If you own a home in Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, or anywhere in the greater Austin metro, your property tax bill has probably climbed steeply over the past few years. Austin was one of the hottest real estate markets in the country from 2020 through 2023, and appraisal districts — TCAD, WCAD, and HCAD — raised assessed values aggressively to match. The problem? Markets cool. Appraisals often don't.
If you haven't protested your appraisal recently, there's a good chance you're overpaying.
Why so many Austin homeowners are overassessed
Appraisal districts use mass appraisal models — algorithms that estimate value across thousands of properties at once. These models are efficient but imprecise. They rely on neighborhood-level sales data and can't account for your specific property's condition, layout quirks, or the fact that your street doesn't get the same sun as the comparable two blocks over.
When the market was rising sharply, overassessment was rampant because districts were chasing a moving target. Now that Austin's market has softened from its 2022 peak, many homeowners find their assessed value still reflects peak prices — while actual market values have come down. That gap is exactly the argument you bring to a protest.
What is a property tax protest?
In Texas, every property owner has the right to protest their appraisal every year. You're not asking for a favor — it's a statutory right under Chapter 41 of the Texas Tax Code. You file a notice of protest with your county's appraisal district, present evidence that your assessed value is too high, and the district (or an Appraisal Review Board) decides whether to lower it.
There are two grounds for protest:
- Market value protest: Your assessed value is higher than what your home would actually sell for. You support this with comparable sales of similar homes nearby.
- Unequal appraisal protest: Your home is assessed at a higher rate than comparable properties in your neighborhood, even if the absolute value might be close to market. This is a separate and often overlooked avenue.
Who should protest in 2025?
The short answer: almost everyone. But you're especially likely to succeed if any of these apply:
- You bought your home recently and the appraisal exceeds your purchase price.
- Your assessed value went up more than 10% from last year.
- Your neighborhood has seen homes sit on the market longer, or sell below asking price.
- Your home has condition issues — deferred maintenance, foundation concerns, dated systems — that wouldn't be reflected in a mass appraisal model.
- Similar homes nearby have sold for less than your assessed value in the past 6–12 months.
What does a successful protest actually save you?
In Travis County, the effective all-in tax rate (city, county, school district, and special districts combined) is roughly 1.8–2.2% of assessed value. That means every $50,000 reduction in your assessed value saves you approximately $900–$1,100 per year. A $100,000 reduction saves $1,800–$2,200 annually.
Williamson and Hays counties have similar effective rates. The savings compound — a successful protest this year protects you from higher taxes in future years too, since the district can only increase your assessed value by a limited amount year-over-year once you have a lower base.
The deadline is strict — don't miss it
Texas law gives you until May 15 or 30 days after your Notice of Appraised Value is mailed — whichever is later. There are no extensions, no exceptions. Once the deadline passes, you cannot protest that year's appraisal.
As soon as your notice arrives, note the date on the notice and calculate your deadline. If you received it on April 20, your deadline is May 20 (30 days later — later than May 15). If you received it on April 1, your deadline is May 15.
How to get started
The process is more straightforward than most people expect. You file a notice of protest (one page, online), attend an informal review with an appraiser, present your comparable sales, and most cases settle there without ever going to a formal hearing.
Select your county below for a free step-by-step guide and deadline calculator: