Protest Your Property Taxes

It is time to talk about property taxes.

I read a post on Nextdoor last week where someone posted about this. They asked If you filed your homestead exemption, your taxes are capped at 10%, so why bother. Well, in my opinion, not protesting is a bad idea for many reasons.

By successfully protesting your property taxes, you can save thousands of dollars every year in property taxes. For that reason, you should consider fighting your property tax valuation every single year.

Here is a great resource that goes further into the process than I can note here. It is provided by the Texas Realtors Association. Click here to see the website: Know Your Taxes.

Here is a quick overview of the process:

In April, you should receive a letter from your county of residence with the tax-appraised value of your home. Most people have already received it.

This letter details what the county thinks your home is worth and then applies the tax rate to that value. Even if there is little change to your appraisal, we suggest protesting every year.

Property Tax Basics

Notice of Appraised Value

Each spring, Texas property owners whose market value has increased by $1,000 or more from the previous year will receive a Notice of Appraised Value.

Pay attention to these three important numbers:

Market Value:

Your home's market value is based on what the county assesses it for as of January 1.

Assessed Value:

This is the reduced value of your property based on limitations provided by having a homestead exemption.

Taxable Value:

This is the net appraised value minus any exempted amounts. It is the value used to calculate your property taxes for each taxing unit.

You have the right to protest that value by May 15, 2025 or 30 days after the district sends your letter, whichever is later. See your county's website (links below) for more information, and be sure to read the letter from the tax appraisal district. If you plan to protest, either hire a company right away or submit your protest as soon as possible.

Steps to Protest Your Property Taxes

Step 1: Learn Your Appraised Value.

We suggest protesting every year, but especially if you are dissatisfied with the appraised value, or if there are errors.

Here's a great resource listing other reasons to file a protest.

For more information

Step 2: File Your Protest.

You have two choices for filing your protest.

Option A: You can file yourself online.

If you didn't receive a letter or misplaced it, find links to local tax appraisal offices below, plus our recommendations for how to get the process started.

Travis County

Hays County

Williamson County

Option B: You Can Also Choose to Hire a Company to Protest Your Property Taxes for You

Here are some companies that provide this service. Please do your own due diligence to see which one is the best fit for you.

These companies generally only charge after they reduce your taxes.

O'Connor Tax Reduction Services

Texas ProTax

Five Stone Tax Advisors

Texas Tax Protest

Step 3: Watch Your Mail

Many appraisal districts will resolve your concerns informally. During the informal process, property owners who have protested their market value have the opportunity to receive a settlement offer from the appraisal district.

If a property owner does not accept a settlement offer from the appraisal district during the informal process, they will be given the opportunity to be heard by the Appraisal Review Board (ABR). If you select this option, you will be notified no less than 14 days before your hearing.

The Texas Comptroller offers a guide on their website about how to present your case to the ABR, and that guide offers a helpful list of documents and photos to bring to the hearing.

Texas Comptroller's Homeowners Guide: Appraisal Review Board

If you would like help with this, please call me. I often have past clients request sold data to help them with their protests. You can do this on your own.

Just a fair warning: most people seem to do better when they use a protest company. As always, I'd love to hear from you. If you protest, please let me know how it goes.

Wishing you the best!

Judith Bundschuh, C.P.A.

• 2013 Realtor of the Year
• 2011 Chairman of the Austin Board of Realtors