El Paso County, TX: homestead & property-tax exemptions

How to claim property-tax exemptions in El Paso County (El Paso area): who qualifies, the deadline, where to file, documents, re-filing and appeals.

Last checked 2026-10-27 · 25 official sources

Exemptions available

• EPCAD's 2026 Notice to Taxpayers lists the exemptions it accepts: residence homestead, over 65, the over-55 surviving spouse of someone who had the over-65 exemption, disability, disabled veteran (partial and 100%), and the surviving spouses of disabled veterans, of armed service members killed in action, and of veterans whose death is presumed service-connected. It also covers a residence donated to a partially disabled veteran. Over-65, disability and several surviving-spouse exemptions can be transferred to another Texas homestead. EPCAD also handles the exemption for the surviving spouse of a first responder killed in the line of duty. ^[1][2]
• School districts: every El Paso County ISD (Anthony, Canutillo, Clint, El Paso, Fabens, San Elizario, Socorro, Tornillo and Ysleta) gives the state-required $140,000 homestead exemption, plus an extra $60,000 if you're 65 or older or disabled. Your school taxes are frozen at the level of the first year you qualify for the over-65 or disability exemption, as long as you live in the home and don't add significant improvements. ^[3][4][5]
• Ysleta ISD adds a 20% local homestead exemption on top of the $140,000. EPCAD's chart and the district both say it's the only El Paso County school district that does this. ^[4][6]
• Local optional exemptions, from the chart of exemptions by taxing unit in EPCAD's 2025 Annual Report (December 2025). City of El Paso: $5,000 homestead, plus $45,000 for over-65 or disabled (up from $42,500 for 2025). El Paso County: $5,000 homestead, plus $20,000 for over-65 or disabled. El Paso Community College (EPCC): $10,000 for over-65 or disabled. University Medical Center (the UMC hospital district): none. City of Socorro: $5,000 over-65. Town of Anthony: $3,000 over-65. Village of Vinton: $3,000 over-65 or disabled. Lower Valley Water District: $5,000 over-65 or disabled. WC&ID #4: $3,000 over-65 or disabled. Horizon City, the Town of Clint, the City of San Elizario, the two emergency services districts and the MUDs offer none. EPCAD's Legislation page says San Elizario has adopted a new $10,000 over-65/disabled exemption that isn't in the chart yet (see 'Not verified yet'). ^[4][5]
• EPCAD's chart says no taxing unit in El Paso County has adopted a local tax freeze (ceiling). So only school taxes are frozen for over-65 and disabled homeowners, and city, county, EPCC and UMC taxes can still rise. ^[4]
• Disabled veterans: every taxing unit must give the state exemption. It's $5,000 for a 10-29% rating, $7,500 for 30-49%, $10,000 for 50-69% and $12,000 for 70% and over. A veteran gets the full $12,000 at 65 or older with a rating of at least 10%, or if totally blind in one or both eyes or missing the use of a limb. This exemption can go on any one property you own, and a surviving spouse and minor children share the veteran's amount. ^[7][4]
• 100% disabled veterans (100% service-connected rating or individual unemployability, receiving 100% VA disability pay) get a total exemption on their residence homestead. So do their unremarried surviving spouses. The surviving spouse of a first responder killed in the line of duty can also get a total exemption, as long as they haven't remarried. ^[2][7][4]
• Tax deferral: if you're 65 or older or disabled, you can postpone collection of taxes on your homestead by filing a Tax Deferral Affidavit (Form 50-126, linked from EPCAD's forms page). ^[8][1]

Statewide exemption details: Texas guide.

Who qualifies

• General homestead: available to every homeowner, but only on the home that's your primary residence. ^[2][3]
• Over 65: you're eligible as soon as you turn 65, and EPCAD says the exemption applies from January 1 of the year you turn 65. You can get either the over-65 exemption or the disability exemption, not both. If you filed for your homestead before 2022, EPCAD may not have your date of birth on record. Visit the Deeds and Exemptions department with your ID so they can add it. ^[2][8][4]
• Disability: you qualify if you get disability benefits under the federal Social Security (OASDI) program. The local Social Security office is at 11111 Gateway Blvd W, El Paso, TX 79935. ^[2]
• Disabled veterans: you need a service-connected rating of 10% or more and a letter from the VA. For the 100% exemption, the home must also have a homestead exemption, so you have to fill out the homestead application as well. The El Paso VA office is at 5001 N Piedras St, (915) 564-6100. ^[2][8]

Deadline

• EPCAD's deadline to file exemption applications for all taxing units was April 30, 2026. If a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, it moves to the next business day. ^[1][3]
• Exemptions you've already been granted carry over, so you don't need to file again. If your disabled-veteran rating changes or reaches 100%, you can file a new application. Under SB 1801, EPCAD reviews every homestead at least once every five years and may send you a letter. Answer it, or you could lose the exemption. EPCAD says to allow 10-14 business days for an application to be processed. ^[1][5]

