valuations. A senior exemption and tax ceiling is in place for about 28% of homeowners in North Richland Hills.
What is the Senior Exemption?
Homeowners can receive a senior exemption from the City of North Richland HIlls and other taxing entities when you turn 65. The senior exemption is in addition to the homestead exemption that is available to homeowners of any age. The exemption lowers the taxable value of your property and the amount of property taxes you owe.
For example, on a home valued at $200,000 the 20% homestead exemption from the city reduces the home's Taxable Value to $160,000. If you also receive the senior exemption, the Taxable Value is reduced by another $36,000 to $124,000. The city's property tax rate is applied to the $124,000 Taxable Value to determine the amount of taxes you owe to the city.
For a property owner who was granted the senior exemption in 2021, the city portion of their property tax bill was reduced by $205.99 and their overall total tax bill was reduced by $631.59, as illustrated on the chart below.
| Taxing Entity | Senior Exemption Amount | 2021 Tax Rate | Property Tax Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of NRH | $36,000 | 0.572184 | $205.99 |
| Tarrant County | $50,000 | 0.229000 | $114.50 |
| Tarrant Hospital Dist. | $50,000 | 0.224429 | $112.21 |
| Tarrant College Dist. | $50,000 | 0.130170 | $ 65.09 |
| School District* | $10,000 | 1.338000 | $133.80 |
| Total Reduction | $631.59 |
*The amount shown for School District uses the BISD exemption and tax rate. If you live in KISD, exemptions and tax rates differ.
Your savings from the senior exemption will vary if tax rates were/are higher or lower in the year in which your exemption was/is granted. You can view a history of your annual tax payments to each entity on the Tarrant County Tax website.
What is the Senior Tax Freeze?
The senior tax freeze sets a cap, or ceiling, on the amount of property taxes you will pay annually to the City of North Richland Hills. The ceiling is set in the year that you turn 65. In future years, the property taxes on your home may go below, but not above, the ceiling amount.
The taxes on your home cannot exceed the ceiling as long as you own and live in that home. However, if you improve your home (other than normal repairs or maintenance), the tax ceiling may go higher because of the new additions. For example, if you add on a garage or game room to the house after you have established a tax ceiling, the ceiling will be adjusted to a higher level to reflect the value of that addition.
What about school taxes? Are they frozen for seniors too?
North Richland Hills residents pay property taxes to the city, school district, Tarrant County, Tarrant County College District and Tarrant County Hospital District. All of these entities offer some level of senior exemption and all except for Tarrant County Hospital District offer a senior tax freeze.
How do I apply for the senior exemption and freeze?
You, or your spouse, will qualify for the senior exemption and freeze on the date you become age 65. To receive this benefit, you must complete a homestead exemption form and return it to the Tarrant Appraisal District at the address on the form. If you are married, only one of you needs to be 65 or older to qualify. The Tarrant Appraisal District applies the information from your form to all taxing entities, so you do not have to complete additional forms to receive senior benefits from the school district or county. You do not have to reapply each year. The form is available on the Tarrant Appraisal District's website.
If the property tax rate is reduced, will my tax bill also be reduced?
Tax rates may change from year to year. For residents with a tax freeze in place, your bill is calculated each year using the current values. That is compared to the amount you were billed in the year your taxes were frozen and you are billed the lower of the two.
If you have additional questions, or to verify if you have the senior exemption and freeze in place, contact the Tarrant Appraisal District at 817-284-0024.
