Austin, TX Property Tax Protest

However, if you live in your own home and have claimed a homestead exemption, the amount you must pay in taxes is altogether different. Unless you acquired your property within the last year, this is known as your "taxable value," and it is likely far lower than the estimate of what your home would sell for. Then those figures are almost certainly the same.

Luckily the limit by which your property tax can increase is capped by the state, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take the time to protest your taxes each year.

What does it mean to object to my property valuation?

You have the option of disputing your appraised value and giving proof that it should actually be lower. With sufficient proof, there is a good chance your dispute will be accepted which will, in turn, lower your property taxes. Doing this each year can help chip away at the amount you pay in taxes, saving you money.

Our goal isn't to stop your property taxes from rising entirely because that's very unlikely; it's about slowing down the rate of increase every year. One of the county's primary resources to assess the value of your home is other people's assessed values. So really coming together as a community and working to keep our taxes low benefits each other.

You can read more about the process and file your protest online here.