Bexar County property taxes are due by January 31 of the year after they’re assessed. Bills go out in October, and any balance still unpaid on February 1 starts collecting penalties and interest immediately. If paying the full amount in one shot isn’t workable, the county honors a two-installment split payment, and homeowners who are 65 or older, disabled, or qualifying veterans can spread the bill across four quarterly payments or defer collection entirely.
When Bills Arrive and When Payment Is Due
The Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector’s office mails tax statements in October to the owner and address on file.1Bexar County, TX – Official Website. Property Tax Texas law requires the assessor to prepare and mail a bill to each property owner by October 1 or as soon afterward as practicable.2Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Bills The tax is due when you receive the bill, but you have until January 31 to pay in full without penalty or interest.
If a bill is mailed after January 10, the delinquency date shifts to the first day of the next month following the date the bill was sent. Late-mailed bills won’t trap you into an impossible deadline.
One bill covers a lot of ground. The Bexar County Tax Office collects not only for the county but for dozens of other taxing entities, including school districts, cities, and special districts, under contractual agreements.1Bexar County, TX – Official Website. Property Tax Miss the deadline and penalties hit every jurisdiction on that statement at once.
The Split Payment Option
Any Bexar County property owner can use the split-payment option under Texas Tax Code Section 31.03. Pay the first half before December 1, then pay the remaining half before July 1 of the following year, with no penalty or interest as long as both halves land on time.3Bexar County, TX – Official Website. Tax Calendar No application, no qualifying category. Just pay the first half by the December deadline.
The penalty for missing the second installment is unusually harsh. If the remaining balance isn’t paid before July 1, it becomes delinquent and immediately picks up a flat 12 percent penalty on the unpaid amount, bypassing the graduated monthly penalty schedule that applies to ordinary delinquencies.4State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest
Quarterly Installments for Seniors, Disabled Homeowners, and Veterans
Texas Tax Code Section 31.031 lets certain homeowners spread the bill into four equal payments. You qualify if you are 65 or older, disabled, a disabled veteran, or the unmarried surviving spouse of a disabled veteran who qualified for an exemption under Tax Code Section 11.22.5Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Payment Options The property must be your residence homestead.
The four installments are due before February 1, April 1, June 1, and August 1. The first payment has to arrive by the January 31 delinquency date and must include written notice that you intend to pay in installments.5Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Payment Options As long as each installment is on time, no penalty or interest accrues. Miss one and the remaining balance goes delinquent under the standard penalty rules.
Tax Deferral If Installments Still Aren’t Manageable
Homeowners who are 65 or older, disabled, or qualifying disabled veterans can go a step further and defer collection of property taxes on their homestead entirely. Under Texas Tax Code Section 33.06, you file an affidavit with the Bexar Central Appraisal District, and once it’s on record, no taxing unit can file suit or foreclose on the property for delinquent taxes while the deferral is in effect.6State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.06 – Deferred Collection of Certain Taxes
The taxes don’t go away. A tax lien remains on the property, and interest accrues at 5 percent per year rather than the standard 12 percent, with no monthly penalties added during the deferral period. When you sell the home, move out, or pass away, the deferral ends. After that, the collecting taxing unit delivers a notice of delinquency, and the full penalty schedule plus attorney fees kick in 181 days later if the balance is still owed.6State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.06 – Deferred Collection of Certain Taxes
What Happens If You Miss January 31
Delinquency charges start February 1 and grow every month. On February 1, a 6 percent penalty and 1 percent interest attach to the unpaid tax, for a combined 7 percent added to the bill. Every additional month adds another 1 percent penalty and another 1 percent interest.4State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest
- February: 6% penalty + 1% interest = 7% total
- March: 7% penalty + 2% interest = 9% total
- April: 8% penalty + 3% interest = 11% total
- May: 9% penalty + 4% interest = 13% total
- June: 10% penalty + 5% interest = 15% total
- July 1 and beyond: 12% penalty + 6% interest = 18% total, plus possible attorney fees
The penalty doesn’t climb gradually to 11 percent and then jump. It resets to a flat 12 percent on July 1 regardless of how many months the tax has been delinquent. If the taxing unit has contracted with a collection attorney, an additional penalty covering attorney fees can be added to any tax that was delinquent on February 1 and remains unpaid on July 1.7State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.07 – Additional Penalty for Collection Costs That attorney fee penalty can reach 20 percent of the total tax, penalty, and interest due. Interest at 1 percent per month keeps accruing indefinitely until the balance is paid, even after a court judgment is entered.
Delinquent property taxes don’t show up on your credit report directly. The taxing unit does hold a lien against your property from January 1 of the tax year, and prolonged delinquency can eventually lead to a lawsuit and a forced tax sale.
How to Pay
Property tax accounts collected by Bexar County can be searched on the Tax Assessor-Collector’s online portal by owner name, business name, property address, or 12-digit account number entered with no spaces or dashes.8Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector. Find Your Property Tax Account The account page shows the current-year tax, property value, exemptions, and last payment, and you can print a tax statement from there.
If you have a mortgage, check with your servicer before doing anything else. Most lenders pay property taxes out of your escrow account and are required under federal Regulation X to disburse escrow funds in time to avoid late penalties.9Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Regulation X – 1024.17 Escrow Accounts If your lender handles it, confirm the payment posted and you’re done.
Paying directly, you have a few options:
- Online through the tax office portal. Electronic checks are free. Credit and debit card payments carry a convenience fee of roughly 2 percent through a third-party vendor.
- By mail to Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector, P.O. Box 839950, San Antonio, TX 78283-3950. The postmark counts as the payment date.10Bexar County, TX – Official Website. Tax Office Locations and Hours
- In person at the main office in Vista Verde Plaza, 233 N. Pecos La Trinidad in San Antonio, or at satellite offices in the northeast, northwest, southside, and Precinct 4 areas.10Bexar County, TX – Official Website. Tax Office Locations and Hours
On a large bill, the credit card convenience fee is worth doing the math on. Two percent of a $5,000 tax bill is $100, enough to erase most card rewards. Electronic checks skip the fee entirely.