So your property tax notice showed up. The number they printed, it’s not a suggestion, it’s what you’re basing your property tax liability on!
Here’s the thing nobody tells you: appraisal districts have errors all the time. They’ve got your square footage wrong, or they’re using sales from last summer, or comparing you to your neighbors’ brand-new construction, or they completely missed that your roof is shot. And you just… pay it. Year after year, you end up paying taxes on value that doesn’t exist.
You don’t have to accept it. Texas lets you protest, but you should know, and this is important, the deadline is May 15, 2026, or 30 days from the date on the value notice, if that’s later. If you miss the deadline, then that’s it, you’re done.. No exceptions, no extensions, nothing you can do until next year.
If you’re asking yourself, “How do I protest property taxes in Texas?”, you’re not alone- and knowing the process can save you thousands over time. We can help there.
Working with an experienced property tax consultant can make all the difference. The Ambrose Group has been fighting these battles since 1994. For over thirty years, we have helped property owners lower their tax bills.
Texas Has No Income Tax, Which Is Great Until You See Your Property Tax Bill
The money has to come from somewhere, right?
Schools, police, fire, roads – all of it runs on property tax here. That’s why rates in Texas hover around 2.43% when the national average is more like 0.9%.
I’ll save you the calculator. $400,000 house, you’re roughly paying $9,720 a year, maybe more depending on your county. If you’re assessed $50,000 too high, then that’s $1,215 extra every year for as long as you own the place. Guess what, that $400,000 value will probably be $425,000 next year! Challenge it.
Computers Do the Valuations (And Computers Miss Things)
Picture what the appraisal district is dealing with. Hundreds of thousands of properties. Maybe millions in the big counties. They can’t send someone to walk through every house, so they use software. Plug in the basics—square footage, lot size, when it was built, what neighborhood – and the model spits out a number.
Works okay for getting through the volume. Not so great for capturing what’s actually going on with your specific property.
The model doesn’t know your HVAC is dying or that you have a high-rise looking down on you. It doesn’t know about the drainage problem in the backyard or the foundation crack. It doesn’t know the previous owner did a terrible addition that hurts resale value. It just runs the formula.
There’s a reason the Appraisal Institute makes appraisers spend years earning designations like MAI and SRA. Real valuation takes judgment and less than 8% of appraisers have those credentials. A mass appraisal algorithm definitely doesn’t. The Ambrose Group knows how to value properties.
What the Appraisal Review Board Actually Cares About
They want to know what the property is worth. That’s it. Not your feelings about the tax bill, not how unfair it seems, not what your neighbor pays…none of that. Either bring evidence or go home.
For a house, you need sales. Recent ones. You need properties that genuinely are similar in size, age, condition, location. If three houses on your street sold for $350,000 and the district says yours is worth $410,000, you’ve got something to talk about. Texas property owners have the right to appeal tax appraisal values they believe are incorrect. If your “comparables” are from a different neighborhood or a different type of house, they’ll throw that data out. Researching takes time and knowledge; leave this up to the experts like The Ambrose Group.
Commercial properties are a whole different animal. They want to see income numbers. What does it rent for? What are the expenses? What cap rate makes sense? People who don’t do this for a living usually struggle with the methodology, and ARB panels can tell when someone’s winging it.
Whatever you’re protesting, bring documentation such as photos of problems, bids from contractors. Proof that something in their records is flat-out wrong. At The Ambrose Group we know exactly what is needed!
How to File a Property Tax Protest in Texas
The process starts with Form 50-132. You can do it online in most counties. Check the box for why you’re protesting—usually “value is too high”—and submit.
After that, they’ll schedule an informal meeting and the district appraiser will sit down with you to look at your evidence. If you’re obviously right, they settle it there. Actually, a lot of cases never go further than this conversation. As a homeowner, this is unnerving and takes a lot of time. It is much better to leave it up to the experts.
No deal at the informal? Then you get a hearing with the ARB. A panel of three people, independent (which can be non-real estate professionals) from the appraisal district. You present your findings, they present their evidence, and then the panel decides. Be prepared to present solid evidence that proves your point.
Don’t be afraid to keep going, you can go beyond the ARB, too. Arbitration is one option and based on value, Litigation is the other.
The Texas Comptroller’s website has all the forms if you want to look them over yourself.
Do You Need to Hire Somebody?
It depends.
If the district just has wrong facts—they say 2,400 square feet when your house is 2,100—you can fix that yourself. Same if you’ve got an obvious comp, like the house next door that’s basically identical, selling for way less than your assessed value.
Commercial is a tad harder as you have to value your property from the income perspective in order to get a real reduction. Unusual properties with odd construction, mixed-use buildings, or major deferred maintenance—those take expertise to value properly.
What The Ambrose Group brings: databases you can’t access, experience with your specific county’s ARB, and knowledge of what arguments work. The Ambrose Group’s property tax consultants have 30+ years experience in valuing properties and that matters when you’re making technical arguments.
Our numbers back it up. 18% average reduction in arbitration cases and 15% more in cases that went to litigation. You don’t get results like that without knowing what you’re doing.
Fee-wise, most firms, including Ambrose, work on a contingency basis. They don’t get paid unless you save money. Typical range is 25-50% of tax savings.
One Protest Isn’t a Long-Term Strategy
A lot of people only file when there’s a big jump. “They raised me 20%, now I’ll protest.” Meanwhile, they ignored the 5% increase last year and the 4% the year before.
The problem is that errors stack up. This year’s inflated value becomes next year’s starting point. Once you know how to protest property taxes in Texas, it makes sense to do it annually. You catch problems early. You also build a history with the appraisal district—they know you’re watching. It is really easy if you hire The Ambrose Group because we automatically do it every year for you.
Seriously, Don’t Wait
Grab your notice and check what they have for square footage, see what the lot size is, think about condition problems—stuff a buyer would haggle over.
See something wrong? Or just have a lot at stake? Call someone now. Not in May when you’re up against the deadline, and everyone else is scrambling too.
Frequently Asked Questions About Texas Property Tax Protests
What is the deadline to protest property taxes in Texas?
What evidence do I need for a property tax protest?
How much does it cost to hire a property tax consultant?
Should I protest my property taxes every year?
Worth a Second Look
The Ambrose Group. Thirty years doing this. 18% average reduction in arbitration.
No cost upfront. No fee unless your taxes drop.
Get a property tax protest review before May 15.