The amount you pay in property taxes as a homeowner is determined by multiplying the assessed (calculated or estimated) value of your property and your tax rate. You can protest these values if you believe they are wrong.
It may vary by county, but in most cases, the deadline to protest property taxes in Texas is May 15 or 30 days after notice of your assessed value is mailed to you, whichever is later. According to the state comptroller’s office, if the appraisal district appraises your property at a higher amount than in the previous year, Tax Code Section 25.19 requires the appraisal district to send you a notice. You can file your protest late in some special circumstances.
If your home’s appraised value is not what you believe it should be, or if errors exist in the appraisal records regarding your property, you should file a Form 50-132, Notice of Protest (PDF) with your county’s appraisal office. Some Texas counties will let you file online.
Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy on behalf of low-income and underserved populations. Lone Star Legal Aid serves the millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines that reside in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties of southwest Arkansas. Lone Star Legal Aid focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety and stability, health and well‐being; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those who have disabilities, or who are elderly, homeless, or have limited English language skills. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.lonestarlegal.org .
Media Contact: media@lonestarlegal.org
