How It Works
Harris Central Appraisal District Determines Property Values
Per House Bill 1984 and Senate Bill 18 of the Property Tax Code if you would like a five year value history and comparison, please contact our office.
The Harris Central Appraisal District determines the value of all properties, grants exemptions and certifies values to the taxing units.
The governing bodies of taxing units, such as the School Board or City Council, review budgets and then set the tax rates which determine how much taxes are due on each property.
The Tax Assessor-Collector calculates how much you owe for each taxing unit, prepares and sends bills, collects monies due and disburses the funds to the appropriate taxing unit.
Homeowners:
You do NOT have to pay a fee to file a homestead exemption. Please contact the Harris Central Appraisal District at www.hcad.org Go to Popular forms to submit online! or 713.957.7800 concerning any corrections in ownership, valuation or exemptions.
Timely Payment Of Property Taxes:
Property taxes are due upon receipt. You have from October 1 through January 31 to pay the Current Year Taxes without penalty or interest, if certified prior to December 31. Action by Mail is timely if:
- it is sent by regular first-class mail, properly addressed with current postage prepaid; and
- it bears a post office cancellation mark of a date earlier than the specified date due. If you wait until the last day of the month, please make sure all requirements are met. There are no exceptions.
On February 1 all unpaid taxes become delinquent, if certified timely. Penalty and interest are added to the levy balance amount and continue to increase until taxes are paid. Texas law provides for the addition of a collection penalty of 20% on certain delinquent taxes.
By Law, the Tax Assessor-Collector cannot waive penalty and interest on delinquent taxes, adjust values, or ignore deadlines established in the Texas Property Tax Code.
Various Payment Options:
Quarter Payments
Sec. 31.031 Installment Payments of Certain Homestead Taxes. If before the delinquency date an individual who is disabled or at least 65 years of age and is qualified for an exemption under Section 11.13(c) pays at least one fourth of a taxing unit's taxes imposed on the property that the person owns and occupies as a residence homestead, the person may pay the remaining taxes in installments without penalty or interest. The first installment is due by January 31 and remaining payments by March 31, May 31 and July 31.
To take advantage of the plan, please contact Spring Branch Independent School District Tax Office at 713.251.7960 to sign an Installment Agreement.
Returned Payments
If a credit card, e-check or check payment is returned for any reason (i.e. NSF, closed account, bad account information, etc.), there will be a $25 fee applied to the property account.
Over 65/Disabled Exemption Deferral Application-
If you are over 65 years of age or older or are disabled and the property described in this document is your residence homestead, you should contact the appraisal district regarding any entitlement you may have to a postponement in the payment of these taxes.
Want to Remove Personal Information from the Spring Branch ISD Tax Office Website?
According to the Public Information Act, the public may have the ability to access and/or copy your tax statements, including your name. Since the Act does not require a governmental body to provide public access on the Internet, the Spring Branch ISD Tax Office may remove your record(s) from the information posted on its website, upon your written request.
After you submit this completed form to the Spring Branch ISD Tax Office, your tax account statement will be removed from the website and you will not be able to access your record(s) via the Internet. This service is subject to change according to changes in state or federal law.
NOTICE: Your tax account record will only be removed from the Spring Branch ISD Tax Office website and will not be removed from information otherwise provided to the public, pursuant to the Public Information Act.
Send your completed form to: Spring Branch ISD Tax Office - PO Box 19037, Houston, TX 77224.