Why Protesting Makes Sense Right Now

Austin home values have fallen approximately 20–24% from the May 2022 peak, yet many Travis County Appraisal District (TCAD) assessed values still reflect the froth of that historic run-up.[1] That gap between what your home would actually sell for today and what TCAD says it's worth is money being pulled directly out of your pocket every year in taxes you don't owe.

The math is real. A successful protest in Travis County produces an average savings of $1,200 to $3,500 per year, depending on the size of your home and how far off the appraisal is. For a homeowner sitting on a TCAD value of $750,000 when the market says $625,000, challenging that $125,000 gap at the effective Travis County tax rate of roughly 2% means $2,500 in annual savings, every year the protest holds.

The filing deadline is May 15, 2026. The process is free, takes under 30 minutes to start, and most homeowners who file with any evidence walk away with a reduction. The only thing that costs you money here is not filing.[2]

Step 1: Review Your Notice of Appraised Value

TCAD mails Notices of Appraised Value to Travis County property owners by April 15 each year. If you haven't received yours, check your mailbox closely, the envelope is a plain government mailer, or log in to tcad.org and search for your property by address or account number to see the current year's values online.[1]

The notice shows three numbers that homeowners often confuse:

  • Appraised Value: TCAD's estimate of your property's market value as of January 1, 2026. This is the number you are protesting.
  • Assessed Value (Capped Value): Under Texas law (the 10% homestead cap), your taxable appraised value can only increase by 10% per year if you have a homestead exemption on file. Your assessed value is the lower of appraised value or last year's value plus 10%. This cap helped many homeowners during the runup, and it now also means your assessed value may already be below appraised value, reducing your urgency to protest.
  • Taxable Value: Assessed value minus any exemptions (homestead, over-65, disabled veteran, etc.). This is the number your tax rate is applied to.

If your appraised value is higher than what you believe your home would sell for in today's market, you have grounds to protest. Pull up recent sales in your neighborhood before you file, that's your ammunition.

Step 2: Gather Your Comparable Sales Evidence

The single most effective evidence you can bring to a property tax protest is a set of comparable closed sales, homes similar to yours that sold recently at prices lower than your TCAD appraisal. Appraisal district staff and ARB panels respond to data, not opinions or frustration.

Your target: 3 to 5 closed sales that meet all of the following criteria:[3]

  • Sold within the past 6 months (January–May 2026 preferred)
  • Located within 1 mile of your property
  • Within 15–20% of your home's square footage
  • Similar year built (within 10–15 years)
  • Similar lot size and condition where possible

Where to find comparable sales:

  • HAR.com: Search your address, click "Sold" nearby, free and public, updated daily from MLS data
  • Zillow "Sold" filter: Set to last 6 months in your ZIP code, filter by square footage range
  • Call Shivraj Grewal at (512) 617-0001: A complimentary comparable sales report pulled directly from the MLS is available for any Travis County homeowner who calls, no obligation, no sales pitch, just data

One market fact worth knowing: as of Q1 2026, 46% of active Austin listings had taken at least one price reduction.[4] That means sellers who listed at TCAD-adjacent prices have been forced to cut, and those cuts show up in final sale prices. That's exactly the pattern that supports a protest.

Print or save your comps as a PDF. You'll submit them during your hearing or upload them with your online filing.

Step 3: File Your Protest Online

Filing is done at tcad.org/protest using TCAD's iFile system. The online portal opens when appraisal notices go out and remains open until the deadline. The deadline to protest is May 15, 2026, or 30 days from the date printed on your notice if that date is later than April 1.[2]

Steps to file online:

  1. Go to tcad.org and search your property by address or account number
  2. Click "File a Protest" on your property's detail page
  3. Select your protest grounds, select both "Value is over market value" and "Value is unequal compared to similar properties." Filing both gives you more angles in the hearing
  4. Upload your comparable sales evidence (PDF or JPEG)
  5. Submit and save your confirmation number

After you file, TCAD will schedule your informal hearing, typically within 4–8 weeks. You'll receive notice by mail and may be able to check your hearing date online. Do not miss it. If you miss your hearing without rescheduling, your protest is dismissed.

Step 4: The Informal Hearing

The informal hearing is a one-on-one conversation with a TCAD appraiser, not a formal proceeding. Most property tax protests in Travis County are resolved at this stage without ever reaching the Appraisal Review Board.[5]

These hearings are conducted in person at TCAD's office (850 E. Anderson Lane, Austin), by phone, or increasingly by video conference. You'll typically have 20–30 minutes.

