Before you start

An SSN or ITIN
Form W-4 with your employer for federal withholding
Records of foreign income and foreign financial accounts
No state withholding form — Texas has none

Step-by-step

1
Complete the W-4 on day one
This sets federal withholding and in Texas it is the only withholding form you will ever file. Getting it wrong is the most common cause of a surprise April bill, especially in a two-income household where each form is completed independently.
Via employerWho: YouFirst week of employment
2
Determine your US tax residency
The substantial presence test counts weighted days across three years to decide whether the US taxes your worldwide income or only US-source income. Certain students and scholars are exempt from counting days for a period. Your visa category does not settle this.
OnlineWho: You
3
Check for an applicable tax treaty
The US has income tax treaties with around 70 countries that can reduce or exempt particular income, especially for students, researchers and short assignments. Treaty benefits are claimed on your return, not granted automatically — and with no state return, a Texas treaty position is much simpler than a California one.
OnlineWho: You
4
File your federal return by 15 April
The tax year is the calendar year and there is no Texas return. An extension moves the filing date, not the payment date — a distinction that catches an enormous number of first-year filers.
OnlineWho: YouBy 15 April annually
5
File an FBAR if foreign accounts exceed $10,000
Aggregate foreign financial account balances above $10,000 at any point in the year trigger a FinCEN filing, separate from your tax return. An ordinary current account at home is often enough to cross it.
OnlineWho: You
6
If you buy, check the MUD and file the homestead exemption
Look up the property on the Harris County Appraisal District site to see every taxing jurisdiction that applies, including any municipal utility district. Then file the homestead exemption on your primary residence — it is free, it reduces taxable value, and it caps annual increases at 10%.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Form W-2 from each employer, issued by 31 January
Form 1099s for freelance, interest and investment income
Passport and travel history for the substantial presence day count
Foreign account statements for FBAR reporting
Property tax statements and the homestead exemption application, if you own

Things most newcomers don’t know

Municipal utility district taxes can add a full percentage point and never appear on a listing.

Much of Houston's suburban growth sits inside MUDs — special districts that issued bonds to build water, sewer and drainage infrastructure and levy their own property tax to repay them. A house in a new master-planned community outside the city can carry a combined rate approaching 3% while a comparable inner-Loop house is near 2%. The MUD rate is public on the appraisal district record and invisible everywhere else.

Source: Texas Comptroller — special purpose districts

The homestead exemption is worth thousands and people forget for years.

Filing for the residence homestead exemption reduces taxable value — the school-district portion rose to $140,000 for tax year 2025 after November's constitutional amendment — and caps annual increases in the assessed value at 10%. It is a one-off free application with the county appraisal district. Companies send official-looking letters offering to file it for a fee; you do not need them and the letters are not from the county.

Source: Texas Comptroller — property tax exemptions

Protesting your appraisal is normal here, not confrontational.

Harris County reappraises property annually and a large share of owners protest the valuation every spring, either themselves or through a contingency-fee firm. The informal hearing is routine and frequently succeeds. Newcomers from countries where a state valuation is final simply pay the number, which over a decade is a substantial and entirely avoidable cost.

Source: Harris County Appraisal District

Your visa does not determine your tax residency.

The substantial presence test — a weighted day count across three years — decides whether the US taxes your worldwide income. Someone on a short temporary visa can be a US tax resident; someone on a long-duration visa can fail the test. Students and certain scholars are exempt from counting days for a defined period, which changes the answer entirely in the early years.

Source: IRS — substantial presence test

Common mistakes to avoid

Buying in a suburban master-planned community without checking the MUD tax rate.
Buying a home and failing to file the free homestead exemption.
Paying a company to file the homestead exemption you can file yourself in ten minutes.
Never protesting an appraisal, when protesting is routine and often successful.
Believing a filing extension also extends the payment deadline — it does not.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.