The Woodlands, Texas
Planning for households in The Woodlands, a township rather than a city.
The Woodlands is home to about 121,000 people and is not a city. A Township runs its parks, fire department and covenants, and municipal utility districts, two counties and two school districts share the rest of the tax bill. More than a third of households here earn over $200,000, the median home is worth about $512,000, and the median resident is 40, six years older than in the city of Houston. Those facts shape the planning.
The situation
A mature master-planned community with a corporate spine
The Woodlands was master-planned from the start, and fifty years on it is largely built out. The villages in Montgomery County are served by Conroe ISD; Creekside Park, the one village on the Harris County side, by Tomball ISD. Voters rejected incorporation as a city in November 2021 by more than two to one, so The Woodlands Township, a special-purpose district, continues to run the fire department, parks, trash service and covenant administration, and contracts with the county sheriffs for law enforcement. In 2025 the Township levied $0.1714 per $100 of value; in September 2026 it adopted $0.1694 for the year ahead.
The employers are close. Huntsman, Howard Hughes Holdings and Chevron Phillips Chemical file their annual reports from Woodlands addresses, ExxonMobil’s headquarters at Springwoods Village sits just south across the county line in Spring, and three hospital systems operate here. The typical household balance sheet reflects that: company stock and options, a pension election waiting at retirement, a large home with several taxing units on its bill, and a tax picture that is federal-only at the state level.
Why it’s complex
Five things that are specific to The Woodlands
A Township, not a city
The Woodlands is a census-designated place governed by The Woodlands Township, a special-purpose district. There is no city tax line. The Township ($0.1714 per $100 in 2025) covers fire, parks, trash and covenants, while a municipal utility district, the county and the school district bill the rest, each with its own exemptions.
Your MUD number sets your rate
Water and sewer infrastructure here was bond-financed by municipal utility districts, and each village carries a different one. In 2025 the Montgomery County villages ranged from $0.0429 (Grogan’s Mill, MUD 36) to $0.25 (Harper’s Landing, MUD 39) per $100. Two homes of equal value can carry different bills.
Creekside Park is another county
The village south of Spring Creek sits in Harris County. It pays Harris County units rather than Montgomery County ($0.3770 in 2025), Tomball ISD at $1.0629 instead of Conroe ISD at $0.9496, and MUD 386 at $0.44 per $100, the highest rate in The Woodlands.
Energy and chemicals pay in stock and pensions
Huntsman, Howard Hughes Holdings and Chevron Phillips Chemical are headquartered here, and ExxonMobil’s campus is minutes south in Spring. Restricted stock, options and a lump-sum-or-annuity pension election tend to arrive together, in an industry that moves with a commodity price.
Executives and equity compensationThree hospital systems, and the physicians around them
Memorial Hermann, Houston Methodist and St. Luke’s Health all operate hospitals in The Woodlands. Physician households bring their own questions: practice-entity income, 401(k) and cash-balance plan limits, and a retirement that often starts later than the neighbors’.
How we work with physiciansSources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates; The Woodlands Township, taxes; The Woodlands 2025 tax rates by village; Montgomery County Tax Office; Texas Comptroller 2025 school district rate report; Texas Comptroller, homestead exemptions.
Our approach
One plan for a bill with five taxing units on it
We model the household under the rules that apply at your address: Township, MUD, county and school district, plus the homestead exemption and the absence of a state income tax. A worked example: on a home at The Woodlands’ median value of $511,700, the $140,000 school exemption lowers the school-taxable value to $371,700; at Conroe ISD’s 2025 rate that is about $3,530 a year for the school portion alone ($371,700 × $0.9496 / $100). The Township, MUD and county lines are calculated on their own bases and added on top.
Size the company stock
Vesting schedules, option exercises and ESPP purchases at an energy or chemicals employer, held against the risk that salary, bonus and stock all move with the same commodity price.
Decide the pension once
A lump-sum-or-annuity election is usually irrevocable. We model it against Social Security timing, survivor needs and the Roth conversion window that opens in a state with no income tax.
Use the over-65 stack
At 65 the school exemption rises to $200,000 and Conroe ISD’s tax on your homestead is capped. The withdrawal order is then built around a property-tax bill that no longer has a school line growing inside it.
The work
What you’ll work through with us
- Township, MUD, county and school-district lines, modeled for your specific village
- Homestead exemption filing and the over-65 school-tax ceiling
- Pension lump-sum versus annuity analysis for energy and chemical-company plans
- RSU, stock option and ESPP planning, including concentrated positions
- Roth conversion sizing in the years between work and required distributions
- Physician practice income and retirement-plan contribution limits
- Retirement income and Social Security timing
- Coordination with your CPA and estate attorney
Planning is led by Theo Halbardier, CFP®, CIMA®, CAIA®, the firm’s founder. We are fee-only: no commissions, no product sales. About Theo
Questions
Common questions from The Woodlands households
Do you have an office in The Woodlands?
We work with households in The Woodlands by video and, by arrangement, in person. We do not maintain a public office location.
Is The Woodlands a city? Who do we pay property tax to?
No. The Woodlands is a census-designated place run by The Woodlands Township, a special-purpose district; voters rejected incorporation in November 2021. A typical bill has the Township ($0.1714 per $100 in 2025), your village’s municipal utility district, Montgomery County (or Harris County in Creekside Park) and Conroe ISD (or Tomball ISD). Each unit sets its own rate and its own exemptions.
How much does the homestead exemption save at Conroe ISD?
The $140,000 school-district exemption removes that much of your appraised value from the school levy. At Conroe ISD’s 2025 rate of $0.9496 per $100, that is worth about $1,329 a year. At 65 or older, or if disabled, the exemption rises to $200,000 and the district’s tax on your homestead is capped. Township, MUD and county exemptions are separate, and some units offer none.
We live in Creekside Park. Why is our bill different from a friend’s in Alden Bridge?
The county line. Creekside Park is in Harris County and Tomball ISD, so it pays Harris County units, Tomball ISD’s $1.0629 rate and MUD 386 at $0.44 per $100. Alden Bridge pays Montgomery County, Conroe ISD at $0.9496 and a MUD between $0.14 and $0.1813. On equal appraisals the Creekside bill runs materially higher, which changes what the rest of the plan has to absorb.
I work for an energy company. Should I take the pension as a lump sum or an annuity?
It depends on the plan’s conversion terms, your health and your spouse’s, what else you own, and whether you already hold a large position in the company’s stock. A lump sum rolled to an IRA stays under your control and is taxed only as withdrawn; the annuity shifts longevity risk to the plan. We model both against your full balance sheet before you sign an irrevocable election.
How are you paid?
We are fee-only. Our clients pay us directly; we do not earn commissions on products or referrals.
Reviewed by Theo Halbardier, CFP® · Updated September 2026 · Figures current for 2026
Tell us which village you live in.
The first conversation is 30 minutes. Bring your tax statement if you like; no preparation needed.
We work with individuals and families across The Woodlands and throughout Texas, meeting by video or in person by arrangement.
Meet with usWe do not maintain a public office at this location; The Woodlands is part of the area we serve. Figures reflect law and published rates as of September 2026 and may change.