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Harris CountyLast checked: October 12, 2026

When are 2026 Harris County property taxes due?

Except as Tax Code 31.02(b), 31.03 and 31.04 provide, a 2026 property tax billed by the Harris County Tax Office is due on receipt of the bill and is delinquent if not paid before February 1, 2027 (31.02(a)). The Harris County Tax Office FAQ says payments are due by January 31, with an exception when the last day of the month is a weekend or Harris County holiday. In 2027, January 31 is a Sunday. The FAQ does not name 2027.

By the Texas Property Protest team at The Ambrose Group.

About this page.

This page describes what the Texas Tax Code and the Harris County Tax Office publish about property tax due dates. It is not legal, tax or accounting advice, and it does not say what is due on any bill.

When are Harris County property taxes due?

Except as listed below, Tax Code 31.02(a) makes a 2026 tax delinquent if not paid before February 1, 2027. The Tax Office FAQ says "Property Tax payments are due by January 31st in order to be considered timely," and gives one exception for a weekend or Harris County holiday, quoted below.

On this page, "2026 taxes" means the 2026 tax year. The Tax Office's January 28, 2026 news release, "Harris County 2025 Property Taxes Due January 31, 2026," was about the 2025 tax year. As of October 12, 2026, no Tax Office page checked names January 31, 2027 or February 1, 2027.

This page covers bills from the Harris County Tax Office, which says in its overview that it collects property taxes for over 80 taxing entities including Harris County. The Harris Central Appraisal District's FAQ refers to "the tax offices" and tells owners to contact the appropriate taxing jurisdictions about tax payments.

Named exceptions

  • Active duty. Tax Code 31.02(b) covers an eligible person, as Subsection (c) defines the term, serving on active duty in any branch of the United States armed forces. That person may pay delinquent property taxes on property in which the person owns any interest without penalty or interest no later than the 60th day after the date on which the earliest of three events it lists occurs. Subsection (f) limits which property.
  • Split payment. Under Tax Code 31.03(a), a taxing unit that collects its own taxes may provide that a person who pays one-half before December 1 (or the date in Subsection (a-1), if it applies) may pay the rest without penalty or interest before July 1 of the following year.
  • Late-mailed bills. If a bill is mailed after January 10, Tax Code 31.04(a) postpones the delinquency date to the first day of the next month that gives at least 21 days after mailing, unless the taxing unit has adopted the discounts in Section 31.05(c), in which case Subsection (d) sets the date.

When are 2026 Harris County property tax bills mailed?

Tax Code 31.01(a) says the assessor mails tax bills "by October 1 or as soon thereafter as practicable," subject to Subsections (f), (i-1) and (k). The Tax Office's 2026 calendar lists October to November 2026 as when it begins delivering 2026 bills.

Tax Code 31.01(g) says failure to send or receive a tax bill "does not affect the validity of the tax, penalty, or interest, the due date, the existence of a tax lien, or any procedure instituted to collect a tax," except as provided by Subsection (f), which lets a collector provide that a bill not be sent until the unpaid taxes it collects on the property total $15 or more.

What does the Tax Office say about January 31, 2027, a Sunday?

The Tax Office FAQ gives a general weekend rule but does not name 2027. January 31, 2027 is a Sunday, and Monday, February 1 follows. In the same answer, the FAQ says:

  • "The only exception to this rule is when the last day of the month is a Harris County holiday or falls on a weekend."
  • "In that case, then the next business day (or first business day in February) is honored as timely for receipt of payment."

The FAQ says the extended due date also applies to the date of USPS postmark, a contract carrier's receipt mark, and the transaction date of the Tax Office online payment portal and of telephone payment. The Tax Office's Payment Options page says: "Payments sent by USPS must be postmarked no later than the last business day in January."

Tax Code 1.06 says an act is timely if the last day for performing it is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal state or national holiday, or, for a payment of taxes imposed by a taxing unit, a day on which the collector's office is closed, and the act is performed on the next regular business day. This page draws no conclusion about how Section 1.06 or either Tax Office wording applies to January 31, 2027.

What is the penalty and interest on late Harris County property taxes?

