Frequently Asked Questions

Property Tax Rebel^™ is a self-serve platform that generates a professional evidence package for your Harris County property tax protest. When you purchase, you receive three purpose-built PDFs plus a combined master with everything in one file. All four are built from the same analysis of your property; pick whichever subset matches the stage you're in, or use the Combined document if you want everything in one place.

• Online Protest packet: iSettle copy-paste statement plus the supporting math, sized for filing online at owners.hcad.org.
• Hearing Evidence packet: cover letter, Uniform and Equal analysis, Comparable Market Analysis, property condition section (when applicable), statutory appendix, and pre-filled Texas Comptroller Form 50-132 (Notice of Protest). Built to hand directly to the HCAD appraiser at your informal conference or to each ARB panel member at a formal hearing.
• Strategy Playbook: your case-grade reasoning, protest-timing strategy, hearing rehearsal script, and an anticipated-objections catalogue. Your prep material for what to expect and what to say; not handed to HCAD.
• Combined master document: all three of the above plus every supporting section in a single file. The all-in-one option, useful if you prefer one document or aren't sure which subset to use.

The evidence inside every PDF comes from the same engine: HCAD's published Residential CAMA model (Grade, CDU, Size, Remodel factors), real comparable properties, and recent neighborhood sales. You download what fits the stage you're in. We handle the analysis; you handle the room.

ChatGPT and similar general-purpose AI tools are genuinely useful for things like understanding terminology, drafting a polite protest letter, or summarizing statutes in plain English. What they can't do is the part that wins at a hearing: pull your specific property's data from HCAD, identify the comparable properties HCAD's algorithm would pick, and run the per-comparable adjustments using HCAD's published CAMA factor tables (Grade, CDU, Size, Remodel). Those steps require live access to HCAD's data and the same factor math HCAD uses internally.

Our own engine deliberately uses no AI in the calculation pipeline. Every adjustment in your evidence package is deterministic arithmetic against HCAD's own published factor tables, so an ARB panel could recompute the same answer with a calculator. The full reasoning is on our AI Comparison page.

Two options, both flat-fee and transparent. One-time purchase: $79, covers one property for one tax year, regenerate with fresh HCAD data any time through December 31 of your tax year. No future charges. Annual protection: $79 today and $49 each March 1 thereafter. Each year's fresh evidence package is generated and emailed to you on May 1, after HCAD publishes the new tax year's appraisal data. Subscribers get unlimited regeneration anytime the subscription is active (not just during the season), and save $30 every year after the first vs. buying one-time each year. You can cancel the annual plan any time before the next renewal from your order page or by emailing us, cancellation is immediate and you keep access to every package you've paid for.

30-day satisfaction guarantee on your first purchase. If you have any concern with your evidence package, a data inaccuracy, a rendering error, or simple dissatisfaction, email rebel@propertytaxrebel.com or use our contact form within 30 days. We treat every claim individually, reply within 2 business days, and the resolution depends on the issue: regenerate with corrected data, extend your access, or issue a full refund.

When a refund is issued, your access to download or regenerate the PDF ends and any active auto-renewal subscription is canceled. Annual renewal charges ($49 every March 1 after the first year) follow the standard cancel-anytime terms in Terms of Service §17. Cancel before March 1 to avoid the charge entirely; cancel before April 1 to refund a charge that has already fired.

Full policy with the exact list of covered and not-covered scenarios is in Terms of Service §5.

Texas treats data-processing services as taxable under Tex. Tax Code § 151.0035, and the Comptroller categorizes our deliverable that way. The rate is calculated automatically from your billing address at checkout and remitted to the state. The base price ($79 first year, $49/year for subscribers) is unchanged regardless of where you live in Texas.

On March 1 of every year after your first purchase, we charge your card on file $49 to renew your subscription for the upcoming Harris County protest season. About two months later, on May 1, we generate your fresh evidence package using the new tax year's appraisal data HCAD publishes in early April, and email it to you. The two-month gap lets us validate the new data first, and still leaves you the two weeks before the May 15 statutory deadline to file.

