How to Protest Your Travis County Property Taxes Before the May 15 Deadline

I had a client last year who almost threw her TCAD notice in the trash. She assumed the number was the number and there was nothing she could do about it. Her appraised value had jumped $47,000 in a single year, even though comparable homes on her street were selling for less than what TCAD said her place was worth.

We pulled five recent sales within a half mile of her house. Every single one closed below her appraised value. She filed a protest, showed up to the informal hearing with those comps, and walked out with a $52,000 reduction. That saved her roughly $1,200 a year in property taxes.

And it took her maybe two hours total.

So if you just got your Notice of Appraised Value from Travis County and that number made you do a double take, this is your guide. The May 15, 2026 deadline is coming up fast, and I want to walk you through exactly how to protest your property taxes in Austin, what evidence actually works, and when it makes sense to push all the way to a formal ARB hearing.

Why You Should Protest (Even If You Think You Can’t Win)

Lets start with the numbers because they tell the story better than I can.

Travis County had over 150,000 property tax protests filed in recent years. That’s roughly 38% of all properties. And here’s the part that should get your attention: when homeowners actually show up with evidence, the success rate runs between 80% and 91% depending on whose data you look at.

I know what you’re thinking. “But Ed, the appraisal district has all the data. How am I supposed to argue with them?”

The reality is, appraisal districts are working with mass appraisal models. They’re valuing hundreds of thousands of properties at once. They don’t know that your kitchen hasn’t been updated since 2003. They don’t know about the foundation crack you’ve been monitoring. They don’t know that the house three doors down sold for $75,000 less than your appraised value because it sat on the market for 147 days.

You know all of that. And that’s your advantage.

Benjamin Graham (the guy Warren Buffett calls his mentor) wrote that price is what you pay, value is what you get. The appraisal district is setting a price on your home. Your job is to prove what the actual value is based on what real buyers are paying for comparable homes in your neighborhood right now.

The Timeline You Need to Know

Before we get into strategy, lets nail down the dates because missing the deadline means you’re stuck with whatever TCAD says your home is worth.

• April 2026: TCAD mails Notices of Appraised Value to property owners whose market value increased by $1,000 or more
• May 15, 2026: Deadline to file your protest (or 30 days after your notice was mailed, whichever is later)
• May-June 2026: Informal settlement hearings begin
• June-August 2026: Formal ARB hearings for protests not resolved informally

That May 15 date is firm. TCAD doesn’t care if their website crashed, if you were on vacation, or if your dog ate the notice. File early. Like, the day you get your notice if you can. You can always submit more evidence later, but you can’t file late.

And one more thing. About 72% of protests are filed electronically now. Do it online at traviscad.org. You get instant confirmation, you can upload evidence later, and you can track your case. Filing by mail works too (Travis Central Appraisal District, PO Box 149012, Austin TX 78714) but you won’t have the same tracking ability.

Step 1: Check Whether Your Appraisal Is Actually Wrong

Ok before you file anything, lets figure out if you actually have a case. Not every appraisal is wrong, and going in without evidence is a waste of everyone’s time.

Pull up your notice and look at the “market value” number. That’s what TCAD thinks your home would sell for on the open market as of January 1, 2026.

Now compare that to reality. What are similar homes in your area actually selling for?

Here’s what to look for:

Recent sales within a half mile. Focus on homes that sold in the last 6-12 months with similar square footage, lot size, age, and condition. If three comparable homes sold for $480,000 and TCAD has you at $535,000, you’ve got a case.

Active listings that aren’t selling. If homes similar to yours are sitting on the market at prices below your appraised value, that tells a story too. It means even at those lower prices, buyers aren’t biting.

Your home’s actual condition. Does your home have deferred maintenance? An aging roof? HVAC that’s seen better days? (And if you live in Central Texas, your AC has definitely seen some things.) TCAD doesn’t account for any of that in their mass appraisal model.

