San Antonio Property Taxes 2026: A Homebuyer's Guide
Property Taxes in San Antonio: What Homebuyers Need to Know
Texas has no state income tax, and that trade-off shows up in one line of your mortgage payment: property taxes. For buyers relocating to Greater San Antonio from California, Washington, Illinois, or the East Coast, this is usually the single biggest surprise in the numbers — not the home price.
The good news is that Texas property taxes are knowable. Rates are published, exemptions are generous and getting bigger, and the same address can carry a very different tax bill depending on which school district and special district it sits in. Understanding that before you tour homes is what keeps your monthly payment from drifting $400 past what you planned.
How a San Antonio Property Tax Bill Is Built
There is no single "San Antonio property tax rate." Your bill is the sum of every taxing entity whose boundaries include your address, each with its own rate expressed per $100 of taxable value.
For a typical home inside the City of San Antonio, the stack looks like this:
School district— the largest piece, often roughly half the bill
City of San Antonio(or Boerne, Schertz, Cibolo, New Braunfels, etc.)
Bexar County— including its road and flood control fund
University Health System— countywide
Alamo Colleges District— countywide
San Antonio River Authority— countywide
Special districts— MUD, PID, or emergency services districts, where applicable
Because the school district line dominates, two homes of identical value five minutes apart — one in North East ISD, one in Judson ISD — can carry meaningfully different bills.
The 2026 numbers that matter
Bexar County proposed a 2026 rate of $0.299999 per $100 of valuation, against a no-new-revenue rate of $0.309043 and a voter-approval rate of $0.386728 (Bexar County tax rate notice).
The bigger local story is the city. San Antonio City Council approved its first property tax rate increase in more than three decades as part of the FY 2027 budget, raising the rate from 54.159 cents to 56.288 cents per $100 of taxable value (City of San Antonio). That splits into a 35.138-cent maintenance-and-operations rate and a 21.150-cent debt service rate, which works out to roughly $1,689 a year in city taxes on a home with $300,000 of taxable value (News 4 San Antonio). For the average homesteaded owner, the city estimates about $2.95 more per month, or roughly $35 a year (KENS 5). The city also says it will deliver $156.4 million in relief through homestead and other exemptions (City of San Antonio).
For budgeting purposes, combined rates in the metro commonly land somewhere in the 1.7% to 2.4% range of taxable value depending on address, school district, and whether a special district applies. Never budget off a metro average — get the actual rate for the actual parcel.
The Homestead Exemption Is Bigger Than It Used to Be
This is the most important thing a relocating buyer can learn, and it changed recently in a big way.
Every Texas school district must now exempt$140,000of a qualifying homestead's value from school maintenance-and-operations taxes, up from $100,000, under Texas Tax Code §11.13(b) (Texas Comptroller). The increase came from Senate Bill 4 in the 89th Legislature and was approved by Texas voters as Proposition 13 in the November 2025 constitutional amendment election (Texas Senate).
Homeowners who are 65 or older or disabled receive an additional $60,000 school district exemption under §11.13(c), for a combined $200,000 reduction in school-taxable value (Texas Comptroller). On many San Antonio-area homes, that erases the school tax line almost entirely.
The 10% appraisal cap
Once your homestead exemption is in place, Texas Tax Code §23.23 limits how much the appraised value used for your bill can rise — no more than 10% per year, regardless of what the market does (Texas A&M AgriLife). Important timing detail for buyers: the cap takes effect January 1 of the tax yearafterthe first year you qualify, so new owners effectively have a gap year before the protection kicks in (Texas A&M AgriLife).
The over-65 ceiling
Texas homeowners who qualify at 65 or older also get a school tax ceiling that locks school taxes at the amount owed in the first qualifying year (Texas Comptroller). For downsizers moving within Texas, this is worth a conversation before listing, since the ceiling transfers as a percentage rather than a fixed dollar amount.
How to file
Filing is free and you file directly with the appraisal district — Bexar Appraisal District (BCAD) in San Antonio, Comal, Kendall, or Guadalupe CAD in the surrounding counties. Applications are generally due by April 30 of the year requested, using Comptroller Form 50-114 (Texas Law Help). Never pay a third party to do this for you.
Don't Skip the Question About MUDs and PIDs
If you are shopping new construction in the growth corridors — far northwest Bexar, Bulverde, Cibolo, north New Braunfels, the 1604/281 fringe — this line can change your affordability math more than the interest rate.
AMunicipal Utility District (MUD)finances water, sewer, and core infrastructure for a development. APublic Improvement District (PID)finances amenities like parks, trails, and entry features. Homes inside them carry an extra tax or assessment layered on top of county, city, and school taxes, and those rates generally decline over time as the district retires its debt (Living in SA TX).