If you move within Harris County, you can re-point your subscription at the new property and keep your locked-in $49/year price, use Move my subscription from your order page (the link is also in the Help menu). If you move out of county or sell the property, cancel from the same page; we won't bill you again. We'll never silently migrate your subscription to a new property, the move is always your decision.

14 days before each renewal we email you a heads-up with the upcoming charge amount, the property we have on file, and a one-click link to cancel if you don't want the new year. If nothing has changed, you don't need to do anything.

Click the Help menu (top-right of any page on propertytaxrebel.com) and choose Manage my order. Enter your order number (format PTR-XXXX-XXXX, shown on your receipt email and at the top of your order page) plus the email address you used at checkout.

Both fields must match, this is two-factor protection, so neither the order number alone nor the email alone will grant access. Once we verify the pair, you land directly on your order page, where you can download your evidence package, regenerate it, update your mailing address, manage billing, or cancel auto-renewal.

Of course, the Manage link in your receipt email still works exactly the same and requires no lookup, it's just a convenience to have an alternative from the website.

Use the Recover my download link option from the Help menu. Enter the email you used at checkout, we'll send every order linked to that address to your inbox, with the order number for each one and a one-click link to the order page.

This is also the right path if you're not sure which of multiple email addresses you used, or if you're not sure whether you ever purchased at all, the recover form gives the same neutral response in either case for privacy.

From your order-success page, the same link in your receipt email, scroll down to the "Need help with your order?" card and click Cancel subscription. You'll see exactly what you keep (your paid evidence package through the 3-year retention window) and what you lose (future auto-renewals), confirm, and you're done. Cancellation is immediate for future charges.

Prefer email? rebel@propertytaxrebel.com, we'll process within one business day.

There are no cancellation fees and no retention call. You won't be billed again. You keep access to every evidence package you've already paid for.

Auto-renewal subscribers can move their subscription to a new Harris County property without losing their locked-in $49/year price:

1. Open your order-success page (the link in your receipt email).
2. Scroll to the "Need help with your order?" card and click Move my subscription to a new property.
3. Search for your new home's address, pick the matching HCAD parcel from the suggestions, and confirm.

Your current year's package stays frozen for the old property, re-download it any time. Your $49/year renewal price is locked in. On next March 1 your renewal charge fires as scheduled; the fresh evidence package for the new property is generated and emailed to you on May 1, after HCAD publishes the new tax year's appraisal data.

One-time customers: evidence packages are tied to one HCAD parcel and don't transfer. Start a fresh analysis for the new property at propertytaxrebel.com.

Need to change just your mailing address (not the property itself)? The move-subscription form has optional mailing fields you can update at the same time. If you only want to update the mailing address (and not the property), email us at rebel@propertytaxrebel.com.

Every self-service tool lives on your order-success page, the link we emailed you in your receipt, and the one Stripe redirected you to right after checkout. Bookmark it.

The "Need help with your order?" card near the bottom contains four options:

• Contact support, general questions, corrections, or anything else.
• Move my subscription to a new property (auto-renew subscribers only), re-point your subscription at a different Harris County parcel without losing your $49/year price.
• Manage billing (auto-renew subscribers only), update your card, view past invoices, or download billing receipts via Stripe's secure portal.
• Cancel subscription (active auto-renew subscribers only), stop future renewals with immediate effect.

Lost your link? Use /recover to get it re-emailed.

Stripe automatically retries a failed charge over several days. We'll email you as soon as the first attempt fails with a one-click link to update your card. If the retries all fail, your subscription cancels automatically and we'll treat you the same as any returning customer, no penalty, no past-due balance. You keep every package you've already paid for, and if you still want the current year's protest you can purchase a fresh package manually.

