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Your Travis County Property Tax Bill Is Coming: What to Do Before January 31

October 1, 2026 · James DeLoney , Broker/Owner

Every October, a thick envelope lands in the mailbox of nearly every Austin homeowner. Most people set it on the counter and forget about it until January. That's a mistake that can cost real money.

Here's the plain version of what the bill is, what the deadline looks like, and how it plays into a sale or a purchase.

The basics: when it's sent and when it's due

Property tax bills in Travis County generally go out in October. Texas law gives you until January 31 of the following year to pay without penalty. Miss it, and a 7% penalty plus interest starts February 1, and it keeps climbing monthly after that.

The county tax office reported in its most recent deadline notice that the vast majority of the roughly $6.4 billion it bills each year gets paid on time, but billions were still outstanding with weeks to go. Plenty of people wait until the last minute, and the last minute is when the lines and the postmark problems show up.

How to pay (and not get burned by the mail)

Online through the Travis County Tax Office is the cleanest option. The office has listed eCheck as a low-cost choice with an immediate receipt.
By mail works, but a postmark is what counts. The tax office has advised handing mail to a post office clerk and asking for a hand cancellation.
In person works too. Expect longer lines in the last week of January.
Through your mortgage escrow, your lender often pays automatically. Don't assume. Look at your annual escrow statement and confirm the payment went out.

Check your homestead exemption now

If this is your primary home, make sure the homestead exemption is actually on your account. Texas has one for school district taxes, and local taxing units can offer their own. The amounts have changed in recent years, so look up the current figures with the Travis Central Appraisal District rather than trusting an old number.

There is no hard deadline to file, but applying by April 30 gets it applied to that year. If you bought recently and never filed, it's worth ten minutes this week to check.

Homeowners 65 or older, or disabled, may also qualify for payment plans that spread the bill out with no penalty or interest, as long as they enroll by January 31. Ask the tax office directly.

If you're thinking about selling

Taxes are prorated at closing. In Texas, the seller typically covers taxes for the part of the year they owned the home. Your title company will work out the number, but you should know the ballpark before you set a bottom line.
Unpaid taxes get paid at closing. If the bill is out and unpaid when you sell, it comes out of your proceeds. No surprises is better than a surprise.
Buyers look at the tax bill. A home with a high tax rate in a special district can feel more expensive per month than the price suggests. Be ready to explain it.

If you're buying

Don't judge a home's monthly cost off the seller's current tax bill alone. A seller with a long-held homestead exemption pays a different amount than you will. Ask your lender to estimate taxes for your situation, and ask about any MUD or PID assessments, which show up in the total and can change the math.

Escrow estimates are just that. After the first full tax cycle, your payment can adjust. Plan for a little breathing room.

A short checklist

Watch for your bill in October. If it hasn't come by mid-November, call the tax office or look it up online. Not receiving it doesn't excuse you from paying it.
Confirm your homestead exemption is on file.
If you have a mortgage, check whether your lender is paying from escrow.
Mark January 31 on the calendar, and aim to pay in December or early January.
Planning to sell or buy in the next year? Gather your last bill so you can talk numbers early.

Not sure how this fits your plans?

If you're weighing a sale or a purchase and want to see how property taxes change the real numbers, we're glad to walk through it with no pressure. Haven Path can pull your situation together in one conversation, whenever you're ready.

This is general information, not tax or legal advice. Confirm current rates, exemptions, and deadlines with the Travis County Tax Office and your appraisal district.