Frequently Asked Questions

A property tax appeal (also called a protest) is a formal process where you challenge the assessed value of your home. If the county appraised your home too high, you may be paying more property tax than you should. Texas Tax Code Section 41.44(a)(1) gives every property owner the right to protest their appraised value.

Any property owner in Harris County can file an appeal. You do not need a lawyer, tax consultant, or any special qualifications. You can file yourself for free using the HCAD iFile system online, by mail, or in person.

For Harris County in 2026, the deadline is May 15, 2026 — or 30 days after you receive your assessment notice, whichever is later. We recommend filing as early as possible to get a sooner hearing date.

You enter your address and we instantly analyze your property's assessed value against comparable recent sales in your area. If we find evidence that you're over-assessed, we prepare a complete appeal package: a formal appeal letter, comparable sales evidence, and step-by-step filing instructions. You file the appeal yourself — we handle the hard part.

Our property tax analysis is completely free. If you choose to have us prepare your appeal documents, our fee is 30% of your first-year tax savings — and only if your appeal succeeds. If you don't save money, you pay nothing. This is called a contingency fee and there is zero risk to you.

A comparable sale is a recently sold property that is similar to yours in size, age, location, and features. Comparable sales are the strongest evidence in a property tax appeal because they show what similar homes actually sold for — which is the true market value.

After filing, HCAD will schedule an informal hearing — usually within 2 to 4 weeks. At the hearing, you meet one-on-one with an appraiser and present your evidence. Many homeowners reach an agreement at this stage. If not, you can proceed to a formal hearing before the Appraisal Review Board.

No. You can attend by phone or submit your evidence for a written decision. Many seniors find the phone option convenient. When scheduling your hearing, simply request the phone option.

A homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of your primary residence. In Harris County, the general homestead exemption removes $100,000 from your assessed value, which can save hundreds of dollars per year in property taxes. You must own and occupy the home as your primary residence.

If you are 65 or older, you qualify for an additional $10,000 exemption on top of the homestead exemption, plus a school district tax ceiling that freezes your school taxes at the amount you paid the year you turned 65 or applied. This can save $200 to $500 or more per year.

Yes. These are separate processes and you can do both. In fact, we recommend it. The appeal lowers your assessed value, and exemptions reduce it further. Combined, the savings can be significant.

If your appeal does not result in a reduced assessment, you owe nothing — that is our No Savings, No Fee guarantee. Your payment method is never charged unless your appeal succeeds. You can also try again next year with updated comparable sales data.

Savings vary by property, but the average Harris County homeowner who successfully protests saves $500 to $1,500 per year. Some save significantly more. Our free analysis will show you your estimated savings based on actual comparable sales in your area.

Yes. We use bank-level encryption for all data. Your payment information is processed by Stripe and never stored on our servers. Your personal data is protected by Row Level Security in our database — only you can access your information.