The Texas Property Tax Calendar for Williamson and Travis County Homeowners

Texas property tax runs on a fixed calendar. Your value is set as of January 1. Homestead applications are due by April 30. Protests are due by May 15 or 30 days after your appraisal notice arrives, whichever is later. Bills are generally due by January 31 of the next year, and penalties start February 1. Here is the year in order, with the source for each date.

January 1: the value date

Tax Code 23.01 says taxable property is appraised at its market value as of January 1. The Comptroller adds that market conditions and who owns the property on that date decide whether it is taxable, the value it can be taxed at, and who is responsible for the tax. That is why a house that was half built on January 1 can show a much bigger value the next year.

January 1 is also the qualification date for the general homestead exemption. Tax Code 11.42 says eligibility is determined by your qualifications on January 1, with listed exceptions, including one for buyers, covered below.

January 1 to April 30: file exemptions

WCAD lists January 1 through April 30 as the regular filing period, and Tax Code 11.43 says the application is due before May 1. Both WCAD and TCAD take applications online, and WCAD says there is no fee to file and no need to reapply every year.

If you bought after January 1, you can still get the homestead exemption for the part of the year after you qualify, as long as the seller did not get it that year. That application is due before the first anniversary of your purchase. Missed a deadline? Tax Code 11.431 lets the appraisal district accept a late homestead application up to two years after the delinquency date for those taxes.

April and May: appraisal notices and protests

Your appraisal notice shows the value the district set for January 1. If you disagree, file a protest with the appraisal review board by May 15 or 30 days after the notice was delivered, whichever is later. The Comptroller says review boards begin hearing protests around May 15.

I walk through the evidence that matters in how to protest your property taxes in Williamson County. The process in Travis County follows the same law.

Late summer and fall: rates are adopted

Each city, county, school district and special district adopts its rate for the year. The Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector posts the adopted rates in its Tax Rate Information table, and Travis County posts its own Truth in Taxation table. For 2026, both list adopted rates for every unit in the north suburbs. My 2026 suburb tax rate table puts them side by side.

Fall to January 31: the bill

The tax statement uses the January 1 value and the rates adopted that fall. The Comptroller says taxpayers generally have until January 31 of the following year to pay, and penalty and interest begin February 1 on most unpaid bills. If your lender pays from escrow, confirm the payment went out and that next year's escrow reflects the new rates.

The buyer's version

If you are buying, three dates matter most. January 1, because your first bill is based on that value. The homestead deadline after you close, so the exemption starts as early as the law allows. And May 15 the following spring, if the new value looks wrong. The New to Texas checklist puts the homestead step in your first 90 days, and the Leander and Round Rock guides show which appraisal district handles each town.