Every year the appraisers from the Appraisal District will determine the value of your property. Property owners are then given the opportunity to raise any disputes regarding the value of their property with the Appraisal Review Board. Once the property values are certified they are passed on to the local taxing units which will then set their property tax rates and mail out property tax bills to owners. 

Property tax bills are sent out from October. So, you should receive yours well in advance of the January 31st deadline. If you haven’t received your property tax bill by December, you should contact your local tax offices for your county. If your mortgage company pays your property taxes on your behalf, they should receive the tax bill and ensure timely payment. If you have multiple properties, all of these properties should be listed on your bill. 

As Texas has no income tax, these funds are critical to providing local services to your community, including funding schools, libraries, and infrastructure. As a result, you legally have to pay your tax bill. If you do not pay by 31 January, a 6% penalty and 1% interest will be added to your bill on February 1st, for a total cost to you of 7%! These penalties will grow each month and attorneys hired to collect your property taxes can charge additional penalties of up to 20% to cover their fees. In most counties like Denton County, Ellis County, Fort Bend County, and Galveston County, the 20% attorney fee is applied to your bill on July 1st.
On 1 January of each year, a tax lien is placed on every property that is lifted when the property taxes are paid. This lien gives the courts the power to foreclose on your home or property in the event that you default on your property taxes, and sell it to the highest bidder.
There is no cap on the penalty fees and property owners will continue to see their penalties and interest rise each month. In the first year alone, penalties, fees, and interest can approach 44%. In the worst case, this could ultimately lead to losing your property to foreclosure, destroying your hard-earned equity.