San Antonio Property Taxes Explained for New Homeowners
The short answer: Your San Antonio property tax bill is your home’s taxable value multiplied by the combined rate of every local entity that taxes it. For a home inside city limits, that combined rate runs roughly 2.3% to 2.5% in 2026, depending on the school district. Bills go out in October and are due by January 31, and most owners pay them through the escrow account in their mortgage payment. When you’re shopping, plan around what the house will cost you to own, which can be more than what the seller has been paying.
Why property taxes matter so much in Texas
If you’re moving from a state with an income tax, Texas property taxes can look high at first. They are high, and there’s a reason. Texas has no state income tax, so schools, counties and cities are paid for mostly through property taxes. There’s no state property tax at all. Every dollar on your bill goes to a local entity.
A home inside San Antonio city limits usually gets taxed by six of them. Here are the 2026 rates per $100 of value:
Bexar County: 0.2860
City of San Antonio: 0.5629
University Health (the hospital district): 0.2762
Alamo Colleges: 0.1667
San Antonio River Authority: 0.0193
Your school district: about 0.98 to 1.19, depending on the district
The school district is the biggest line, which is why two homes at the same price can carry different tax bills. A home outside city limits skips the city’s rate, though some areas add a fire or emergency services district.
How your bill is figured
The math has three steps. The Bexar Appraisal District sets your home’s appraised value as of January 1. Your exemptions come off that value, which gives you the taxable value. Each entity’s rate is then applied to the taxable value.
Here’s an easy-numbers example. Say you buy a $300,000 home in North East ISD, inside city limits. The combined 2026 rate there is about 2.29%, so the bill before any exemptions is about $6,860 a year. Once you file your homestead exemption, the school district exempts $140,000 of your value. At North East ISD’s rate, that takes about $1,370 off, bringing the bill closer to $5,490. Several other local entities offer homestead exemptions of their own, which can lower it a bit more.
Three offices, one bill
People often call the appraisal district about their bill or the tax office about their value, and end up with the wrong office. Each one has a different job:
The Bexar Appraisal District decides what your home is worth. It doesn’t set rates or collect money.
Each taxing entity (the county, the city, your school district and the others) sets its own rate each year.
The Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector sends the bill and collects the payment for most of those entities.
The tax year follows the same calendar every year:
January 1: your home’s value and your exemptions are set as of this date.
April: the appraisal district mails notices to owners whose value changed.
May 15: the usual deadline to protest your value.
Late summer: each entity adopts its rate.
October: bills are mailed.
January 31: the bill is due. Penalties and interest start February 1.
If you closed on a home this year, your first bill is probably arriving right about now. If your taxes are escrowed, your lender pays it, so check before you pay it a second time.
Why the seller’s tax bill can fool you
This is the part I make sure every buyer hears. When you look at a listing or ask for the seller’s tax bill, that bill reflects the seller’s situation, and some of it won’t carry over to you.
The biggest piece is the homestead cap. Once an owner has a homestead exemption, the appraised value used for taxes can only go up 10% a year, even when the market value climbs faster. That cap belongs to the owner, not the house. When the home sells, the cap goes away, and the next year’s value can reset to full market value.
Here’s how that plays out with easy numbers. Say the seller has owned the home for ten years, and the cap has held its taxable value at $240,000 while it’s really worth $300,000. At a 2.35% combined rate, that $60,000 gap is about $1,410 a year. You’ll be taxed on the full $300,000, and the seller’s bill would never have shown it. The over-65 tax freeze works the same way. If the seller had it and you don’t, your school taxes will be higher than theirs.
The good news is that the cap starts working for you, too. It kicks in the year after you first qualify for your own homestead exemption, so from then on your taxable value can’t rise more than 10% in a year.
How escrow handles your taxes
Most loans collect property taxes as part of your monthly payment. Your lender holds that money in an escrow account and pays the bill before January 31. Once a year, the lender reviews the account. If your taxes went up, your payment goes up, and if the account came up short, you’ll owe the difference.
The official rule lets a lender keep a cushion of up to two months of escrow payments in the account. When I estimate your taxes, I start by looking at the seller’s exemptions. If the seller has a homestead exemption and you’ll qualify for one too, I usually use the current tax amount. Once your own exemption is filed, your bill should land in about the same place. Before I use it, I check two things. First, I make sure an over-65 tax freeze isn’t holding the seller’s bill down. Second, I compare the value the seller is being taxed on with the home’s full market value on the appraisal district’s site. Usually they’re close. In years when values jump, like 2021 and 2022, the 10% cap can leave a big gap between them. If either one is lowering the seller’s bill, I use the full tax amount without exemptions. Either way, the goal is an estimate close to your real bill, so your first escrow review doesn’t bring a surprise.