Where and how to file

• Online (homestead and over-65): look up your property in EPCAD's Property Search (https://epcad.org/Search), open Property Services, and click 'Apply for Homestead.' If you don't see the button, you may already have an exemption on record. Call Deeds and Exemptions at (915) 780-2136 to check. ^[8]
• Paper: EPCAD accepts applications in person, by mail (USPS), by courier or by e-mail. Disabled veterans use Form 50-135, which is linked from EPCAD's forms page. Filing is free. ^[1][8]
• EPCAD office: 5801 Trowbridge Dr., El Paso, TX 79925. Phone (915) 780-2131, Deeds and Exemptions (915) 780-2136, email [email protected]. Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The Taxpayer Liaison Officer is Tracy Carter, (915) 780-2070. ^[9][8][10]

Documents needed

• Bring or attach your identification. EPCAD asks owners who filed before 2022 to bring ID so it can confirm their date of birth. ^[8]
• Inherited homes (heir property): the prior owner's death certificate, a recent utility bill, any court record citation (such as probate), and the Affidavit of Heirship/Ownership (Form 50-114-A). Only one heir applies. Any other heirs who live in the home sign the affidavit. ^[11]
• Disabled veterans: the VA (Veterans Benefits Administration) letter showing your service-connected disability rating. People with disabilities qualify through Social Security disability (OASDI) benefits, so keep your SSA award letter handy. A certified copy of your deed is available for a fee from the El Paso County Clerk, 500 E. San Antonio Ave., (915) 546-2071. ^[2][1]

Do you need to re-file?

• You don't reapply each year. EPCAD will send a letter if it needs you to confirm you still qualify (SB 1801's five-year review), and you have to answer it. ^[5][1]

Appeal deadline

• Protest deadline: May 15 or 30 days after EPCAD mailed your Notice of Appraised Value, whichever is later. EPCAD mails notices around April 1. If you didn't get one, file by May 15 anyway. Filing a protest is free. ^[12][10][13]
• Four ways to file: the online Protest Portal, the protest form (Form 50-132, or the QR code on your notice), in person at the EPCAD office kiosks, or by mail. If you use the portal, everything happens by email, you don't get an in-person meeting with an appraiser, and you can't switch methods. EPCAD's online protest options are closed until the next protest season. ^[12][10]
• ARB hearings: in person, by video or by phone. Ask for the type you want on your protest form. For a remote hearing, request it at least 5 days ahead (10 if you have an agent) and send your evidence as a notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration. Each hearing takes about 15 minutes: you and the appraiser each get 3 minutes for evidence, 1 for rebuttal and 1 for closing, and the panel then has 5 minutes to decide. Bring 2 copies of your evidence. For online uploads, the limit is 25 files, with no video, audio, cloud links or HEIC photos. You can ask for an evening or Saturday hearing. The ARB department is at (915) 780-2123, [email protected]. ^[14][15][10]
• Before the hearing, you can ask EPCAD for its evidence at least 14 days ahead. You get one postponement without giving a reason (rescheduled 5-30 days out). You can file a late protest for good cause until the ARB approves the records. If you never got a notice, you can protest that until the day before taxes become delinquent, or within 125 days of getting your tax bill. ^[15][12]
• After the ARB decides, you can appeal to district court within 60 days, to binding arbitration within 60 days, or to SOAH within 30 days. You must still pay the undisputed part of your taxes before the delinquency date. ^[12][13]
• Tax bills: the City of El Paso Consolidated Tax Office collects taxes for every taxing unit in El Paso County (city, county, ISDs, EPCC, UMC and others). Bills go out every October, are due January 31, and become delinquent February 1. Bills under $5 aren't mailed unless you ask. For 2026, bills for Ysleta ISD, Socorro ISD, Tornillo ISD, the Tornillo Water District and the Tierra del Este PID are delayed until after the November tax-rate elections, with a target of the first week of December. To see the exemptions applied to your account, look it up in the Tax Office's property tax search (https://actweb.acttax.com/act_webdev/elpaso/index.jsp). That site also lists every unit's 2026 rate; the City of El Paso's 2026 rate, for example, is $0.798000 per $100 (Ordinance No. 019904). ^{[16][17][18][19][20]}
• Penalty and interest if you pay late: 7% in February, rising to 9% (March), 11% (April), 13% (May), 15% (June) and 18% (July), then 1% more each month. Real property also gets a 20% collection fee on July 1. ^[21]
• Payment options: pay online by e-check (free) or card (1.98% fee), by phone at (915) 212-0106, or by mail to City of El Paso Tax Office, P.O. Box 2992, El Paso, TX 79999-2992 (postmarked by the last business day of January). In person: 221 N. Kansas, Suite 300 (Wells Fargo Plaza, 3rd floor), El Paso, TX 79901, Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. El Paso County Tax Office locations, such as 301 Manny Martinez Dr., also take current-year property tax payments from October through January 31 (bring your bill). ^[22][16][23]
• Payment plans: homeowners who are over 65 or disabled, and disabled veterans, can pay their homestead taxes in four installments: January 31, March 31, May 31 and July 31. You must pay the first by January 31. The Tax Office also offers delinquent-tax payment contracts: on real property with a current-year balance of $1,000 or more, you pay 10% down and the rest over up to 12 months (up to 24 for a homestead), signed between February and June 30. You can also prepay through an escrow plan. ^[24][20]

Population: 875,784 (July 1, 2024 estimate) ^[25]

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