If your county thinks your home is worth more than it really is, you overpay property tax every year until you fix it. The good news: appealing is a standard, homeowner-friendly process, and the vast majority of successful appeals never require a hearing. Here's exactly how to do it.
1. Read your assessment notice
Each year your county mails a notice of assessment stating your property's value for tax purposes. This is the number your appeal challenges, and it starts the clock on your appeal deadline. Check it the moment it arrives.
2. Work out whether you're over-assessed
Your taxable assessed value isn't always the same as market value — it depends on your state's assessment ratio. In Texas and California the ratio is 100%; in Tennessee it's 25%, Georgia 40%. Use our free savings calculator to convert your assessment into an implied market value and compare it to what your home would actually sell for. If the county's figure is higher, you likely have a case.
3. Gather comparable sales
Comparable sales — recent sales of similar homes near you — are the strongest evidence in any appeal. Find 3–5 comps that sold for less than your assessed value, matched by size, age, and location. Note the sale price, date, square footage, and distance for each.
4. Check your property record for errors
Counties value thousands of homes at once using formulas, so factual errors are common: wrong square footage, an extra bathroom that doesn't exist, or the wrong lot size. A single corrected error can drop your value by thousands.
5. File before the deadline
Submit your appeal (called a "protest" in Texas) to your county with your evidence attached. Deadlines vary by state — see your state's appeal guide for the exact date and form. Most counties accept mail, email, or online upload.
6. The informal review and (rarely) a hearing
Many counties offer an informal review first — a quick conversation with an appraiser that resolves most appeals on the spot. If it isn't resolved, it goes to a short hearing before the review board — typically 10–20 minutes in a conference room, no lawyer needed for a standard home.
The shortcut
Steps 2–4 are where most homeowners give up. TaxAppealAgent does them for you: check your property for $4.99 (credited), and if you're over-assessed we build the comparable-sales evidence and a state-specific appeal letter for a flat $29. You file it and keep 100% of the savings.