The 2025 median market value for a residential homestead in Travis County is $519,677. But that’s a median, not YOUR home. Single-family residences actually saw a 3.4% decline in market value this year. If your neighborhood has softened more than the county average, or if your home has issues the appraisal district can’t see from a spreadsheet, your appraised value could easily be $30,000 to $80,000 too high.

Step 2: Gather Your Evidence (This Is Where Most People Mess Up)

I’ve seen people walk into protest hearings with nothing but a bad attitude and a vague feeling that their taxes are too high. That doesn’t work. You need data.

Here’s what actually moves the needle:

Comparable Sales (Your Best Weapon)

This is the single most important piece of evidence you can bring. Find 3-5 homes that:

• Sold within the last 12 months
• Are within a mile of your property (closer is better)
• Have similar square footage (within 10-15%)
• Are similar in age and condition
• Closed at prices below your appraised value

Where do you get this data? You can search the TCAD website for property records, but that only shows appraised values, not actual sale prices. For real sale prices, you need MLS data.

This is where having a good relationship with a real estate agent helps. At Neuhaus Realty Group, we pull Comparative Market Analyses for clients all the time. A CMA gives you the exact sale prices of comparable homes, and it’s the same data bank appraisers use when they appraise a home for a mortgage. More on that in a minute.

Photos of Property Condition Issues

Take photos of anything that reduces your home’s value:

• Foundation cracks or movement
• Roof damage or age (if it’s 15+ years old, document it)
• Outdated kitchens or bathrooms that haven’t been renovated
• Drainage problems or flood-prone areas on your lot
• Deferred maintenance you’ve been putting off (we all have that list right)

Be honest about this. The goal isn’t to make your home look terrible. It’s to accurately represent its condition so the appraisal reflects reality, not some imaginary version where everything is in perfect shape.

Recent Appraisals or Repair Estimates

If you’ve had a recent appraisal done (for a refinance, for example), bring it. If you’ve gotten estimates for repairs you need, bring those too. A $15,000 foundation repair estimate is pretty compelling evidence that your home’s value isn’t what the appraisal district thinks it is.

Step 3: File Your Protest (Do This Now, Not Later)

Filing is straightforward. Go to traviscad.org/protests and follow the prompts. You’ll need your property ID (it’s on your notice) and a couple minutes of your time.

When they ask for your reason, choose one of these:

“Value is over market value” means you believe your home is worth less than what TCAD says. This is the most common reason and the one I’d recommend for most homeowners.

“Value is unequal compared with similar properties” means you believe similar homes are appraised at lower values than yours. This is useful if your neighbor’s house is basically identical to yours but appraised $40,000 lower. And honestly, the unequal appraisal argument can sometimes be more effective than the market value argument, because you’re comparing appraisals to appraisals instead of appraisals to sales.

You can select both reasons. I’d recommend it.

They’ll also ask for your opinion of value. Don’t lowball it by $100,000 hoping they’ll meet you in the middle. Use your comp data and give them a number you can actually defend. If your comps suggest your home is worth $485,000 and TCAD has you at $535,000, put down something like $485,000 to $490,000.

Step 4: The Informal Hearing (Where Most Protests Get Resolved)

After you file, TCAD will schedule an informal settlement meeting. This is basically a conversation with a TCAD appraiser where you present your evidence and try to negotiate a lower value.

Here’s what to expect:

Format: Phone or video conference. You get one shot, one meeting per property. Make it count.

How it works: You present your evidence (comps, photos, condition issues). The appraiser reviews it. They may ask questions. Within about 10 business days, you’ll receive a settlement offer.

The offer: If the appraiser agrees your value should be lower, they’ll propose a new number. You can accept it (and you’re done) or reject it and move to a formal ARB hearing.

Some tips from watching clients go through this for 19 years:

Be organized. Have your comps printed or ready to share digitally. Put them in order. Highlight the relevant sale prices. Make it easy for the appraiser to see your point.

