Your property tax calendar (DRAFT – not published)

In short

Your property tax year runs about 13 months. Your value is set as of Jan 1. Notices come in spring, and you can protest by mid-May. Rates are set in late summer. Bills go out around Oct 1. You pay by Jan 31 of the next year. Dates below are from state law; if a date lands on a weekend or holiday, it moves to the next business day.¹

The 30-second version

• Spring: check your value notice. Protest by May 15 (or 30 days after it is mailed, if later).¹
• Apr 30: last regular day to apply for most exemptions.¹²
• August: rate notices and hearings. Speak up if you want.¹
• Around Oct 1: your bill arrives.¹
• Jan 31: pay by this date to avoid penalty.¹³

Month by month

When	What happens	Who	What you can do
Jan 1	Your property’s value and exemptions are set as of this date.	Appraisal district (WCAD)1	If you moved in, apply for a homestead exemption. See property tax exemptions.
By Apr 1 (or soon after)	Value notices mailed for homesteads.	WCAD1	Read it. Check the value and exemptions.
Apr 30	Estimated values sent to taxing units. Last regular day to file most exemption forms.	WCAD12	File exemptions by now.
By May 1 (or soon after)	Value notices for other property.	WCAD1
May 15, or 30 days after your notice is mailed (later one)	Last day to file most protests.	You1	See how to protest your appraisal.
Mid-May to July	Appraisal Review Board (ARB) hearings.	ARB1	Go to your hearing, or settle at the informal meeting.
July 20	ARB approves the records.	ARB1
July 25	Final (“certified”) values go to each taxing unit.	WCAD1
Aug 1	Each unit gets its roll and expected collection rate.	Tax office1
Aug 7 (or soon after)	Units post their no-new-revenue and voter-approval rates.	Taxing units14	Compare the rates. See property tax collection start to finish.
August–September	Budget and tax rate hearings and votes.	County, city, school district, others4	Attend or comment. Hearings are public.
By Sept 30 (or 60 days after values arrive, whichever is later)	Last day for most units to adopt a rate.	Taxing units1
November election	If a unit adopted a rate above its voter-approval rate, voters decide.	Voters4	Vote.
Around Oct 1	Bills mailed.	County Tax Assessor-Collector1	Check the bill. See paying property taxes and deadlines.
Jan 31 (next year)	Last day to pay without penalty. First quarter payment due for 65+/disabled plans.	You13	Pay, or start a quarter plan.
Feb 1	Unpaid tax is late. 7% penalty and interest added.	Tax office3	Pay as soon as you can; ask about plans.

Notes for Williamson County

• WCAD lets you protest and apply for exemptions online.²
• For 2026 taxes, the pay-by date is Sunday, Jan 31, 2027, per the county tax office.³
• Exact county dates for hearings and votes are posted by each unit. Some shift each year.

The other side (counterweight)

• Supporters of the schedule say it gives owners several chances to act: protest in spring, comment in summer, vote in fall.
• Critics say the steps are spread out and hard to follow. Most owners only see the bill in October, after values and rates are already set. That is one reason this calendar exists.

Questions to ask

• Where does the appraisal district post this year’s protest deadline?
• When does the tax office plan to mail this year’s bills?

Changes to this page

• Nov. 2, 2026: The protest deadline now counts the 30 days from when the notice is mailed, as state guidance says, not from when it arrives.
• Nov. 2, 2026: Rewrote the questions to ask so each is open, neutral and addressed to the public body.
• Nov. 2, 2026: Added questions to ask.
• Nov. 2, 2026: We re-checked the dates and figures against their sources. No changes were needed.

What you can do next

• Put May 15 and Jan 31 on your calendar now.
• Sign up with WCAD for electronic notices, if you prefer email.²
• Check your bill line by line when it comes. See how your property tax bill works.
• Need help paying? See help paying property taxes. Missing an exemption? See exemptions you may be missing.
• New words? See glossary.

Your property tax, step by step

1. Start: how your bill works → 2. Key dates → 3. Exemptions → 4. Protest your value → 5. Paying and getting help → 6. Appeals after the ARB → 7. Who does what → 8. Rate limits

Short reference pages: Where your tax bill goes · A 2026 bill, worked out · Estimated-tax website · Exemption checklist · Glossary

Footnotes

1. Texas Comptroller, “Property Tax Law Deadlines” (dates as written in law; a weekend or holiday moves a deadline to the next business day, §1.06). https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/calendars/deadlines.php (saved copy, retrieved Nov 2026) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹

2. Williamson Central Appraisal District, “Exemptions” FAQ (Jan 1–Apr 30 filing; online filing) and site menu (electronic communication request). https://www.wcad.org/exemptions-2/ (saved copy, retrieved Nov 2026) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. Williamson County Tax Office, “Property Tax” and “Payment Options.” https://www.wilcotx.gov/propertytax; https://www.wilcotx.gov/755/Payment-Options (checked 2026-11-01) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. Texas Comptroller, “Truth-in-Taxation” (rate adoption, voter-approval elections). https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/truth-in-taxation/ (saved copy, retrieved Nov 2026) ↩ ↩² ↩³