How to apply for a homestead exemption

A homestead exemption is a property tax break for the home you own and live in as your main home. It lowers the value your tax is figured on, or the tax itself, so you pay less every year you keep it. In most places you have to apply for it. This guide explains who qualifies, where to apply, what to bring and when, using the rules in our 51 state guides.

What it is worth

Each state sets its own amount. Some take a fixed dollar amount off the value:

• Texas: $140,000 off your home's value for school district taxes.
• Florida: Up to $51,411 off your assessed value for 2026.
• Louisiana: The first $7,500 of assessed value is exempt.

Others work differently. Nevada: Your tax bill on the home you live in cannot go up more than 3% over last year's bill (not counting new construction or a change in use).

Watch for “assessed value”: where homes are assessed at a fraction of market value, a small assessed-value exemption is worth more than it looks. Some exemptions cover only some taxes, such as school taxes. Compare every state in the homestead exemption by state table.

Not every state has a general homestead exemption for all owners. In our research, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia have none, but they have other breaks, for example for seniors, veterans or people with disabilities.

Who qualifies

Almost everywhere you must own the home and live in it as your main home, usually on a set date, and you can have only one homestead. For example:

• Alabama: You own a single-family home and live in it as your main home on October 1 (the start of the Alabama tax year).
• Texas: You own the home and live in it as your principal residence, and you do not claim a homestead exemption on any other home in or outside Texas.

Extra breaks for seniors, veterans and people with disabilities have their own rules; our eligibility finder checks them for you.

Where to apply

In most states you apply to the local office that values property, such as a county assessor, an appraisal district or a city or town assessor, not to the state.

• Texas: The appraisal district in your county (for example, the Harris Central Appraisal District) decides all homestead and veteran exemptions.
• Louisiana: Your parish assessor decides homestead exemptions and the special assessment level (in Orleans Parish, the Orleans Parish assessor).

Each state page names the office and links to the official exemptions page.

What to bring

Most offices want a short form and proof that the home is yours and that you live there, such as an ID with the home’s address. What some states ask for:

• Texas: File Form 50-114 with the appraisal district in the county where the home is. Attach a copy of your Texas driver's license or state ID; its address must match the home's address.
• Oklahoma: File OTC Form 921 with your county assessor (mail, in person, or online where offered). You do not have to appear in person.

On each state page, the document checklist turns the official steps into a list you can download as PDF, Word or text, without entering any personal details.

The deadline

A missed date can cost you a year of savings. Some homestead deadlines:

• Alabama: October 1 – December 31
• Arkansas: October 15
• California: February 15
• Florida: March 1
• Georgia: April 1
• Indiana: January 15

Some states accept late applications. In Texas: You can file a late application up to two years after the date that year's taxes become delinquent (usually February 1 of the next year), Tax Code §11.431. In Maine: A late application, if approved, starts the next tax year (MRS Bulletin No. 35).

Do you have to apply again?

In 24 of the 38 states in our guides that have a homestead exemption, it is a one-time application that stays as long as you qualify. In Alaska, Florida, New Jersey and North Dakota, the renewal rule mentions applying every year or confirming each year. Either way, tell the office if you move, rent the home out or stop living there, and check that the exemption still shows on each bill.

If you move, and value caps

A homestead exemption belongs to the home you live in. When you buy a new home, you normally apply again for the new one. A few states let part of the benefit move with you: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois and Louisiana. Some also cap how fast a homestead's taxable value can rise each year: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, District of Columbia and Florida. Your state page explains both.

Step by step

1. Read the homestead card on your state’s page and run the eligibility finder for extra breaks.
2. Download the document checklist, gather what it lists and file before the deadline. Keep a copy and proof of the date.
3. Check your next assessment notice or bill. If the exemption is missing, call the office.