Montgomery County TX Property Taxes in 2026: What Your Bill Is Actually Made Of (and How to Predict Yours) | Nasir Qureshi – Realtor Daddy

Updated October 19, 2026. Tax rates below are adopted 2026 rates where available; taxing entities set rates annually, so confirm the current figures and your property’s exact jurisdictions before relying on an estimate.

If you’re trying to estimate property taxes on a home in Montgomery County, here’s the short answer: your bill is a stack of separate taxing-entity lines, and the total depends on which entities apply to your parcel. There is no honest single “average Montgomery County tax rate” that predicts every home’s bill.

The county’s 2026 rate rose from $0.3770 to $0.3860 per $100 of taxable value, adopted September 8, 2026. On a $270,349 homestead, that change adds about $24 a year, or $2 a month, to the county line, before any applicable county exemption. The county increase is real, but the bigger surprise often comes from the other lines, especially a parcel’s school district and MUD.

What is a Montgomery County property-tax bill made of?

Think of the bill as a group project: each taxing entity adds its own line, using its own adopted rate and the taxable value that applies to that entity.

Rates are shown as dollars per $100 of taxable value, not as percentages. For example, a rate of $0.3860 means $0.386 in tax for each $100 of taxable value. The Montgomery County Tax Office rate page publishes tax-rate information by entity. It also explains the difference between an adopted rate and a voter-approval rate. The latter is a statutory ceiling, not necessarily the rate on your bill.

The rate table is a starting point, not your estimate. Your address determines which lines apply, and entities may calculate taxable value differently when exemptions apply.

What does each line on the property-tax bill mean?

• County: This is Montgomery County’s own tax line. The county adopted a 2026 rate of $0.3860, up from $0.3770 in 2025. The county tax-rate notice covered the September 8 adoption.
• School district: Your property is assigned to an independent school district. The district rate applies to its taxable value, which may be reduced by the school homestead exemption if you qualify.
• City: This line appears if your property is within a city that levies property tax. For example, the City of Conroe’s adopted 2026 rate is $0.4272 per $100.
• MUD: A Municipal Utility District may levy its own tax to support water, sewer and related infrastructure. Rates differ sharply by district. Montgomery County examples include MUD 18 at $0.160, MUD 113 at $0.535 and MUD 99 at $1.015 per $100. The parcel’s MUD, if it has one, matters more than a countywide guess.
• ESD: An Emergency Services District supports fire protection and emergency services. Montgomery County ESD rates are generally around $0.10 per $100; the specific district and adopted rate depend on the property.
• Other districts: Your bill may also list additional entities. Don’t assume a nearby home has the same entity stack: taxing boundaries can change from one parcel to the next.

For new construction, ask for the exact taxing entities and current district rates, not just the builder’s payment estimate. Those estimates may not include the property’s exact MUD assessments or HOA dues.

What are the 2026 school-district tax rates in Montgomery County?

The following are adopted 2026 school-district rates per $100 of taxable value. They apply to the school-district line only. Rates can change annually, so confirm the adopted figure and your parcel’s district before using them to estimate a payment.

These are adopted rates, not voter-approval ceilings. The Montgomery County Tax Office is a helpful place to check the official rate records. If you’re comparing a home in Willis, start with the Willis homes and neighborhood guide. For a wider look at Conroe and Tomball, see the Tomball vs. Conroe comparison. For the Tomball area’s county-boundary details, see our Moving to Tomball guide.

Does the $140,000 exemption lower my MUD taxes?

No, not automatically. The $140,000 residence-homestead exemption for 2026 reduces the taxable value used for your school-district tax line. It does not automatically reduce the county, city, MUD or ESD lines. Those entities may have separate exemptions, so check each taxing unit’s rules and the exemption information for your parcel.

Texas law allows a local taxing unit to adopt an optional homestead exemption of up to 20% of appraised value, with a minimum of $5,000, for its own tax line. The county’s current optional homestead percentage should be verified with MCAD rather than assumed. The Texas Comptroller’s exemption guidance explains the state rules.

