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 MCAD 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 Montgomery County can file an appeal — whether you're in The Woodlands, Conroe, Magnolia, Willis, Montgomery, New Caney, or any other community in the county. You do not need a lawyer, tax consultant, or any special qualifications. You can file yourself for free.

For Montgomery County in 2026, the deadline is May 15, 2026 — or 30 days after you receive your assessment notice, whichever is later. MCAD typically mails notices in April. 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 through MCAD — 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. In master-planned communities like The Woodlands, comp sales from the same neighborhood are especially powerful because homes are built to similar specs.

After filing, MCAD will schedule an informal review with an appraiser — typically within a few weeks. Many Montgomery County homeowners settle at this stage. If not, you can proceed to a formal hearing before the Appraisal Review Board.

No. MCAD offers phone and video hearing options, and many protests are settled entirely through evidence submission. Seniors often prefer the phone option for convenience.

A homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of your primary residence. In Montgomery County, the general homestead exemption removes $100,000 from your assessed value for school district taxes, which can save hundreds of dollars per year. 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 $300 to $600 or more per year for Montgomery County seniors.

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 Montgomery County homeowners who successfully protest often save $500 to $1,700 per year. The Woodlands and other high-value neighborhoods see even larger savings because a percentage reduction on a higher assessment means more dollars back. 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.