What to do:

  • Present your comparable sales clearly and calmly, organize them in a one-page summary table (address, sq ft, year built, sale date, sale price per sq ft)
  • Calculate the indicated value by averaging your comps' price-per-square-foot and multiplying by your home's square footage
  • Ask the appraiser what value they will offer, let them move first
  • Be professional and data-driven. These appraisers settle hundreds of protests a week. Emotion doesn't move them; evidence does

What to expect: Successful informal hearings typically produce a 5 to 15% reduction in appraised value. On a $650,000 appraisal, a 10% reduction saves you $1,300/year in taxes. If the appraiser's offer seems low but the process feels settled, accepting is often the right call, unless you have strong evidence for a larger reduction, in which case proceed to the formal ARB hearing.

You do not have to accept the informal offer. You can proceed to the ARB and keep fighting.

Step 5: The Formal ARB Hearing

If the informal hearing doesn't produce a satisfactory result, your protest automatically moves to the Appraisal Review Board (ARB), a panel of citizens appointed to hear formal property tax challenges in Travis County.[2]

The ARB hearing is more structured. You'll present your case to a 3-member panel, TCAD will present theirs, and the panel will deliberate and issue a binding decision. This process can take anywhere from 45 minutes to a couple of hours depending on complexity.

How to prepare:

  • Organize your evidence packet: comps summary, photos of your home's condition, any repair estimates for issues that affect value, any appraisal reports you've ordered
  • Arrive early. Dress professionally. Bring printed copies of your evidence for the panel
  • Open with a clear, one-sentence statement: "I am protesting the appraised value of [address] on the grounds that it exceeds the property's market value as evidenced by these comparable sales."
  • Walk through each comparable methodically. For each one, note the address, sale date, size, and sale price per square foot
  • Point out any condition issues with your property that TCAD may not have reflected

Success rates are meaningful: prepared homeowners who bring comparable sales evidence to an ARB hearing win a reduction approximately 68% of the time.[5] Showing up with nothing but outrage is not a strategy; showing up with a clean evidence packet almost always pays off.

If the ARB rules against you, you still have options, binding arbitration or district court appeal, though those paths carry costs and are typically reserved for significant dollar amounts.

The Homestead Exemption: Don't Skip This

While you're thinking about your property tax bill, confirm that you have your homestead exemption on file. This is separate from the protest process, it's a permanent filing that reduces your taxable value each year automatically, and it's one of the most valuable things a Texas homeowner can do.[6]

Here's what the Texas homestead exemption provides:

  • $140,000 off your home's taxable value for school district taxes, the largest component of your tax bill, as increased by the Texas Legislature in 2023
  • The 10% annual cap on increases in your assessed value (as discussed above), this alone can save thousands in a hot market
  • Additional exemptions for homeowners over 65, disabled veterans, and surviving spouses of first responders

On a $500,000 home in Travis County with an effective combined tax rate of approximately 2%, the $140,000 school exemption saves you roughly $2,800 per year. That is a permanent, automatic annual benefit, not a one-time deal.

To file or verify your homestead exemption, go to tcad.org and search your property. If your exemption isn't showing, submit the homestead application form with a copy of your Texas driver's license showing your home address. The standard deadline is January 31 of the year after you purchase, but TCAD accepts late applications and will apply the exemption retroactively in many cases, so file as soon as possible if you haven't.

If you purchased your home in 2025 and haven't filed yet, this should be your first move. The protest is the second.

Should You Hire a Property Tax Consultant?

Property tax consultants, professionals who specialize in protesting appraisals on your behalf, are a legitimate option, particularly for higher-value homes where the stakes are larger.[5]

How it works: Nearly all reputable property tax consultants in Texas work on a contingency fee model. They charge nothing upfront. If they win a reduction, they keep a percentage of your first-year tax savings, typically 30 to 50%. If they don't win, you owe nothing.

Pros of hiring a consultant:

  • They know TCAD processes, personnel, and what evidence moves the needle
  • They typically handle your filing, hearing attendance, and ARB appearance if needed
  • For a $1.5M home where the stakes are $5,000–$10,000 per year, paying 40% of first-year savings is easily justified
  • You do essentially nothing, they handle everything once you sign the authorization form

Cons:

  • For entry-level homes where the savings may be $800–$1,500, giving up 40% of that first year cuts your net benefit significantly
  • Some consultants file blanket protests without customized evidence, your results depend heavily on which firm you choose
  • You may not learn the process, which means you'll need them every year going forward

Our recommendation: For homes under $600,000, the DIY process outlined in this guide is very manageable and keeps 100% of the savings in your pocket. For luxury homes above $1M where the annual savings can be $5,000 or more, a qualified consultant is often worth the fee and the reduced time investment.

Grewal RE Group maintains relationships with trusted property tax consultants who specialize in Travis County residential properties across all price ranges. Call Shivraj at (512) 617-0001 for a referral, no cost, no obligation, just a straight answer about who does this well.