How to Protest Your Property Taxes in Travis County

Who sets your value

TCAD appraises property for the 127 taxing entities in Travis County, including school districts, cities, the county, and special districts. TCAD does not set tax rates or collect taxes; those are set by each taxing unit and collected by the Travis County Tax Office. A protest is about the value (and exemptions) TCAD assigned to your property, not the tax rate.

Your value is your property's market value as of January 1. Damage or improvements after January 1 belong to next year's appraisal, not this year's protest.

For scale: TCAD reported mailing more than 427,000 notices in 2026, with a median homestead market value of $493,449.

Your notice of appraised value

TCAD says notices go out in spring (its published timeline says mid-April; in 2026 notices began mailing in late March). The notice shows your market value, appraised value, exemptions, and the deadline to protest. It also includes your Owner ID and PIN, which you need to set up TCAD's online portal, and a copy of the protest form.

Not receiving a notice does not change your value or your taxes. Look up your property on TCAD's Property Search each spring. If you think TCAD was required to send you a notice and didn't, see the deadline guide for your options.

What you can protest

Texas Tax Code §41.41 lets an owner protest, among other things:

• Market value: the appraised value is higher than what the property would sell for.
• Unequal appraisal: your property is appraised higher than comparable properties. Under §41.43(b)(3), you prevail unless TCAD shows your value is at or below the median appraised value of a reasonable number of comparable properties, appropriately adjusted.
• Exemptions: a homestead or other partial exemption was denied or reduced.
• Wrong owner, property that shouldn't be on the roll, wrong taxing units, and other adverse determinations.

For a typical home, the Comptroller recommends selecting both "incorrect appraised value" and "unequal appraisal," which allows the widest range of evidence and preserves your appeal rights. In a value or unequal-appraisal protest, TCAD carries the burden of proof, and the ARB cannot raise your value above the notice amount unless you ask it to.

How to file with TCAD

1. Online (TCAD recommends this). Create an account on TCAD's online portal using the Owner ID and PIN from your notice, then file your protest. The portal confirms your filing immediately and is also where you upload evidence, see TCAD's evidence, and respond to settlement offers.
2. By mail. Send Form 50-132 to Travis Central Appraisal District, P.O. Box 149012, Austin, TX 78714-9012. A postmark on or before the deadline counts as on time.
3. In person. Deliver it to 850 East Anderson Lane, Austin, TX 78752. TCAD no longer accepts faxed protests.

On the form you can also request an informal conference, choose a single-member or three-member ARB panel, and choose how you want to attend your hearing (in person, phone, video, or by sworn affidavit).

Building your evidence

The Comptroller is blunt: you cannot go to a hearing and simply say the appraisal district is wrong. Bring facts. Useful evidence includes:

• Comparable sales: recent sales of similar homes nearby, especially if they sold for less than your appraised value.
• Equity comparables: appraised values of similar properties in your neighborhood, for an unequal-appraisal argument.
• Condition: dated photos of problems as of January 1: foundation movement, roof wear, an aging HVAC system, drainage issues, outdated kitchens or baths.
• Repair estimates and receipts from contractors for work the property needs.
• Your purchase documents if you bought recently, plus any appraisal, inspection report, survey, or engineering report.

You have a right to see TCAD's evidence. At least 14 days before your hearing you can request the data, schedules, and comparables TCAD plans to use, at no charge (Tax Code §41.461). TCAD posts its evidence packet in the online portal. If you requested it and TCAD didn't provide it at least 14 days before the hearing, TCAD generally can't use it (§41.67(d)).

The ARB does not consider tax rates, your ability to pay, or how much your taxes went up. Keep your evidence focused on value.

The informal review

Before a formal hearing, you can meet with a TCAD appraiser informally. TCAD offers these meetings by phone or video, one per property. Book a time through TCAD's "Get in Line Online" system or join that day's queue. TCAD says to expect a settlement offer within about 10 business days. You can accept or reject it through the portal, email, mail, or phone. If you accept, the value is final for the year. If you don't, your protest moves to the ARB.

Requesting an informal meeting doesn't extend your deadline. File the protest first.

The ARB hearing

The Travis Appraisal Review Board is a panel of residents independent of TCAD's appraisers. Hearings are typically held from June through August. You'll receive a hearing notice at least 15 days in advance.

• How to attend: in person, by phone, by video, or by sworn affidavit. If you don't choose, Travis ARB schedules a phone hearing by default. For phone or video hearings, upload your evidence to the portal beforehand.
• Length: plan on 15 to 20 minutes. You and TCAD each present evidence and can ask questions, then the panel decides.
• Copies: for an in-person hearing TCAD recommends bringing five sets of your evidence (one per panel member, one for TCAD, one for you). Electronic evidence should be Word, Excel, JPG, PNG, or PDF.
• Rescheduling: an owner without an agent can postpone once without showing cause. If your hearing doesn't begin within two hours of its scheduled time, you can ask for a postponement.
• Missed hearing: your protest is dismissed unless you appeared by affidavit. You can ask for a new hearing by filing a good-cause statement within 4 days.

TCAD says the ARB's written order arrives about three to four weeks after the hearing, by certified mail, email, or the portal.

After the hearing

If you disagree with the ARB's order, you have three main routes:

Filing in district court waives binding arbitration, so choose one.

Homestead exemption and the 10% cap

Make sure your homestead exemption is on file; it is often worth more than a protest. As of the 2025 tax year, the school district homestead exemption is $140,000, with an additional $60,000 for owners 65 or older or disabled. Some local taxing units offer their own percentage exemptions.

Once a homestead exemption has been in place for a full year, the appraised value of the homestead can rise no more than 10% per year, plus the value of new improvements (Tax Code §23.23). Your market value can still rise faster, and the capped value is what's taxed. The cap limits increases; it doesn't prevent you from protesting the market value itself.

Homestead applications are generally due April 30, but Texas law allows a late homestead application up to two years after the taxes for that year become delinquent (Tax Code §11.431).

TCAD contact information

• Office: 850 East Anderson Lane, Austin, TX 78752
• Mail: P.O. Box 149012, Austin, TX 78714-9012
• Phone: 512-834-9317
• Website: traviscad.org