Two Harris County homeowners who were longtime Jubally Solutions customers. We used Jubally's evidence packages ourselves for years to successfully protest our own assessments. When Jubally's founders retired after the 2025 protest season, we built Property Tax Rebel to carry the methodology forward rather than let it disappear.

We are not former HCAD employees, attorneys, or licensed appraisers. We are homeowners who understood the system, built tooling around it, and wanted to make it available to every Harris County homeowner.

Harris County, Texas only for the 2026 protest season. Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Travis counties are on the roadmap for future seasons. If your property is outside Harris County, check back next year or email us at rebel@propertytaxrebel.com to be notified when your county goes live.

Not yet. The CAMA engine is currently calibrated for single-family detached homes, the largest category in HCAD. If your property comes up as a condo (Z3) or townhome (A2) in search results, the row shows a "Coming soon" badge and a form to leave your email. We send a one-time notification when condo and townhome support ships. Not used for marketing.

No. Property Tax Rebel^™ is a private company with no affiliation with the Harris Central Appraisal District, the State of Texas, or any government body. We use HCAD's publicly published bulk data and CAMA factor tables to run our analysis. HCAD does not endorse us, and we do not speak on their behalf.

Yes. Enter your property address on the home page and we run the full analysis instantly at no cost. You will see your current HCAD assessed value, our suggested protest value, and your projected annual tax savings if your protest succeeds.

You pay only if you decide the evidence package is worth having. No account, no credit card, no signup.

Maybe, maybe not. Two things to know.

If your property is your primary residence and you have a filed homestead exemption, Tex. Tax Code §23.23 caps how much your appraised value can rise year-over-year at 10%. So even if HCAD raised your market value 30%, your appraised value (the one your taxes are based on) can only climb 10% over last year's. The homestead cap absorbed the rest.

A protest case isn't about the size of the increase, though. It's about whether the current value is wrong. Tex. Tax Code §41.41(a) gives you two grounds to protest: your value is excessive (higher than fair market) or your assessment is unequal compared to similar properties. Whether your value went up 5% or 30%, what matters at hearing is whether the current number is defensible against real comparable properties.

What it means for you: a big year-over-year jump isn't a protest case on its own. Run the free analysis. If our engine sees real comparables priced lower than your assessment, you have a case regardless of how much the value moved. If your assessment is in line with similar homes, you don't, even if the increase feels harsh.

The analysis runs two independent methods, Uniform and Equal and Comparable Market Analysis, and takes whichever result is lower as the suggested protest value. Form 50-221 lets you protest on both grounds simultaneously and adopt the lower result, which is exactly what the package sets you up to do. Details on each method are in the Evidence Package section below.

If our analysis finds no grounds for a reduction under either method, we will tell you upfront that the data does not support a protest this year. We do not manufacture urgency or push you toward a purchase when the data does not support it.

Save the analysis and check back in April when HCAD releases next year's preliminary values. If you believe there is a factual error in your HCAD record (incorrect square footage, wrong bedroom count, an improvement that does not exist), contact HCAD directly to correct the record, that kind of error is outside what our analysis covers.

Sometimes. HCAD's CAMA model values your home using their on-file condition rating, but you know your home's actual condition better than they do. Things like foundation cracks, roof damage, aging HVAC, or deferred maintenance often aren't reflected in HCAD's records. Whenever the analysis returns NO CASE, or only a small projected savings, you'll see a "Tell us about your home's condition" link. Tick the categories that apply, and the engine re-runs with a corrected condition rating.

If those issues materially change the math, the case grade flips and a new suggested value appears. If they don't, the result tells you so honestly, we don't manufacture a case.

Harris County publishes appraisals on a rolling basis from late March through May, so it's normal for some homes to show up in search before the current year's value lands. If you run the free analysis and see "Your assessment isn't published yet", you can leave your email and we'll send the free analysis automatically the moment HCAD publishes your data. One email when it lands; not used for marketing.

