Flat fee vs contingency: which property tax appeal is cheaper?
Contingency services (Ownwell, O’Connor, TaxDrop) take 25–50% of your savings every year. A flat fee wins on any reduction above roughly $120 — and the gap widens every year you stay.
Check before you commit
Don’t pay upfront hoping you’re over-assessed. Check your property for $4.99 — fully credited toward your appeal if you proceed. Then keep 100% of your savings.
Check my property — $4.99TaxAppealAgent vs contingency services
| TaxAppealAgent | contingency services | |
|---|---|---|
| On $500 savings | $29 flat → keep $471 | $125–$250 fee |
| On $2,000 savings | $29 flat → keep $1,971 | $500–$1,000 fee |
| Every following year | $49/yr flat monitoring | Fee repeats on savings |
| Upfront cost | $4.99 (credited) | $0 |
| Effort | Self-file, 10–20 min | None |
Choose TaxAppealAgent if…
- Your savings are likely above ~$120/yr (almost all successful appeals)
- You’d rather keep 100% and file prepared paperwork yourself
- You want predictable, flat annual monitoring
Choose contingency services if…
- You want zero effort and zero upfront cost, and don’t mind the percentage
Frequently asked
Is a flat-fee or contingency property tax appeal better?
Flat-fee wins on cost for almost any successful appeal — contingency services take 25–50% of your savings, so on anything above about $120/year you keep more with a flat fee. Contingency only wins if you value zero effort over keeping the money.
What’s the break-even point?
At a 25% contingency rate, a flat $29 fee breaks even at about $120 of annual savings. Above that — which covers the vast majority of successful appeals — the flat fee is cheaper, and the gap compounds every year.
Keep 100% of your savings
Check your property for $4.99, credited toward a flat $29 appeal packet. No contingency fee, ever.
Check my property — $4.99