Inherited Property Taxes in DFW: Exemptions and Deadlines

Short answer

In DFW, the appraisal district handles exemptions and the county tax office collects the bill. TAD, DCAD and Collin CAD all take heir homestead applications backed by a death certificate, a utility bill and an ownership affidavit, and TAD and Collin CAD say applying is free. Tarrant penalties start February 1.

The statewide rules are in our Texas guide to taxes on inherited property: the January 1 lien, what happens to a parent's exemptions, the heir property homestead and the IRS basis rule. This page covers the offices a DFW heir actually deals with, what each one asks for, and the local calendar for paying.

Two offices, two jobs

Every DFW county splits property tax work between two agencies, and heirs lose time calling the wrong one.

The appraisal district values the house and decides exemptions. It is where an heir files for a homestead exemption or protests a value.
The county tax office mails the bill, takes payments and runs payment plans. It also tells you whether past years are owed. In Dallas County that office is in the Records Building at 500 Elm Street.

Where to look up the account: Tarrant Appraisal District · Dallas Central Appraisal District · Collin Central Appraisal District · Denton Central Appraisal District · Tarrant County Tax Office · Dallas County Tax Office

Filing the heir homestead exemption with TAD

Tarrant Appraisal District has a section of its homestead page written for heir property owners. An heir who is not named on a recorded deed provides:

an affidavit establishing the heir's ownership interest (TAD points to the Comptroller's Form 50-114-A);
a copy of the prior owner's death certificate;
the property's most recent utility bill;
a citation of any court record on ownership, if one exists.

Any other heir who lives in the house as a principal residence signs an affidavit authorizing the application. TAD also asks for a Texas driver's license or ID card from the Department of Public Safety with an address matching the homestead. There is no fee. The Tarrant County Tax Office repeats that point and asks owners to call before paying anyone who offers to file exemptions for a charge.

One timing detail is worth knowing. TAD says an owner who acquires a home after January 1 can claim the exemption from the date they own and occupy it, but only if the previous owner did not claim a homestead exemption that year. When a parent had the exemption in the year of death, that shortcut is usually not available, so plan on the heir's exemption starting the following January 1.

Filing with DCAD in Dallas County

Dallas Central Appraisal District lists the same heir documents in its exemptions guide: an ownership affidavit, the death certificate, a recent utility bill and any court record. It says the affidavit for other occupying heirs is built into its general residence homestead application. A few DCAD rules trip people up:

Applications cannot be sent by email or fax. DCAD asks owners to apply online.
Each individual owner living in the home, other than a married couple, completes a separate application, and the form lists every owner's percentage.
You cannot file before the date you qualify.
A late homestead application can be filed up to two years after the delinquency date, which matches Tax Code Sec. 11.431.

For a surviving spouse, DCAD's guide says the deceased spouse must have been receiving the 65-or-older or disabled exemption, the survivor must have been 55 or older on the date of death, and the survivor must own the home and send proof of death.

Collin and Denton County notes

Collin Central Appraisal District publishes a plain-language handout for heirs. It says applying is free, that most districts use Comptroller Form 50-114, and that recording an affidavit of heirship is a good practice but not required to get the exemption. It also says an heir property owner can qualify for a full homestead exemption when siblings or others co-own the house, rather than a partial one. That lines up with Tax Code Sec. 11.13(h).

For a Denton County house, start with the account on Denton Central Appraisal District's site. The heir documents do not change by county, because Tax Code Sec. 11.43(o) sets them for the application form statewide.

The Tarrant County tax calendar

The Tarrant County Tax Office posts its key dates. For an heir sorting out a parent's account, these are the ones that matter:

Tarrant County property tax dates, from the Tax Office's Important Dates page
Date	What happens
October 1	Bills mailed, or as soon as possible after
January 31	Last day to pay before delinquency; first installment due on over-65 and disability quarter-payment plans
February 1	Penalty starts at 6 percent and rises monthly to 12 percent in July; interest runs at 1 percent a month
March 31, May 31, July 31	Remaining quarter-payment plan installments
April 30	Last day to file an exemption application at TAD
June 30	Second payment due on the half-payment option
July 1	Delinquent accounts go to the tax attorneys, with a collection penalty of up to 20 percent of the unpaid balance

The Tax Office also notes that it does not hire the delinquent tax attorneys. Each taxing unit, meaning the city, county and school district, contracts with its own. The office has warned about collection text messages and how to spot fake ones, so call it to confirm a parent's balance before paying anyone.

A DFW heir's tax checklist

Look up the parent's account on the appraisal district site and note which exemptions are on it.
Check the tax office account for any past-due years and ask for a payoff.
If an heir will live there, gather the death certificate, a utility bill and the ownership affidavit, and file before the April deadline.
If the parent was over 65 and paid by installments or had a deferral, ask the tax office what changes now.
Get a date-of-death value in writing for the income tax side; your CPA will want it.

Selling an inherited DFW house with taxes owed

Cash Home Advisors is based in Fort Worth and buys houses across DFW. When we buy an inherited house, back taxes and this year's share are paid from the sale at closing, and you see each payoff on the closing statement before you sign. We pay all closing costs and can close in 7–14 days.

Get a cash offer for the inherited house, see the areas we serve, or start with our Fort Worth and Dallas pages.

Want a cash offer instead?

We buy Texas houses as-is, pay all closing costs, and can close in 7–14 days.

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Frequently asked questions

Does TAD charge a fee for an heir homestead application?

No. Tarrant Appraisal District says there is no fee to file a homestead exemption application, and the Tarrant County Tax Office warns owners to call before paying a third party to file one for them.

Can I email my heir homestead application to DCAD?

No. Dallas Central Appraisal District says applications cannot be received by email or fax and asks owners to apply online at dallascad.org. Each individual owner living in the home, other than a married couple, completes a separate application.

When do unpaid Tarrant County taxes go to collection attorneys?

The Tarrant County Tax Office says delinquent accounts for the year are turned over to the tax attorneys on July 1, and a collection penalty of up to 20 percent of the unpaid balance is added.

Can co-heirs in Collin County get the full homestead exemption?

Collin Central Appraisal District says an heir property owner with a homestead exemption can qualify for a 100 percent exemption when the home has co-owners, rather than a partial one. The Tax Code treats that heir as the sole recipient of the exemption (Sec. 11.13(h)).

Sources

General information, not legal or tax advice. Talk to a Texas attorney or CPA about your situation.