Be respectful. The appraiser is a person doing their job. They didn’t personally set your value. Being aggressive or combative won’t get you a better result. I’ve seen people get so heated that the appraiser basically shuts down and says “see you at ARB.” Don’t be that person.

Be specific. “My taxes are too high” is not evidence. “My home is appraised at $535,000 but these three comparable homes within a half mile sold for $478,000, $485,000, and $492,000 in the last six months” is evidence. Lead with numbers, not feelings.

Know your number. Go in knowing the lowest value you’d accept. If they offer something close, take it. A bird in the hand right.

Step 5: The Formal ARB Hearing (When You Need to Push Further)

If the informal hearing doesn’t work out, or if TCAD’s offer isn’t good enough, you move to a formal hearing with the Appraisal Review Board.

The ARB is an independent panel of citizens (not TCAD employees) who hear both sides and make a decision. Think of it like a mini courtroom, but less formal and without lawyers unless you bring one (which you don’t need to).

When: ARB hearings run June through August. You’ll get at least 15 days notice before your scheduled hearing.

Duration: About 15-20 minutes. That’s it. So be concise.

Format: You present your case, TCAD presents theirs, the ARB panel asks questions, then they decide. You choose whether to go first or second. I usually recommend going first so you frame the conversation.

The decision: The ARB’s ruling comes by certified mail about 3-4 weeks after the hearing. It’s binding unless you appeal to district court, which most homeowners don’t need to do.

Should you go to ARB? Here’s my honest take. If the informal offer was close to what you wanted, say within $10,000 to $15,000, just take it. The certainty is worth more than the gamble. But if there’s a big gap between the informal offer and what your evidence supports, absolutely push to ARB. That’s what it’s there for.

The CMA Advantage: Why Real Estate Comps Are Your Best Evidence

I’ve helped a lot of clients build their protest cases over the years, and the one thing that consistently gets results is solid comparable sales data. Not Zillow estimates. Not what your neighbor told you their house is worth at a barbecue. Actual MLS closed sale data with addresses, dates, square footage, and sale prices.

A Comparative Market Analysis is exactly that. It’s the same tool we use to price homes for listing, and it’s the same data bank appraisers use when they appraise a home for a mortgage. When you bring a CMA to a property tax protest, you’re speaking the appraisal district’s language.

Here’s what a good CMA for protest purposes should include:

• 3-5 comparable closed sales within the last 12 months
• Properties within 1 mile of yours (same neighborhood is best)
• Adjusted for differences in size, condition, upgrades, and lot
• Active listings that support your value argument
• Price per square foot analysis showing the market trend

Charlie Munger (Warren Buffett’s partner) had this saying about fishing where the fish are. Building a property tax protest is the same idea. You go where the data is, and for property tax protests, the data is in closed MLS sales. Everything else is opinion.

If you want to build your own case, more power to you. But if you want help pulling the comps, reach out to me and I’ll put together a CMA you can use as protest evidence. No charge, no obligation. I do this because I think everyone should be paying fair taxes, and I’ve seen too many people overpay because they didn’t know they could fight it.

The Math: What a Successful Protest Actually Saves You

Lets run some real numbers so this isn’t abstract.

Say your home is appraised at $550,000 by TCAD. You file a protest with good comps and get a $50,000 reduction, bringing your appraised value down to $500,000.

Your total property tax rate in Travis County varies by location, but lets use a combined rate of about 1.8% (that includes county, city, school district, and special districts). That’s fairly typical for areas like Bee Cave, Lakeway, or unincorporated Travis County.

A $50,000 reduction at 1.8% saves you $900 per year.

Now factor in your homestead exemption. With the new $140,000 exemption (thanks to Proposition 13 that passed in 2025), your taxable value for school taxes drops even further. If you’re over 65, your combined exemption is now $200,000. So the protest reduction stacks on top of exemption savings.

But here’s the part people miss. A successful protest doesn’t just save you money this year. It lowers your base value for future years too. TCAD can still raise your value annually (capped at 10% for homesteaded properties), but they’re starting from a lower number. Over 5-10 years, a single successful protest can save you $5,000 to $10,000.