Two practical rules:
Ask the builder directly, in writing, whether the lot is in a MUD, PID, or emergency services district, and what the current rate or annual assessment is.
Do not trust the tax figure on the listing. A brand-new home is often taxed on thelot onlyin its first year, then reassessed on the finished home — which can produce a jarring escrow shortfall in year two. Budget from the expected completed value, not the first bill.
Taxes Across the Hill Country Counties
Relocating buyers often widen their search from Bexar into Comal, Kendall, and Guadalupe counties, and the tax picture shifts with the county line.
Based on Census-derived county data, median property taxes paid run roughly $5,890 in Kendall County, $4,827 in Comal County, and $4,270 in Guadalupe County (World Population Review). Those medians reflect very different home values, not just different rates — Comal's median home value is materially higher than Guadalupe's, so a higher median bill does not automatically mean a higher rate.
The takeaway for buyers comparing Boerne to Schertz to La Vernia: compare rateandlikely assessed value at the specific address, then compare what you get for it — schools, commute, water utility, lot size.
Military and Veteran Buyers: Check the Exemption First
San Antonio's military footprint makes this one of the most consequential exemptions in the region. Texas veterans awarded a 100% disability rating or individual unemployability determination from the VA are exempt from property taxes on the full appraised value of their residence homestead under Tax Code §11.131 (Texas Comptroller). Partial exemptions begin at a 10% disability rating and scale upward (Texas Veterans Commission). The exemption applies to the residence homestead only, not to other property the veteran owns (Texas Comptroller).
If you qualify, this changes which price points and which neighborhoods are realistically in range — often dramatically. It is worth confirming your status with the appraisal district before you set a budget.
Protesting Your Value
Appraisal notices typically go out in April, and the protest deadline is the later of May 15 or 30 days after the notice date. BCAD confirmed May 15 as the 2026 deadline and noted that owners do not need to have received a mailed notice in order to protest (Bexar Appraisal District). Protests can be filed online, in person, or by mail. Late protests may be considered for good cause before the records are certified.
Protesting is normal, free to initiate, and does not antagonize anyone. Bring comparable sales, photos of condition issues, and repair estimates.
Budgeting Realistically Before You Shop
A workable process:
Pick a target price range.
Pull the actual combined rate for a comparable address in that neighborhood.
Subtract the $140,000 school exemption from taxable value for the school portion.
Add any MUD or PID line.
Add homeowners insurance, which in Texas is not a rounding error.
Only then decide what price range you are actually shopping.
For context on values, SABOR reported a San Antonio-area median price of $315,000 in July 2026, up 2% year over year, with average price up 3% to $388,070 (SABOR), while August's local median sat just above $299,000, unchanged from a year earlier (Texas Public Radio).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the property tax rate in San Antonio?
There is no single rate — your bill combines school district, city, county, hospital, community college, and river authority rates, plus any special district. The City of San Antonio portion alone is 56.288 cents per $100 of taxable value for FY 2027 (City of San Antonio). Always price the specific address.
How much is the Texas homestead exemption in 2026?
$140,000 off school district taxable value, with an additional $60,000 for owners 65 or older or disabled (Texas Comptroller).
When do I file for my homestead exemption after closing?
File with your appraisal district as soon as you own and occupy the home; the general deadline is April 30 of the tax year requested (Texas Law Help). It is free.
Can my appraised value double in one year?
Not once your homestead exemption is established — §23.23 caps the increase at 10% per year, though the protection begins the year after you first qualify (Texas A&M AgriLife).
Are property taxes lower in Boerne or New Braunfels than San Antonio?
Sometimes, but not reliably. Median bills in Kendall and Comal counties are higher than in Guadalupe County largely because home values are higher (World Population Review). Compare rate and assessed value together.
Do 100% disabled veterans pay property tax in Texas?
No — Tax Code §11.131 exempts the full appraised value of the residence homestead for veterans with a 100% VA disability rating or individual unemployability determination (Texas Comptroller).
When is the protest deadline in Bexar County?
The later of May 15 or 30 days after your notice date; BCAD set May 15 for 2026 (Bexar Appraisal District).
Planning a Move to the San Antonio Area?
Taxes are one of the few relocation variables you can pin down before you ever board a plane — and they often reshuffle which communities belong on your list. If you are weighing Bexar County against Boerne, Bulverde, Schertz-Cibolo, New Braunfels, Seguin, or La Vernia, Robert Fedewa, a San Antonio-area REALTOR, can help you build a personalized shortlist that accounts for actual tax rates, special districts, school boundaries, commute tolerance, and the lifestyle you are moving for. Reach out before you start touring — it is a much shorter conversation than unwinding a payment surprise later.