If you do get a shortage, you usually have two choices. Plan A is to pay it in one lump sum, which keeps your monthly payment lower. Plan B is to spread it over the next 12 months. I lean toward Plan A if you have the savings, since you won’t carry last year’s shortfall into this year’s payment. If cash is tight, Plan B is a perfectly good option, and the choice is yours.
How the seller’s exemptions can raise your closing costs
In Texas, property taxes are paid in arrears. The bill that comes due in January covers the year that just ended. If you close in the middle of the year, the seller hasn’t paid anything yet for the months they owned the home. At closing, the seller gives you a credit for their share of the year. Then you pay the full bill when it’s due.
That credit is usually figured from the seller’s tax bill, which includes their exemptions. If the seller has exemptions you won’t have, like the over-65 freeze, their bill is lower, and so is your credit. Your escrow account still has to cover the full bill in January, so you bring the difference to closing.
With easy numbers, say the home’s full tax is $7,000 a year, but the seller’s bill with the freeze is $4,000. If you close on July 1, the seller’s credit for half the year is $2,000 instead of $3,500. That’s $1,500 more you’d need at the closing table.
This works out in your favor later. When your lender sets up your escrow without the homestead exemption, your monthly payment includes enough to cover taxes at the higher amount. Once you file your own exemption, your actual tax bill comes in lower, so you’ll have paid in more than you needed. After your lender’s yearly escrow analysis, you should see a refund for the difference, and your monthly payment will be adjusted to match your actual bill. If the overage is small, some lenders apply it to next year’s payments instead of sending a check.
That’s why I look at the seller’s exemptions early. I’d rather the estimate you see at the start match what you see at closing.
What to do before and after you buy
Before you make an offer, look the address up on bcad.org. You’ll see the current appraised value, the exemptions on the home and the school district. If you see a homestead or over-65 exemption listed, expect your bill to be higher than the seller’s. You can also send me an address, and I’ll show you how the taxes affect your numbers.
After you close, file your homestead exemption with the Bexar Appraisal District right away. You can file as soon as you’ve moved in, and you have up to a year from your purchase date. Then keep an eye on your mailbox each April. If the appraisal district values your home higher than you think it’s worth, you can protest by May 15, and many people do it online.
Common questions
How are property taxes calculated in San Antonio?
The Bexar Appraisal District sets your home’s value as of January 1, your exemptions are subtracted, and each local entity’s rate is applied to what’s left. Inside city limits, the 2026 combined rate runs roughly 2.3% to 2.5%.
When are Bexar County property taxes due?
Bills are mailed in October and are due by January 31 of the next year. Penalties and interest start on February 1. If your taxes are escrowed, your lender pays the bill for you.
Will my property taxes be the same as the seller’s?
Often they won’t. The 10% homestead cap and the over-65 freeze belong to the seller and end when the home sells. Your bill is usually based on the home’s full market value until your own homestead exemption and cap kick in.
Why did the seller’s tax exemptions raise my closing costs?
At closing, the seller gives you a credit for their share of the year’s property taxes, based on their tax bill. If they had exemptions you won’t have, like the over-65 freeze, that bill is lower, and so is your credit. Your lender sets up your escrow from the taxes you’ll pay going forward, so a smaller credit means you bring more to closing.
Will I get money back from my escrow account after I file my homestead exemption?
Often, yes. If your lender set up your escrow without the homestead exemption, your actual tax bill will come in lower than what you paid in. After the yearly escrow analysis, you should see a refund, and your monthly payment will be adjusted to match.
If you’re still getting your bearings, my free Homebuyer Guide walks through the full buying process, including how taxes and insurance fit into your budget. For a closer look at the other costs of owning here, read Cost of Living in San Antonio: A Real Homeowner Budget.
Candy Williams, Licensed Loan Officer, NMLS #187126. NEXA Lending, NMLS #1660690. Figures are estimates for illustration only, based on public sources as of October 2026, and will vary by property. Tax rates and exemptions change every year, so check current amounts before making decisions. I’m not a tax advisor. Equal Housing Opportunity.
