What is a Homestead Exemption? Homestead Exemption = Saving $$

If you’ve purchased a home and it as your primary residence, then you should file for a homestead exemption with the Tom Green County Appraisal District to save money on your property taxes. Within San Angelo city limits, we are taxed on 3 things that make up our overall property taxes: County tax, City tax, and SAISD tax. All of those go back to help our county, city and schools operate. When you apply for a homestead exemption on your home, instead of taxing 100% of the tax value of your home you are only taxed at 80% on county taxes, 80% on city taxes, and receive a $25,000 tax value reduction for your school taxes.

It’s a considerable amount saved annually, no matter what price range your house is in, by utilizing the homestead exemption!

You can file for the homestead tax break right after you buy your home. However some of the benefits don’t kick in until January 1, of the year AFTER you purchase. To apply for it, you must go in person to the Tom Green County Appraisal District (2302 Pulliam St.) and fill out the form showing that the home is your primary residence. Be sure to take your state-issued driver’s license or ID with you and make sure that you have renewed it with your current address you are wanting to homestead. Filing for your homestead is time-sensitive! It must be done between January 1 and April 30^th of the year after you purchased your home. They have put a copy of the homestead exemption form to fill out online, print, and take with you to the TGCAD. https://iswdataclient.azurewebsites.net/downloads/tomgreencad/Common%20Forms%20&%20Exemption%20Apps/50-114%20(Residence%20Homestead%20Exemption%20App).pdf

From the time that you purchase your home to the time you can file your exemption you will get lots of snail mail from scammers telling you that if you pay them $X they will file your homestead exemption for you. None of it is true! The only way to file and receive a homestead exemption in Tom Green County is to go in person to the tax office.

If you’ve been in your home for a while and are unsure if you ever filed for a homestead exemption go to https://iswdataclient.azurewebsites.net/webindex.aspx?dbkey=tomgreencad&time=202102241026012 and search by your name or address to find your property. Under the section where it says, “Qualified Exemptions” it should say “Homestead Exempt”. Not all qualifying exemptions are listed publicly, but homestead is. If you do not have a homesteaded exemption and the home is your primary residence, contact the Tom Green County Appraisal District 325-658-5575.

Remember, once you’ve homesteaded your home the exemption stays in place until you decide to sell your property. Filing your homestead exemption is definitely worth the trouble for the savings!