Introduction
If you own a home in San Antonio, your 2026 tax bill is about to change. The San Antonio property tax rate increase for 2026 is the city's first rate hike in decades. It affects the city portion of your bill.
We hear homeowners' frustration every season. Our recent survey found that 67% of Texas homeowners say their most recent property tax bill surprised or shocked them, up from 57% in 2025.
This change is one slice of a bill set by several taxing units. Below, we break down exactly what this costs you and how to offset it.
Key Takeaways
On Sept. 17, 2026, San Antonio raised its city property tax rate 3.9%, from 54.159 cents to 56.288 cents per $100, effective fiscal year 2027.
It's the city's first increase since 1992, passed on a 7-4 Council vote to help close a $158 million two-year budget gap.
The average homestead at a $231,356 taxable value pays roughly $49 more in city taxes on the 2026 bill.
Bexar County kept its own rate flat at $0.299999 per $100, even though county taxable values fell 1.3%.
You can't protest the city's rate, but you can still lower your bill by claiming exemptions and challenging your appraised value.
What the City Council Approved
San Antonio did raise property taxes in 2026. On Sept. 17, the City Council voted 7-4 to lift the city rate from 54.159 cents to 56.288 cents per $100 of taxable value. That 3.9% increase takes effect in fiscal year 2027.
The Council approved its first property tax rate increase since 1992, ending 34 years of a flat rate. The vote closes part of a projected $158 million two-year budget gap, alongside spending cuts and fee increases.
A tax rate per $100 of taxable value is the amount you owe for every $100 your home is worth after exemptions. At the new 56.288 cents, a $100,000 taxable value owes about $56 to the city.
This rate applies only to the City of San Antonio portion of your bill. It does not change your county, school, or special-district taxes. We track these civic votes so you can see the dollar impact without reading the budget memo yourself.
Fiscal year 2027 began on October 1, 2026. You will see the new rate when Bexar County mails tax bills in October. Pay by January 31, and unpaid balances become delinquent on February 1.
What the San Antonio Property Tax Rate Increase 2026 Costs You
Turning the new rate into dollars is simple math. Multiply your taxable value by the rate divided by 100: taxable value × (rate ÷ 100) = your city tax portion. Here is the before-and-after math on three common home values, showing the city portion only after exemptions.
Taxable Value | City Tax at Old 54.159¢ | City Tax at New 56.288¢ | Annual Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
$231,356 (average homestead) | ~$1,253 | ~$1,302 | ~$49 |
$300,000 | ~$1,625 | ~$1,689 | ~$64 |
$400,000 | ~$2,166 | ~$2,252 | ~$85 |
Take the average homestead as a worked example. A $231,356 taxable value times 0.56288, divided by 100, equals about $1,302 in city taxes. At the old rate, the same home owed about $1,253, so the gap is roughly $49.
The citywide average increase is about $35 a year. Your share depends on your home's value and district, so higher-value homes see a larger dollar jump.
Most owners pay these taxes through a mortgage escrow account, so the increase shows up as a slightly higher monthly payment. If you own your home outright, you pay the county directly on its due date.
These figures cover only the city slice. Your full bill also includes county, school, and special-district taxes. A $49 city increase is modest on its own, yet it stacks on the school and special-district lines you also pay.
How Much Are You Over Paying?
How the City Rate Fits With Bexar County, Schools, and Other Taxing Units
Your San Antonio tax bill stacks several taxing units. These include the city, Bexar County, University Health, Alamo Colleges, the San Antonio River Authority, and your school district. You can review Bexar County property tax rates to see how each unit sets its own levy.
Good news for county taxpayers. Bexar County's FY 2026-27 tax rate is $0.299999 per $100, unchanged from the prior year. Over the same period, the county's net taxable base fell 1.3%, about $3.3 billion.
Other units, including school districts, the Alamo College District, and the River Authority, weighed their own changes separately. The city rate is just one piece of the total.
One cushion helps homestead owners. Texas caps annual increases in a homestead's appraised value at 10% a year. School districts must apply this cap, which slows how fast your taxable value can climb when the market jumps.
Rate and value move independently. A higher rate applied to a lower taxable value can still change your net bill. If you want a refresher on how Texas property taxes work, your bill reflects the combined total of each unit.
Here is why that matters this year. The county rate held flat while its taxable base shrank, so many county bills could ease. The city rate rose, so the city line on your bill moves the other way.
Knowing which unit changed helps you aim your response. You cannot vote a rate down mid-year, but you can shrink the appraised value that every unit taxes.
Exemptions That Soften the Increase
An exemption lowers your taxable value before the rate applies. It does not change the rate itself. That makes exemptions the fastest lever you control.
