Texas homeowners end up paying huge property taxes every year. As a homeowner, you can protest your property tax bills if there is an incorrect assessment. Filing a protest helps with managing your annual expenses. It also avoids inflated property values by keeping it stable.
Here's a detailed guide on how to protest property tax assessments in Texas. The key is to include accurate information and follow the process with diligence.
How to file a property tax protest in Texas
1. Review your appraisal notice and understand the process
You will receive an appraisal notice ffrom your county's appraisal district. This notice will have your property's preliminary appraised value. Make a note of your local district's rules, deadlines, and any other details needed to file a protest.
2. Gather evidence
Once you've reviewed the details, collect evidence to support your property tax protest.
Here are some examples of evidence you can collect:
- Sales data analysis of similar homes sold in your area for a lower price.
- Pictures of property damage or related information missed by the appraisal district.
- A recent appraisal that turned out lower than the current property tax bill. Make sure the appraisal is by a qualified appraiser.
3. Preparing your protest
You can start preparing your protest once you've gathered solid evidence. Write a well-structured statement that outlines your reasons for disagreeing with the assessment. Add why you believe your property's value is lower than the appraised value.
With this statement, share the required documents and evidence. A concise, well-structured argument is more likely to lead to a favorable ruling.
4. File a notice of protest
Once you've prepared your protest statement with evidence, file it with the Appraisal Review Board (ARB) at your local appraisal district.
You can complete this process in person, online, or by mail. File it before the deadline. The deadline is typically 30 days from the date the preliminary notice was mailed). Also, keep a record of your submission for future reference.
5. Attend an informal meeting
After filing the protest, you may attend an informal meeting with an appraisal district employee to discuss the case. Depending on the district, you may be able to attend this meeting in person or by phone.
This informal meeting is a chance to present evidence and potentially reach a positive conclusion with the appraisal district. Value reductions according to objective property data can often be achieved during an informal meeting. Objective data includes inaccurate building size, property condition, or removal of previous improvements like fireplaces, etc.
6. Prepare for the formal hearing
If the homeowner and the appraiser fail to reach an agreement, the homeowner must appear for a formal hearing before the ARB. As a homeowner, you will need to present a strong argument and justify your evidence against the proposed property assessment.
If you aren’t confident or need guidance, seek support from property tax consultants who can protest on your behalf.
7. Get ARB's decision on your case:
The ARB will share their decision before you leave your formal hearing. You will receive a written notice about this in approximately 30 days. If the decision is in your favor, your property's appraised value and the property tax bill will be reduced. However, if the ARB disagrees with your claims of a lower property value, you can challenge this decision via binding arbitration.
How companies providing tax protest services can help you?
While process filing looks easy, there are several details, which may get missed. Filing a protest needs the right strategy and the process is comprehensive. If you're new to dealing with property tax protests, you may find the process challenging.
That's when companies providing tax protest guidance and services can step in! Property tax protest service providers have experienced professionals dealing with property tax protests.
Trusted by 500+ Texan homeowners, Bezit is an online tax protest consultant and service provider. There's guidance at every step. Understand the property tax protest process, gather evidence, file the protest and prepare for the ARB hearing with the team.
All the advice and guidelines shared by Team Bezit are backed by their experience of working across eight counties to help over 500 Texas homeowners save at least $1,200 on their property tax bill.
In addition to money, consultants at Bezit also help you conserve your precious time and energy by completing all the complex legal formalities on your behalf.
If you're a homeowner or a real estate investor who wants to successfully protest property tax in Texas in 2025, Bezit would love to help.