How to appeal your property tax in 2026

1. Read your notice

Your county appraisal district or property appraiser mails an annual notice (Notice of Appraised Value in Texas, TRIM notice in Florida) that lists the assessor's market value, your taxable value, and your appeal deadline. Confirm the basic facts first: square footage, lot size, bedrooms, bathrooms. Errors here are the easiest reductions.

2. Build comparable sales evidence

Comps are the appeal. Pull three to five arms-length sales from the past 12 months, same neighborhood, similar size, similar age, similar condition. The assessor will accept the county's own MLS-linked data; that is what review boards weigh most heavily. See the evidence and comps guide for how to assemble and present the set.

3. File the right form before the deadline

Forms are state-specific. Texas uses Form 50-132 with the county appraisal district; Florida uses Form DR-486 with the county Value Adjustment Board. Deadlines run May 15 (TX) and 25 days after the August TRIM notice (FL). Late filings are accepted only in narrow cases.

• Texas property tax appeal guide
• Florida property tax appeal guide

4. Write a short, factual appeal letter

One page, two paragraphs, three numbers. State the assessor's value, state your supported value, list your comps. No rhetoric. See the appeal letter template.

5. Prepare for the informal review and hearing

Most counties offer an informal phone or in-person review with an appraiser before the formal hearing. The majority of reductions happen at this stage. If you proceed to the Appraisal Review Board (TX) or VAB special magistrate (FL), the hearing preparation guide walks through what to bring and what not to say.

Why not just hire a contingency firm?

Contingency firms (Ownwell, ProTax, others) keep 25 to 50 percent of your first-year savings. For most single-family homes, the work is comp pulling and form filing — both achievable in under an hour with the right data. The math favors self-filing if the comps are handed to you.