The Texas Comptroller sets the general residence homestead exemption at $140,000 of school-district taxable value. Owners who are 65 or older or disabled get an additional $60,000. Here are the main exemptions Bexar homeowners claim:
General homestead: $140,000 off your school-district taxable value.
Over-65 or disabled: an additional $60,000, stacking to a combined $200,000, plus a school-tax ceiling.
Local-option homestead: units may adopt up to 20%, and the City of San Antonio and Bexar County each apply 20% on their portion.
Disabled veteran: amounts scale with the VA rating, and a 100% rating or qualifying surviving spouse is fully exempt.
Here is how the general exemption works in dollars. If your home is appraised at $371,356 and you claim the $140,000 homestead exemption, your school-district taxable value drops to $231,356 before any rate applies. The over-65 exemption also freezes your school-tax amount, so that line cannot rise while you qualify.
Verify your exact local amount with the Bexar Appraisal District (BCAD), since local-option amounts vary by unit. The homestead filing deadline is April 30, and you can file retroactively for up to two missed years.
Our Bexar County homestead exemption guide walks through each form. We can also file for property tax exemptions on your behalf and manage them year after year.
Unsure Which Exemptions You Qualify For?
The Planned FY 2028 Increase
The question may return next year. The city's two-year plan contemplates a second increase of about 4.4% in fiscal year 2028. That would bring the combined rise to roughly 8.5%.
This second step is planned, not adopted. It would require a future Council vote to take effect, so treat it as a possibility, not a certainty.
Locking in your exemptions and protesting your value now compounds ahead of any future increase. Every dollar you cut from your taxable value this year carries forward to the next bill. A lower value also sets a lower starting point if a second rate rise does arrive in fiscal year 2028.
Can a Protest Offset the Higher Rate?
You cannot protest the tax rate, because elected officials set it. You can protest your appraised value, and a lower value lowers every unit's share of your bill. A protest is the formal challenge you file with the Bexar Appraisal District (BCAD) to dispute your home's appraised value.
In Texas, a protest carries no downside. Under Texas Tax Code Section 41.47, the appraisal review board cannot set your value higher than the appraisal district's figure because of your protest.
The Texas Comptroller's property tax protest guide sets the protest deadline at May 15. If BCAD mails your Notice of Appraised Value later, you have 30 days from that date, whichever is later. Confirm your exact date with BCAD.
The timing follows a yearly calendar. BCAD sets your value as of Jan. 1 and mails most Notices of Appraised Value starting around April. That notice starts your protest clock, so open it the day it arrives.
Most homeowners never use this right. Our San Antonio study found that 78% of San Antonio-area homeowners didn't protest in 2025, covering 614,560 properties.
In Bexar County, 80% did not protest, with county-average savings of $504 so far. Statewide, non-protesting Texas homeowners left $1.2 billion in potential savings unclaimed in 2025 across 17 counties.
Even a correctly valued home can be over-appraised compared with similar nearby homes. Texas law lets you challenge value on an unequal-appraisal basis, not just market value. We approach every protest the same way:
Pull comparable sales and equity data for your neighborhood.
File with BCAD before the deadline.
Present the evidence at your Appraisal Review Board hearing.
Our guide on how to protest property taxes in Texas covers the evidence that wins.
How Ownwell Can Help San Antonians
At Ownwell, we manage the full protest and exemption process for Bexar County homeowners. We handle the paperwork, build the evidence, and attend hearings for you, with no upfront cost.
In Texas, our fee is 25% of your savings, so you only pay if you save. Ownwell customers win their protests 88% of the time, so we take on the work most homeowners skip.
We also file and manage your homestead and other exemptions, including retroactive filings for missed years. That combination of exemption filing and value protests works on your bill from both sides.
No upfront cost means we carry the risk, not you. If we do not lower your bill, you owe nothing for the appeal.
You can start a property tax protest in minutes with just your address.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did San Antonio raise property taxes in 2026?
Yes. The city rate rose 3.9% to 56.288 cents per $100 for fiscal year 2027, its first increase since 1992.
How much more will I pay?
An average homestead with a taxable value of $231,356 pays about $49 more in city taxes. Higher-value homes pay more, roughly $64 at $300,000 and $85 at $400,000.
Did Bexar County raise its property tax rate too?
No. The county held its rate at $0.299999 per $100, though taxable values shifted across the roll.
Can I lower my San Antonio property tax bill?
You can't protest the rate, but you can claim exemptions and protest your appraised value by the May 15 deadline to reduce what you owe.
When is the next possible increase?
A second city increase of about 4.4% is planned for fiscal year 2028. It has not been approved and would require a future Council vote.
