Collin County homestead exemption: 2026 amounts and how to file

Collin County homestead exemption at a glance

Collin County homestead exemption amounts for 2026

File it, and file in the right order: Texas license at the new address first, then the application between January 1 and April 30. On Zillow's typical Plano home that filing is worth about $2,000 a year at 2026 rates, and most of it comes from the school district. Here's what each unit grants for tax year 2026, from the appraisal district's entity list.

The savings use 2026 rates on Zillow's typical Plano home value of $497,714 (September 2026). Because the $140,000 school amount is flat, the dollar saving barely moves with price: about $1,891 a year on a $400,000 home and $2,225 on a $700,000 one. Whatever you buy in Plano ISD, skipping the filing costs you roughly $2,000 a year.

Texas school homestead exemption of $140,000

Every Texas school district must exempt $140,000 of a homestead's value, the amount the Comptroller lists under Tax Code section 11.13(b). The appraisal district's entity list shows the same $140,000 for Plano ISD, Frisco ISD and Allen ISD in both 2025 and 2026, after voters approved larger exemptions in November 2025.

City of Plano homestead exemption

Any taxing unit may add a local-option exemption of up to 20% of value, with a $5,000 minimum. The City of Plano grants the full 20%, as does Collin College. The county grants 5%. Percentages grow with value: the city's 20% is worth about $613 a year on a $700,000 home against $350 at $400,000.

Denton County homestead exemption in far-west Plano

Plano addresses in Denton County, including Kings Ridge (Lewisville ISD, per its HOA), file with Denton Central Appraisal District, not Collin CAD. The $140,000 school amount applies there too, through Lewisville ISD, and the City of Plano's 20% follows the city. Denton County's own percentage wasn't confirmed for this guide: read it on Denton CAD's site or on the parcel's record before you count on it.

How to file the homestead exemption in Collin County

Filing takes about 15 minutes once you have the right ID. The appraisal district takes applications through its online Taxpayer Portal, by mail, in person at 250 Eldorado Parkway in McKinney (weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), or in the 24-hour drop box outside the main entrance. It does not accept emailed applications.

1. Wait until January 1 of the first year you own and live in the home on that date. Early applications are not accepted, the district says.
2. Update your Texas driver license or state ID to the property address first. The address on the ID must match the home.
3. Open the Taxpayer Portal at onlineportal.collincad.org, find your property and complete the residence homestead application.
4. Upload a copy of the ID and anything else the application asks for.
5. File by April 30. The district processes applications as soon as practicable and no later than the 90th day.
6. Check the next notice of appraised value or the property record to confirm the exemption shows.

Homestead exemption application online in Texas

Yes, you can fill out the homestead exemption online in Collin County: the Taxpayer Portal is the fastest route and gives you a record of the filing. In Denton County, use Denton CAD's own portal. The form behind both is the Comptroller's residence homestead application, so the questions are the same.

Texas driver license address rule

The ID rule is where new arrivals stall. The homestead filing needs a Texas license (or a state ID) showing the Plano address. Put the license appointment ahead of the homestead filing in your plan; the order is laid out on the Texas driver license and car registration guide.

Homestead exemption requirements in Texas

To qualify for the general homestead exemption, Collin CAD lists four conditions: you own the home on January 1, you live in it as your principal residence on January 1, and neither you nor your spouse claims a homestead exemption on any other property. The home can be a house, a condo or a townhome.

Homestead exemption timing for a new Plano owner

Because ownership and occupancy are tested on January 1, a home you close on in 2026 normally gets your exemption from the 2027 tax year. The Comptroller allows a partial-year exemption when you acquire the home after January 1 and the previous owner didn't receive one that year, which mostly applies to new construction or a home that was a rental. The rest of the bill math is on the Plano property tax guide.

Late homestead exemption filing deadline

Missed April 30? The appraisal district accepts a late general or over-65 application up to two years after the delinquency date for that tax year. The delinquency date is normally February 1, so a 2026 exemption can be filed late until about February 1, 2029, and the tax office refunds the overpayment once it's approved.

Homestead exemption when you move within Texas

A new home needs a new application; the exemption doesn't carry over by itself. If you're moving within Texas, remove the old homestead first so you're not claiming two.

Where Plano owners lose the homestead exemption

• Filing in December: early applications aren't accepted, so a fall closing still means waiting for January 1.
• An out-of-state license, or a Texas license at your old address: the ID has to match the home.
• An exemption still sitting on a Texas home you're selling: you can't claim two at once.
• Assuming the seller's exemption covers you: it ends with their ownership, and yours starts the next January 1.

Over-65 homestead exemption and the Texas property tax freeze

If you or your spouse is 65 or older, every Plano taxing unit adds an exemption on top of the general one, and all four freeze the tax. Only one spouse needs to be 65. In the year you turn 65 you can get the over-65 exemption for that same year, and you have two years from the date you qualify to apply.

On the typical $497,714 home these add about $921 a year to the $2,000 general saving. You can't take the over-65 and disabled-person exemptions in the same year, so pick the one that saves more.

How the Texas property tax freeze works

A tax ceiling caps the dollar amount of tax, not the value. The appraisal district explains that the school tax can go down but can't rise above the ceiling while you own and live in the home. Improvements beyond normal repairs, such as adding a garage, raise the ceiling.

Transferring an over-65 tax ceiling to a Plano home

The ceiling doesn't stay with the old house, but its percentage can move. In Collin CAD's example, a ceiling that held your old school tax 25% below its full amount carries over as a 25% reduction in the new home's school tax, in the same or another Texas school district. Ask your old appraisal district for a ceiling transfer certificate before you sell.

Other homestead exemption benefits in Plano

The 10% homestead cap

Once you've had the exemption for a full year, the appraisal district can't raise your home's appraised value more than 10% a year, plus the value of new improvements. The Comptroller says the cap starts January 1 of the tax year after you first qualify and ends the year after you stop qualifying. That makes the second filing year count as much as the first: a missed filing restarts the clock.

Disabled veteran homestead exemption

Veterans with a 100% service-connected disability rating, or individual unemployability, can exempt the whole homestead under Tax Code 11.131, and an unremarried surviving spouse may keep it. Partial disabled-veteran exemptions scale with the rating. Late filing is allowed up to five years after the delinquency date for this exemption.

Plano homestead exemption checklist

• Get the Texas license with the Plano address as soon as you move.
• File on or after January 1 and by April 30 of your first full year.
• Add the over-65 or disabled exemption the year you qualify.
• Keep the April notice; if the value looks high, file a property tax protest with Collin CAD by May 15.

This guide explains how the exemptions work; it isn't legal or tax advice. Confirm your case with Collin CAD (469-742-9200), a CPA or a real estate attorney. For the full order of a move, see the moving to Texas checklist.