Texas State Hotel Tax After 30 Days: The Written Notice Step

The two paths, per the Comptroller

The Texas Comptroller's Hotel Occupancy Tax FAQ describes the exemption for long stays in two sentences:

• Guests who stay 30 or more days and notify the hotel in writing of their intention beforehand are exempt from the day of notification.
• Guests who do not notify the hotel must pay the tax the first 30 days and are exempt thereafter.

Same stay, same hotel, different outcome - the difference is a piece of writing at the start. The Comptroller also notes that any interruption in the term of occupancy voids the permanent-resident exemption, so the 30 days must be consecutive.

What to write and when

Keep it simple. Give the front desk a short written note at check-in, or send it by email before you arrive:

"To the front desk: I plan to stay 30 or more consecutive days, starting [check-in date]. Please treat this message as written notice of my intention to stay 30 days or more, for the state hotel occupancy tax exemption. [Name, room or confirmation number, date]"

Ask the hotel to attach it to your reservation, and keep a copy yourself. Email works because it is dated and saved. A verbal mention at check-in is not the written notice the rule describes.

If the hotel still charges the tax at first

Do not be surprised, and do not panic. The Comptroller's FAQ explains why some hotels collect anyway: the hotel is liable for the tax if a guest fails to stay the full 30 consecutive days, so some hotels prefer to collect the tax and later give the guest a refund or credit once the 30 days are done. Ask how your hotel handles it, and keep the final folio. Either way, the exemption is yours if you stay the 30 days.

This is the state tax only

The 6 percent is the state piece. Cities, counties and special districts add their own local hotel taxes, and those have their own rules. In Houston, for example, the Comptroller lists a stack of 6 percent state, 7 percent city, 2 percent Harris County and 2 percent Harris County - Houston Sports Authority. Whether and when a local tax stops on a long stay depends on the local rule, not the state rule. Ask the hotel to show each tax line on your bill. This article is general information, not tax advice.

What next

Planning 30 nights or more in Texas? Browse Monthly-Hotels.com, a directory of US hotels that take stays of 30 nights or more, and send your dates through the Request dates form. We forward your request to hotels in the area you pick, and you can ask each one how they handle the written notice.