Under Tax Code 33.01(a), a delinquent tax incurs a penalty of 6 percent of the amount of the tax for the first calendar month it is delinquent. It incurs 1 percent more for each additional month or portion of a month the tax remains unpaid before July 1 of the year in which it becomes delinquent. A tax delinquent on July 1 incurs a total penalty of 12 percent. Under 33.01(c), a delinquent tax accrues interest of 1 percent for each month or portion of a month the tax remains unpaid. Section 33.01(b), (d) and (f) state other rules for the cases they describe.

  • How long they continue. Subsections (a) and (c) say a delinquent tax continues to incur the penalty and interest "as long as the tax remains unpaid, regardless of whether a judgment for the delinquent tax has been rendered."

Is there an extra collection fee on delinquent Harris County taxes?

Tax Code 33.07(a) lets a taxing unit or appraisal district provide for an additional penalty to defray collection costs, and the Tax Office says one is added on July 1 for some jurisdictions. The section covers taxes that become delinquent from February 1 through May 1 and remain delinquent on July 1, if the unit or district, or another unit that collects its taxes, has contracted with an attorney under Section 6.30. The penalty "may not exceed the amount of the compensation specified in the contract with the attorney," and Tax Code 6.30(c) caps that compensation at 20 percent of the delinquent tax, penalty and interest collected.

The Tax Office overview says "Real property delinquent taxes incur the additional collection fee of 15-20% on July 1." Its calendar row for July 1, 2026 says "For some jurisdictions" a collection penalty is added to the current delinquent account. This page does not say which Harris County taxing units have adopted Section 33.07.

Does a pending protest or appeal change the delinquency date?

Three sections say a pending proceeding does not affect the delinquency date: Tax Code 41.4115 for a missing-notice protest under Section 41.411, 25.26 for a motion under Section 25.25, and 42.08 for an appeal under Chapter 42. This page states no rule for an ordinary protest of appraised value under Section 41.41. Protest dates and steps are in the guides to the protest deadline and how to protest.

  • A missing-notice protest under Section 41.411. Tax Code 41.4115(a) says its pendency "does not affect the delinquency date for the taxes on the property subject to the protest." That date applies only to the amount required under Subsection (b), and for that amount it is postponed to the 125th day after the date one or more taxing units first delivered written notice of the taxes due, as determined by the appraisal review board at a hearing under Section 41.44(c-3). Under 41.4115(b), the owner must pay the taxes due on the part of the value not in dispute before the delinquency date or forfeits the right to a final determination, except as Subsection (d) provides.
  • An appeal under Chapter 42. Tax Code 42.08(a) says its pendency "does not affect the delinquency date for the taxes on the property subject to the appeal," and that date applies only to the amount required under Subsection (b). Under 42.08(b), the owner must pay before the delinquency date the lesser of three amounts: the taxes due on the part of the value not in dispute, the taxes due under the order appealed from, or the taxes imposed in the preceding tax year. Otherwise the owner forfeits the right to a final determination, except as Subsection (d) provides.

Each section adds that if the owner complies with its Subsection (b), the delinquency date for any additional amount is set under Section 42.42(c) and that amount is not delinquent before then.

Sources

Questions

How is a mailed payment counted as on time?

Tax Code 1.08 has three tests. One counts a payment properly addressed with postage or handling charges prepaid, sent by regular first-class mail, and bearing a post office cancellation mark dated on or before the specified due date and within the specified period. The other two are a carrier's receipt mark and satisfactory proof of deposit, each on or before the specified due date.

What is the online payment cutoff time?

The Tax Office Payment Options page says online payments "must be completed by 11:59 PM Central Standard Time on or before the due date to avoid collection penalties and interest charges."

What must a tax bill show?

Tax Code 31.01(c) says the bill must state the amount of tax due, the due date, the delinquency date and the rates of penalty and interest.

When do penalty and interest start if the date moves?

If the delinquency date is postponed under Section 31.04(a) or (a-1) (the second covers a bill that includes earlier years' taxes on property erroneously omitted from the tax roll), penalties and interest begin on the postponed date (Tax Code 31.04(e)).

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