TRAVIS COUNTY PROPERTY OWNERS TO BEGIN RECEIVING HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION VERIFICATION NOTICES

State Law Requires Appraisal Districts to Verify Eligibility Every 5 Years

AUSTIN, Texas – Travis County property owners who claim a homestead exemption on their property are set to begin receiving notices requesting they verify they are still eligible to receive those benefits.

Letters from the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) will start appearing in mailboxes this month for property owners who began claiming their exemptions between 1970 and 2009. To verify their eligibility, property owners must complete a verification form and provide a copy of their Texas driver’s license or ID with an address that matches their property.

According to Chief Appraiser Leana Mann, “State law now requires us to check that a property owner remains eligible to claim a homestead exemption every five years. Verifying your eligibility is easy and can be completed online in just a few minutes.”

A homestead exemption reduces a property owner’s tax bill by lowering the taxable value of their property and limiting increases on the net appraised value of their property after they have owned and resided in the home for more than one calendar year. More than 255,000 properties in Travis County are currently claiming a homestead exemption. To ease the process for appraisal district staff and property owners, TCAD will verify exemptions using a phased approach over the next 5 years.

Property owners who receive a notice must verify their eligibility to maintain their exemption benefits in 2025. Deadlines will vary, depending on the exemptions on the property. Property owners who believe their exemptions have been removed in error can contact the TCAD homestead exemption helpline at 512-873-1560 for assistance.

Added Mann, “Our goal is to make this process as easy as possible and avoid any disruption in a property owner’s benefits. If a verification letter gets lost in the mail or a property owner misses a deadline, contact our office and we’ll be happy to help.”

More information on the verification process can be found at traviscad.org/verify.

About the Travis Central Appraisal District

The mission of Travis Central Appraisal District, in accordance with the Texas Constitution and the laws of the state, is to provide accurate appraisal of all property in Travis County at one hundred percent market value, equally and uniformly, in a professional, ethical, economical and courteous manner, working to ensure that each taxpayer pays only their fair share of the property tax burden. For more information, please visit traviscad.org.

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