The Property Tax Almanac
Kaufman County · Texas

Property Tax in Kaufman County

A calculator and field guide for Forney-area homeowners — and for anyone considering a move to Kaufman County. Covers the property tax rates, exemptions, and payment schedules — including the 4 taxing entities that make up your bill.

Median Effective Rate
1.68%
tax bill ÷ market value
Median Home Value
$320,900
reference estimate
Typical Annual Bill
$5,377
before exemptions
Appraisal District
KCAD
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Kaufman County, home to Kaufman and some 0.2 million Texans, has a property tax structure composed of 4 overlapping taxing entities. A homeowner inside Kaufman pays the school district, city, county, and several additional special districts — each with their own rate. This guide explains every line, how to calculate your bill, and which exemptions you are almost certainly leaving on the table.

How the bill is built

Your annual property tax bill is the product of two numbers: your property's taxable value (its appraised value minus any exemptions you qualify for) and the combined tax rate levied by every entity whose jurisdiction includes your parcel. In Kaufman County, the combined rate reaches approximately 2.54% for a typical Kaufman address, with the single largest line — school district tax — representing roughly half the bill.

The calculator to the right lets you input your appraised value and toggle the most common exemptions. The breakdown below uses the rates stored in this county record. Confirm the applicable tax year and rates with Kaufman County Appraisal District before using the estimate.

Kaufman County rate breakdown (per $100 AV, Kaufman district)

Taxing entityRate
Kaufman ISD1.2552
City of Kaufman0.7590
Kaufman County0.4151
Trinity Valley Community College0.1137
Combined total2.5430

Data record updated August 17, 2026. This is an editorial update date, not a tax year or a guarantee that every figure has been independently verified.

Sources and scope: Check rates and parcel details with Kaufman County Appraisal District. Figures may refer to different source years; a county-seat rate does not apply to every address. How we use data and estimates.

Note: Kaufman County has the highest effective property tax rate of the eight Texas counties added here at 1.68%, and has repeatedly ranked among the fastest-growing counties in the United States by percentage. Forney, on US-80 immediately east of Dallas County, has absorbed most of that growth and is now roughly four times the size of Kaufman, the county seat.
Note: Forney ISD is the county’s most expensive school district at 1.2869 per $100, ahead of Kaufman ISD at 1.2552, Crandall ISD at 1.1692 and Terrell ISD at 1.1305. Trinity Valley Community College adds 0.11366 across the county.
Note: The newer subdivisions along the US-80 corridor sit inside municipal utility districts that add very large amounts — Kaufman County MUD #3 and FWSD #4A are both at 1.00 per $100, and MUD #14 at 0.97, which is comparable to an entire second school district levy. These are the single biggest reason a Kaufman County bill can come in far above the county-average estimate on this page.
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Exemptions you should actually file

Residence Homestead — everyone who owns their primary residence

Texas exempts the first $140,000 of your home's value from school district property tax — raised from $100,000 by Proposition 13, approved by voters in November 2025. Homeowners aged 65 or older, and those who are disabled, get a further $60,000 off (up from $10,000 under Proposition 11), for a combined $200,000. The exemption must be filed with KCAD by April 30 of the tax year for which you want it to apply. There is no fee. You need a Texas driver's license or ID showing the property address and proof of ownership.

Over-65 or Disabled — additional $10,000 school, plus tax ceiling

Homeowners who are 65 or older receive an additional $10,000 school district exemption, and their school district taxes are frozen at the amount owed the year they turned 65. They cannot go up even if rates or appraisals increase.

100% Disabled Veteran — full exemption

Veterans with a 100% service-connected disability pay zero property tax on their primary residence. Partial disability ratings receive partial exemptions on a sliding scale.

Protesting your appraisal

The single highest-ROI hour a Kaufman-area homeowner can spend each year is filing a protest with KCAD, which must be submitted by May 15 (or 30 days after you receive your notice, whichever is later). Roughly half of all Texas homeowners who protest receive some reduction in their appraised value.

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Cities and towns in Kaufman County

This guide lists 15 selected communities in or associated with Kaufman County. It is not a complete municipal directory. Local taxing districts can differ between communities and individual addresses.

Data: US Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census. Populations rounded. Cities marked as "split" straddle a county border — the portion inside Kaufman County is subject to Kaufman County's tax rolls, while the portion outside is subject to the adjacent county's.

City or town Type Population (2020)
Forney city 31,500
Terrell city 20,400
Heartland Census-designated place 10,600
Travis Ranch Census-designated place 9,000
Kaufman County seat city 8,500
Crandall city 4,800
Talty city 2,900
Combine Split city 2,800
Poetry Census-designated place 1,600
Elmo Census-designated place 1,400
Kemp city 1,300
Oak Ridge city 1,200
Post Oak Bend City city 700
Scurry city 700
Rosser city 500

About city-level property tax rates: The rate breakdown and calculator on this page use a representative district around Kaufman. Other cities in Kaufman County may pay into different school districts, city rates, and special districts — so their combined rates can differ, sometimes substantially. Always verify the specific rates for your address with the Kaufman County Appraisal District before relying on any estimate.

Frequently asked questions

When are Kaufman County property taxes due?

Texas property tax bills are mailed in October for the current tax year and are due by January 31 of the following year. Payments postmarked February 1 or later begin accruing penalties and interest.

What if I think my appraisal is too high?

File a Notice of Protest (Form 50-132) with KCAD by May 15 or 30 days after your notice is mailed, whichever is later. You'll first have an informal meeting; unresolved cases go to the Appraisal Review Board.

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About Kaufman County

Beyond the property tax — a few things you might not know about the place.

Weird fact
Terrell hosted the No. 1 British Flying Training School during the Second World War, where more than 2,000 RAF cadets learned to fly under the Texas sun. Twenty British airmen who died in training accidents are buried in Terrell’s Oakland Memorial Park, and the town still holds a remembrance service for them.
Hometown hero
Jamie Foxx
Born and raised in Terrell, he took piano lessons from the age of five, later won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Ray Charles, and named his production company after the town.
Biggest annual event
Scarecrow Festival
Forney’s autumn street festival, drawing tens of thousands to the town’s antique district each October in what has become the county’s largest single-day event.
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About this site's data and estimates. The Property Tax Almanac is an independent editorial reference. It is not affiliated with any government agency, tax assessor, or tax preparation service. The calculators and data on this site are informational and are not a substitute for advice from a qualified tax professional, attorney, or your official county assessor or appraisal district.

Accuracy, sources, and scope. Source years and review coverage vary. A record’s update date is not confirmation of its tax year. Reviewed guides identify their official sources and calculation limits; other records may have incomplete source documentation. See our methodology and review process.

How to use these estimates. Read the scope of each tool: it may use a representative district, a historical rate, or hypothetical inputs. County benchmarks are not a parcel-specific tax quote. Confirm the taxable value, taxing districts, applicable year, exemptions and additional charges with the responsible local office before relying on an estimate.

No legal or tax advice; no warranty. Nothing on this site constitutes legal, tax, financial, investment, or real estate advice. The Property Tax Almanac, its authors, and its publisher make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability of the content on this site. Any reliance you place on the information is strictly at your own risk. We are not liable for any loss or damage — including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage — arising from the use of this site or from decisions made based on its content.

Found an error? Property tax rules are complex and change often. If you spot an inaccuracy, please use our correction instructions — corrections help every reader who comes after you.

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