Texas Property Tax Increase Calculator for 2025
It’s important for homeowners, real estate investors, and property managers all over Texas to know how their property tax bill might change in 2025. This all-in-one guide tells you how to figure out how much your property taxes will go up in Texas, what legal and economic factors cause those changes, and how exemptions and caps affect your final bill. It also shows you how to use online tools to make your calculations faster and more accurate.
What Makes Property Taxes Go Up in Texas
The Importance of Appraisal, Tax Rates, and Truth in Taxation
There is no property tax in Texas. Local taxing authorities, like counties, cities, school districts, and special purpose districts, set property taxes instead. The value of your property and the local tax rate both affect how much you owe in taxes.
Here are the main things that affect your tax increase:
Increases in Appraised Value: Each year, county appraisal districts look at properties again. Unless rates go down, a higher appraised value usually means higher taxes.
Changes in tax rates: Each local government sets its own tax rate for every $100 of property value. If your value stays the same, you’ll still pay more because of a higher rate.
Exemptions and Caps: Homestead exemptions, limits for seniors and disabled people, and appraisal caps lower the taxable value or limit annual increases.
Laws about truth in taxation say that local governments must publish the “no-new-revenue” and “voter-approval” rates before they can raise taxes. This makes things clear for taxpayers and, in some cases, gives them the right to vote on rate increases. (Texas Comptroller)
Tax Rates That Don’t Raise New Money and Need Voter Approval
No-New-Revenue (NNR) Rate: The rate that would bring in the same amount of property tax money as the year before, not counting new properties that were added to the tax roll.
Voter-Approval Rate: The highest rate that a taxing unit can set without having to hold an election. Cities and counties can usually raise maintenance and operation (M&O) taxes by up to 3.5% before they have to get voter approval.
Knowing these limits can help you guess whether a proposed rate hike will need to be approved by voters or just show that property values have gone up.
How to Figure Out How Much Your Texas Property Taxes Will Go Up in 2025
Basic Formula for Making an Estimate
It’s easy to figure out how much your property tax will be:
Tax Rate = (Appraised Value – Exemptions) × (Tax Rate)
To find out how much your taxes will go up, take last year’s tax bill and subtract it from this year’s estimate:
New Tax – Old Tax = Tax Increase
For example:
Your tax is: If your home is worth $300,000 and you have a $40,000 homestead exemption and a 2.5% combined tax rate,
$260,000 times 0.025 equals $6,500.
The increase is $500 if you paid $6,000 last year.
You can use tools from Your Calculator Hub to do similar math and get exact estimates.
Updates on 2025 Exemptions and Laws
There are a few changes that could affect your property tax bill in 2025:
Increase in the Homestead Exemption: The Texas Legislature approved raising the school property tax homestead exemption (for example, from $100,000 to $140,000), which lowers the taxable value.
Appraisal Caps for Small Properties: Non-homestead properties worth less than $5 million can only grow in value by 20% each year.
Some counties offer special freezes for seniors and disabled people that keep property taxes from going up for homeowners who meet certain requirements.
To get the right numbers, always check with your local appraisal district to see what their exemption rules are.
Example step-by-step
Last year (2024):
Value: $280,000
$50,000 for the Homestead Exemption
The tax rate is 2.4%.
Tax = (280,000 – 50,000) × 0.024 = $5,520
This year (2025):
Value: $315,000
Exemption: $100,000
2.48% tax rate
Tax = (315,000 – 100,000) × 0.0248 = $5,332
Change: The higher exemption lowers your estimated tax by $188, even though the appraised value went up.
Making a Texas Property Tax Increase Calculator
If you want to add or make your own calculator for 2025, you’ll need these fields:
Estimated value for 2024 and 2025
Exemptions for homesteads and other things
Tax rates now and in the future
Limits or caps that apply (senior freeze, non-homestead cap)
Logic Flow:
Take away any exemptions from the appraised value.
Add up all the local rates to get the total tax rate.