If you qualify for a homestead exemption, file with the appraisal district. Generally, the application deadline is April 30. If you acquire the home after January 1 and qualify under the midyear rules, the exemption may be prorated; the application generally must be filed no later than the first anniversary of acquisition. Confirm your situation and paperwork with MCAD.

How do you predict your property-tax bill, line by line?

Use this basic formula for each taxing entity:

Taxable value ÷ 100 × adopted rate = estimated annual tax for that line

Then add the entity totals. To turn the estimate into a monthly amount, divide the annual total by 12.

Here’s the practical order:

1. Find your property’s appraised value and confirm any exemptions, then work from the taxable value — the value left after exemptions, which may differ from the home’s price or appraised value.
2. Identify every taxing entity for the parcel: county, ISD, city, MUD, ESD and any other districts.
3. For each entity, use its own taxable value and adopted rate. Don’t use the school taxable value for every line.
4. Calculate each line separately, add them together, and divide by 12 for the monthly tax equivalent.

Worked example: an illustrative $400,000 taxable value

This is an illustrative calculator example, not a tax quote for a real address. It uses a $400,000 taxable value — the value left after any exemptions, which may differ from the home’s price or appraised value. Each scenario below applies only if the parcel is actually taxed by the listed entities; parcels can carry different combinations of county, hospital, college, city, school, MUD, ESD and other units, and the scenarios here leave out some of those lines, which makes these totals lower than a complete bill.

Scenario 1 — if a parcel is taxed by the county and Conroe ISD only:

• County: $400,000 ÷ 100 × $0.3860 = $1,544.00
• Conroe ISD: $400,000 ÷ 100 × $0.9471 = $3,788.40

Conditional subtotal: $5,332.40/year, or $444.37/month (no city, MUD or ESD included)

Scenario 2 — if the parcel is also inside City of Conroe limits:

• County: $1,544.00
• Conroe ISD: $3,788.40
• City of Conroe: $400,000 ÷ 100 × $0.4272 = $1,708.80

Conditional subtotal: $7,041.20/year, or $586.77/month (no MUD or ESD included)

Scenario 3 — if a parcel is taxed by the county and Willis ISD only:

• County: $1,544.00
• Willis ISD: $400,000 ÷ 100 × $0.9998 = $3,999.20

Conditional subtotal: $5,543.20/year, or $461.93/month (no city, MUD or ESD included)

Scenario 4 — if a parcel is taxed by the county and New Caney ISD only:

• County: $1,544.00
• New Caney ISD: $400,000 ÷ 100 × $1.2393 = $4,957.20

Conditional subtotal: $6,501.20/year, or $541.77/month (no city, MUD or ESD included)

Notice the spread: the school-district line alone moves the monthly figure by roughly $100 between these conditional examples, before any city, MUD or ESD lines are added. These are not quotes and not “typical” totals for any town. City boundaries and school-district boundaries don’t necessarily match — a Conroe-area address isn’t automatically inside City of Conroe limits, and the same applies in Willis and other communities. A MUD, ESD, hospital or college line can each add more.

This monthly amount is for property taxes only. It does not include mortgage principal and interest, homeowners insurance, HOA dues or other housing costs. Escrow payments are estimates and can change after your lender reconciles the actual bill. Your actual tax bill may differ because your parcel’s entities, taxable values, exemptions and rates may differ.

How do I look up the taxes for my exact parcel?

Start at Texas.gov/PropertyTaxes or use the MCAD transparency portal. The portal lets you search for a property and review taxing units, tax-rate information and notices.

A useful parcel-check routine:

1. Search by property address or account number.
2. Review the list of taxing entities attached to the property.
3. Open each entity’s current rate information and confirm it is an adopted rate, not merely a proposal or voter-approval ceiling.
4. Check the taxable value used by each entity. For county and other non-school lines, use that entity’s taxable value, not the ISD’s taxable value after the school exemption.
5. Confirm exemptions with MCAD and contact the relevant taxing unit if a detail is unclear.

The bill’s entity list is the key to avoiding guesswork. Two nearby homes can have different tax stacks even when their sale prices look similar.

