Arkansas Homestead Property Tax Credit 2026: Up to $600, Plus a 5% Assessment Cap

Updated August 2026

Every Arkansas homeowner gets two things automatically once they apply: a flat credit against their tax bill, and a cap on how fast their assessed value can grow each year. A separate assessment freeze is available only to seniors and the disabled.

Arkansas's Amendment 79 created a package of homeowner protections: a flat-dollar credit against your property tax bill, a 5% annual cap on assessed value growth for any homestead, and, for seniors and the disabled specifically, a full freeze of the assessed value.

Arkansas's Property Tax Relief Programs

Homestead Property Tax Credit

What it does: A flat credit against your real property tax bill. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration states the current credit is $500, rising to $600 starting with 2026 tax bills; some counties report a higher figure, confirm your county’s current amount before relying on a specific number.

Who qualifies: Any owner-occupied homestead. No age or income test.

Deadline and form: Filed with your county assessor (County assessor homestead credit application). Citation: Ark. Const. Amendment 79; Ark. Code Ann. § 26-26-1118.

Assessment Growth Cap

What it does: Annual taxable value increase capped at 5% per year for homestead property (10% for non-homestead), until it catches up to full assessed value. New construction and major improvements are not subject to the cap.

Who qualifies: Any owner-occupied homestead.

Deadline and form: Applied automatically once homestead status is on file (N/A). Citation: Ark. Const. Amendment 79.

Assessment Freeze (Age 65+ or Disabled)

What it does: Freezes the homestead’s taxable assessed value at the level set at the next assessment after qualifying, indefinitely, as long as it remains owned and occupied by the qualifying owner. Does not carry over to a new owner on sale.

Who qualifies: Age 65+ or disabled. No income test.

Deadline and form: First Monday in June (Filed with your county assessor). Citation: Ark. Const. Amendment 79.

An exemption or credit lowers your bill only after the assessed value is set. If that value is too high to begin with, you are overpaying on everything above it regardless of which relief programs you claim. Nobody checks the underlying value unless you do.

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How to Apply

Contact your county assessor's (or, where noted above, your state revenue department's) office for the current application form
Gather proof of ownership, occupancy, and, for income-tested programs, your prior-year income documentation
File before the deadline listed above, most jurisdictions do not accept late applications for that tax year
Confirm the relief shows up on your next assessment notice or tax bill

The Bottom Line

The base credit and 5% cap apply to every Arkansas homeowner automatically once you're on file as a homestead, no income test. The freeze is the one piece restricted to seniors and the disabled, and unlike many states' senior freezes, it isn't income-tested either.

Note: Program names, dollar figures, and income limits above are current as of August 2026 and are set or adjusted by the state legislature or department of revenue, not by AppealDesk. Some figures adjust annually, confirm the current-year number with your county or state before applying. AppealDesk helps homeowners identify available relief programs and appeal overassessments.

Most homeowners stack these programs on top of whatever value the assessor assigned and never question the value itself. It came from a mass-appraisal model, not an individual review of your home. It is worth checking once.

Check the value under your exemption

Enter your address to pull your county record free. If it looks too high, your $49 packet gives you everything to challenge it.