Look at the totals from last year and this year.
Amount and percentage of output increase.
You can put this in your financial tools section, like Finance & Money Calculators.
For SEO and user retention, you might also want to link it to your Loan & Mortgage Calculators, Compound Interest Calculator, or Retirement Savings Calculator.
For example, figuring out a realistic rise for 2025
Let’s say the following information is true:
Value in 2024: $400,000
$40,000 Homestead Exemption in 2024
Rate for 2024: 2.60%
Value in 2025: $460,000
Homestead Exemption for 2025: $100,000
The proposed rate for 2025 is 2.70%.
Tax for 2024: (400,000 – 40,000) × 0.026 = $9,360
2025 Tax: $9,720 = (460,000 – 100,000) × 0.027
Increase: $9,720 – $9,360 = $360, or 3.85%
The higher exemption made the effect less severe, even though property values went up a lot.
Limitations and Protests of Appraisals
Limitations of estimates made by calculators
A calculator gives you a close guess, but it might not take into account:
Differences in how accurate the appraisals are
Changes to the tax rate at the end of the year
Local special taxes, such as MUDs, hospital, or fire districts
Data on exemptions that isn’t complete
Always check with your county appraisal district to get the official numbers.
How to Fight Your Appraisal
If you think your tax bill or appraisal is unfair:
Send a complaint to your County Appraisal Review Board (ARB).
Give proof like recent independent appraisals or sales that are similar.
Go to the hearing or settle outside of court.
Before the deadline in your county (usually May), file.
Related internal tools to help you plan your finances better
You can use these tools on Your Calculator Hub to make sure your money and lifestyle calculations are correct:
These links help people learn more about different parts of financial planning and boost topical authority for SEO.
Questions that are often asked (FAQs)
What makes property taxes in Texas go up?
When property values go up, tax rates go up, or exemptions go down, property taxes go up. Most of the time, annual reappraisals raise the taxable values.
How do I lower my Texas property tax bill?
You can lower your tax bill by claiming any exemptions you qualify for (like homestead, senior, or disabled veteran) and contesting your appraisal if it seems too high.
In 2025, what is the Texas homestead exemption?
The Texas Legislature raised the school district homestead exemption to $100,000–$140,000 for 2025. The exact amount depends on the rules in your county.
How much can the value of my home go up each year?
In Texas, the most a homestead property can go up in value each year is 10%. New laws say that non-homestead properties worth less than $5 million can only go up 20% in value each year.
How do I figure out how much my property tax will go up?
To figure out your estimated tax, use the formula: (Appraised Value – Exemptions) × Tax Rate.
To find your increase, compare that to the total from last year.
You can use the calculators at Your Calculator Hub to do this automatically.
How do I find out how much my property is worth?
Go to the website of your county’s appraisal district (for example, Travis CAD, Harris CAD, or Dallas CAD). They give you property search tools that show you the property’s value history and any exemptions that apply.
Does the state of Texas collect property taxes?
No, the state government does not collect property taxes in Texas. Instead, counties, cities, school districts, and special districts do.
Are seniors limited in how much their property taxes can go up?
Yes. People who own their own homes and are 65 or older or disabled can freeze their school district property tax at the current amount, even if the value of their home goes up.
How do the rates of voter approval affect my taxes?
If local leaders want to raise taxes by more than the voter-approval limit (usually 3.5%), voters must approve the increase in an election.
Where can I get the official tax rates?
Your local taxing units publish the official tax rates. You can find them on the Texas Comptroller’s Property Tax Division website or at your county’s budget office.
Last Thoughts
Knowing how much your Texas property tax will go up in 2025 can help you budget, understand changes in the law, and get ready for possible rate hikes. Your bill is based on the interaction of appraisal values, exemptions, and tax rates.
Your Calculator Hub has calculators that can help you quickly figure out possible tax increases or compare different tax situations. You can find everything you need for better financial planning in 2025, from calculators for loans and mortgages to finance calculators.