Why is my first-year escrow payment wrong?

First-year escrow estimates are often just that: estimates. A lender may use the available tax record, a prior bill or an initial projection. After the actual bill arrives, the lender reconciles the account, and the adjustment can show up as a higher payment in year two. A true-up that may include both a shortage repayment and a higher ongoing tax reserve.

There’s another common trap: the seller’s tax bill may not predict yours. The previous owner may have had a homestead or another exemption that won’t automatically transfer to you. A new-construction estimate can also miss the completed home’s taxable value or exact district assessments. Ask your lender how the estimate was built, and verify the property’s line-by-line tax picture yourself.

How much are property taxes in Willis, TX?

There is no single property-tax rate for every Willis home. The total depends on the parcel’s school district, city limits, MUD, ESD and any other taxing entities, along with taxable values and exemptions. Willis ISD’s adopted 2026 rate is $0.9998 per $100, but that is only the school-district line.

How much are property taxes in Conroe, TX?

Conroe property taxes are the sum of the taxing entities that apply to the specific address. The 2026 adopted rates include Conroe ISD at $0.9471 and the City of Conroe at $0.4272 per $100. A county, MUD, ESD or other district may add separate lines, so check the parcel rather than relying on a citywide estimate.

About Nasir Qureshi – Realtor Daddy | 2323 S. Voss Road, Suite 315-C, Houston, Texas 77057 | 281-857-2000

I’m Nasir Qureshi – Realtor Daddy, and I believe a home budget should be clear before the moving boxes show up. If you’re weighing homes in Willis, Conroe, New Caney, Tomball or elsewhere in Montgomery County, I’m happy to help you think through the payment math and the questions to ask. Connect with me on LinkedIn, watch the Realtor Daddy YouTube channel, or find my Google Business Profile.

Want a friendly payment-math consult? Call or text 281-857-2000. We’ll work through the numbers together, no mystery math, no pressure.

Nasir Qureshi – Realtor Daddy
2323 S. Voss Road, Suite 315-C
Houston, Texas 77057
Call or text: 281-857-2000

Frequently asked questions about Montgomery County, TX property taxes

What is the 2026 Montgomery County property-tax rate?

Montgomery County adopted a 2026 county rate of $0.3860 per $100 of taxable value on September 8, 2026, up from $0.3770 in 2025. That is only the county line, not a complete property-tax rate. Your bill may also include school, city, MUD, ESD and other applicable taxing entities.

Does the $140,000 homestead exemption reduce all my property taxes?

No. The $140,000 2026 residence-homestead exemption applies to the school-district tax line. It does not automatically lower county, city, MUD or ESD taxes. A taxing unit may have a separate local-option exemption, so verify its rules and your parcel’s taxable value with MCAD and the relevant entity.

How do I estimate property taxes on a $400,000 home in Montgomery County?

Use the parcel’s taxable value — which may differ from its price or appraised value after exemptions. Identify the parcel’s taxing entities, use each entity’s adopted rate and its own taxable value, and calculate taxable value divided by 100 times the rate. Add the annual amounts and divide by 12 for a monthly equivalent. Apply exemptions only to the entities that recognize them, and confirm the entity list for the exact address.

When should I file for a Texas homestead exemption?

The general homestead application deadline is April 30. If you buy after January 1 and qualify for the midyear procedure, the exemption may be prorated and the application generally must be filed no later than the first anniversary of acquisition. Confirm the deadline and documents for your circumstances with MCAD.

Why can my escrow payment increase in year two?

A lender’s first-year escrow estimate may rely on a prior bill or projected taxes. Once actual tax bills arrive, the lender reconciles the account; a shortage or updated reserve can raise the next payment. A previous owner’s exemptions may also make their tax bill a poor guide to yours.

Sources and rate references: Montgomery County Tax Office 2026 rates and exemptions, Montgomery County Commissioners’ 2026 rate adoption coverage, MCAD transparency portal, and the Texas Comptroller’s property-tax exemption guidance. Rates and exemptions can change; verify parcel details before making a purchase or payment decision.