Each year, in September, the governing bodies of the local taxing units decide what services they will provide and how much money they will need. They adopt the unit budget and set the tax rate for the year that will provide the needed revenue.

Taxing units also have the authority to allow partial exemptions. These exemptions reduce the taxable value of qualifying properties. Homestead, Over Sixty-Five, and Disability exemptions are partial exemptions which can be granted on your principal place of residence. They can only be claimed on one piece of property in the state of Texas.

Taxes are calculated by subtracting the value of any exemptions, and the cap value if applicable, from the homestead value of the property and then adding any productivity or non-qualifying value. This result, the taxable value, is then multiplied by the tax rate per $100. The answer is then divided by 100 to arrive at the tax amount for the taxing unit. This process is repeated for each taxing unit.