83R5347 TJB-D By: Paxton S.B. No. 520 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to allowing persons acquiring a new residence homestead to receive an ad valorem tax exemption on the homestead in the year in which the property is acquired. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 11.42, Tax Code, is amended by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows: (c) An exemption authorized by Section 11.13(c) or (d) is effective as of January 1 of the tax year in which the individual [person] qualifies for the exemption and applies to the entire tax year. If the individual acquired the property in that tax year, each other exemption authorized by Section 11.13 for which the individual qualifies the property in that tax year is also effective as of January 1 of the tax year and applies to the entire tax year. (c-1) If an individual acquires a property after January 1 of a tax year and qualifies the property during that tax year for one or more exemptions under Section 11.13, but the individual does not qualify for an exemption under Section 11.13(c) or (d) for any portion of that tax year and the property did not previously qualify for any exemption under Section 11.13 for any portion of that tax year, the individual may receive the exemptions for which the individual qualifies for the portion of that tax year for which the individual qualifies for the exemptions immediately on qualification for the exemptions. SECTION 2. Section 26.10(b), Tax Code, is amended to read as follows: (b) If the appraisal roll shows that a residence homestead exemption for an individual 65 years of age or older or a residence homestead exemption for a disabled individual applicable to a property on January 1 of a year terminated during the year and if the owner qualifies a different property for one of those residence homestead exemptions during the same year, the tax due against the former residence homestead is calculated by: (1) subtracting: (A) the amount of the taxes that otherwise would be imposed on the former residence homestead for the entire year had the individual qualified the property for each [the] residence homestead exemption the individual received on that property for the entire year; from (B) the amount of the taxes that otherwise would be imposed on the former residence homestead for the entire year had the individual not qualified for any [the] residence homestead exemption on the property during the year; (2) multiplying the remainder determined under Subdivision (1) by a fraction, the denominator of which is 365 and the numerator of which is the number of days that elapsed after the date the exemption terminated; and (3) adding the product determined under Subdivision (2) and the amount described by Subdivision (1)(A). SECTION 3. Chapter 26, Tax Code, is amended by adding Section 26.1115 to read as follows: Sec. 26.1115. CALCULATION OF TAXES ON RESIDENCE HOMESTEAD GENERALLY. (a) If an individual receives one or more exemptions under Section 11.13 for a portion of a tax year as provided by Section 11.42(c-1), except as provided by Subsection (b), the amount of tax due on the property for that year is calculated by: (1) subtracting: (A) the amount of the taxes that otherwise would be imposed on the property for the entire year had the individual qualified for the exemptions for the entire year; from (B) the amount of the taxes that otherwise would be imposed on the property for the entire year had the individual not qualified for the exemptions during the year; (2) multiplying the remainder determined under Subdivision (1) by a fraction, the denominator of which is 365 and the numerator of which is the number of days in that year that elapsed before the date the individual first qualified the property for the exemptions; and (3) adding the product determined under Subdivision (2) and the amount described by Subdivision (1)(A). (b) If an individual receives one or more exemptions to which Subsection (a) applies for a portion of a tax year as provided by Section 11.42(c-1) and the exemptions terminate during the year in which the individual acquired the property, the amount of tax due on the property for that year is calculated by: (1) subtracting: (A) the amount of the taxes that otherwise would be imposed on the property for the entire year had the individual qualified for the exemptions for the entire year; from (B) the amount of the taxes that otherwise would be imposed on the property for the entire year had the individual not qualified for the exemptions during the year; (2) multiplying the remainder determined under Subdivision (1) by a fraction, the denominator of which is 365 and the numerator of which is the sum of: (A) the number of days in that year that elapsed before the date the individual first qualified the property for the exemptions; and (B) the number of days in that year that elapsed after the date the exemptions terminated; and (3) adding the product determined under Subdivision (2) and the amount described by Subdivision (1)(A). (c) If an individual qualifies to receive an exemption as described by Subsection (a) with respect to a property after the amount of tax due on the property is calculated and if the effect of the qualification is to reduce the amount of tax due on the property, the assessor for each taxing unit shall recalculate the amount of the tax due on the property and correct the tax roll. If the tax bill has been mailed and the tax on the property has not been paid, the assessor shall mail a corrected tax bill to the individual in whose name the property is listed on the tax roll or to the individual's authorized agent. If the tax on the property has been paid, the collector for the taxing unit shall refund to the individual who paid the tax the amount by which the payment exceeded the tax due. SECTION 4. Section 26.112(a), Tax Code, is amended to read as follows: (a) Except as provided by Section 26.10(b), if at any time during a tax year property is owned by an individual who qualifies for an exemption under Section 11.13(c) or (d), the amount of the tax due on the property for the tax year is calculated as if the individual [person] qualified for the exemption on January 1 and continued to qualify for the exemption for the remainder of the tax year. If the individual acquired the property in that tax year, the amount of the tax due on the property is calculated as if the individual qualified on January 1 for each exemption for which the individual qualifies the property in that tax year under Section 11.13 and continued to qualify for each exemption for the remainder of the tax year. SECTION 5. This Act applies only to a residence homestead acquired on or after the effective date of this Act. SECTION 6. This Act takes effect January 1, 2014.