Not bad for a couple hours of work right.

Should You Hire a Property Tax Protest Company?

You’ll see ads everywhere for companies that will protest your taxes for you. They typically charge 25-40% of whatever they save you, and they handle everything from filing to hearings.

Are they worth it? That depends.

If your time is genuinely worth more than the effort of doing it yourself, sure. These companies do thousands of protests and they know the system. They’ll often get results.

But here’s the thing. The informal hearing process is not that complicated. If you have good comps and you can present them clearly, you can absolutely do this yourself. I’ve seen homeowners with zero experience walk into their first protest and get a $40,000 reduction because they simply had good data.

(I would argue that the zero dollars you’d spend asking a real estate agent for a CMA is a better deal than giving up 30% of your savings to a protest company. But I digress.)

If you want to DIY it, here’s how I’d think about it:

DIY if: Your case is straightforward (clear comps below your appraised value), you’re comfortable presenting information on a phone call, and you have a couple hours to prepare.

Hire help if: Your property is complex (commercial, unique construction, large acreage), you’ve never done this and the whole thing makes you genuinely anxious, or the potential savings are large enough that 30% is still a great deal for you.

What If You Live in Hays or Williamson County?

If you’re in Dripping Springs or parts of Bee Cave, you might be in Hays County rather than Travis. And some properties in the 78738 zip code actually straddle the county line, which is always fun to explain to people.

The process is essentially the same across Texas counties, but the deadlines and online systems differ:

• Travis County (TCAD): traviscad.org
• Hays County (Hays CAD): hayscad.com
• Williamson County (WCAD): wcad.org

Check which county your property is in (it’s on your tax bill) and file with the right appraisal district. If you’re not sure, the Bee Cave and Lakeway area can be tricky because some neighborhoods split across Travis and Hays County lines. I deal with this all the time.

Common Mistakes That Kill Your Protest

I’ve watched people blow perfectly good protests for avoidable reasons. Here’s what to watch out for.

Missing the deadline. I can’t say this enough. May 15 or 30 days after your notice, whichever is later. Put it on your calendar the day you get the notice. File that week. TCAD’s website gets slammed in the last few days and if it goes down, tough luck.

Using Zillow or Redfin estimates as evidence. Appraisal districts don’t care what Zillow thinks your home is worth. They want actual closed sale prices from the MLS. Zestimates are not evidence. (Sorry Zillow.)

Arguing about tax rates instead of values. The appraisal district sets your property’s VALUE. They don’t set the TAX RATE. Those are set by your city, county, school district, and special districts. Complaining about your tax rate at a protest hearing is like complaining about gas prices at the car dealership. Different problem, different audience.

Getting emotional. I get it. Property taxes in the Hill Country are not cheap. It’s frustrating. But the hearing is about data, not feelings. Stick to the comps.

Not protesting at all. This is the biggest mistake. Over 60% of Travis County homeowners don’t protest. That means they’re accepting whatever TCAD says without question. Given that success rates run 80%+ when you bring evidence, those are great odds you’re just leaving on the table.

Lets Wrap This Up

Protesting your property taxes isn’t complicated. It just takes a little preparation and about two hours of your time. File before May 15, bring real comps, and present them clearly. That’s really the whole playbook.

If your Austin area home is appraised higher than what comparable homes are actually selling for, you have a strong case. And with Austin home values having come down significantly from the 2022 peak while many appraisals haven’t caught up yet, there’s a good chance your appraised value IS too high.

I’ve been doing this for 19 years and I can tell you, the people who protest consistently pay less in property taxes than the people who don’t. It’s not even close.

If you need comparable sales data to build your case, lets talk. I’ll pull a CMA for your property at no cost. You can use it for your protest, and if you decide you want help with anything else down the road, you know where to find me.

Be safe, be good, and don’t let TCAD overcharge you.

Ed Neuhaus
Neuhaus Realty Group