Two legally recognized protest methods under the Texas Tax Code:

Uniform and Equal (U&E) under Texas Constitution Article 8, Section 1 and Tex. Tax Code § 41.43(b)(3): argues that your property is assessed at a higher value than comparable properties in your neighborhood when using the same HCAD CAMA adjustment factors. The statutory standard is the median appraised value of a reasonable number of comparable properties appropriately adjusted.

Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) under Tex. Tax Code § 41.43(a): argues that your property's market value, as supported by recent arm's-length sales of comparable homes, is lower than HCAD's assessed value.

The package runs both methods and uses whichever result favors you more.

The U&E analysis pulls comparable residential properties from HCAD's own records, same neighborhood group, similar grade, size, age, and CDU (Condition/Desirability/Utility) rating, and adjusts each one using HCAD's published CAMA Residential Model factor tables. Those are the same tables HCAD uses to value your property.

We apply Grade adjustments, Size adjustments, CDU adjustments, and Remodel Level adjustments to bring each comparable to the same baseline as your property. We then take the median of those adjusted assessed values. If the median is below your assessed value, you have a U&E case.

The argument to the ARB is straightforward: HCAD's own methodology, applied consistently, produces a lower value for your property than what HCAD actually assessed you at.

The CMA uses recent arm's-length sales of comparable homes, sourced from HAR (Houston Association of Realtors) MLS data and other recorded sales, and applies the same HCAD CAMA factor adjustments to bring each sold property to the same baseline as yours. We then compute the average of those adjusted sale prices and add back the land value and extra features (pool, outbuildings, etc.) that HCAD carries separately.

The result is a market-value estimate grounded in what buyers actually paid for comparable homes nearby. We also apply a seller contribution adjustment per IAAO Standard on Sales Verification § 7.2, removing any closing costs the seller paid on behalf of the buyer, those inflate the nominal sale price above the true arm's-length price.

Yes. Tex. Tax Code § 23.01(c)(1) explicitly permits the use of foreclosure sales when they are comparable at the time of sale. Our engine evaluates sales data and applies them where appropriate.

Because Texas law allows you to protest on both grounds simultaneously using Form 50-221, and to adopt whichever result produces the greater reduction. You do not have to pick one method in advance. The evidence package is built to support both arguments so the ARB can apply whichever standard benefits you most.

The evidence package includes an optional Property Condition section. You can declare conditions in three places:

• From the free-analysis page, the "Tell us about your home's condition" link appears whenever the analysis returns NO CASE or only a small projected savings.
• During checkout step 2, before payment.
• On your order page, after purchase. The disclosure can be edited or cleared at any time.

The eight categories are structural, roof, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, water/mold, fire/storm/pest, and functional. For each, pick a severity (None, Minor, Moderate, Major, or Total loss) and tick any specific flags that apply. If you declare any category as Total loss, you'll need to add a short written summary so the appraiser understands the context.

The engine maps your declared severity to a corrected CDU rating using HCAD's own condition table, then re-runs the U&E and CMA analyses with that adjustment. You attest the conditions existed at the property as of January 1 of the tax year, the date Texas Tax Code §23.01 uses for valuation.

The disclosure, attestation, and any contractor estimate (optional) are included in the PDF so the appraiser and the ARB see exactly what you declared. Adding or editing the disclosure after purchase automatically regenerates your evidence PDF.

Yes. You can upload photos during checkout step 2 and on your order page after purchase. The package's "Photographic Evidence" section lays them out as numbered exhibits (S-1, R-1, and so on, where the prefix matches the disclosure category) that you can reference at your hearing.

Up to 25 photos per package; JPEG, PNG, and HEIC supported; 20 MB max per file.

Photos uploaded during checkout step 2 are stored only in your own browser until you complete payment, then sent to us. Before payment, we never see them. Once stored, photos are resized, JPEG re-encoded, and stripped of GPS coordinates and most other camera metadata. We do not run facial recognition or any other biometric analysis on submitted photos.

Adding or removing a photo automatically regenerates your evidence PDF so the latest set is always what downloads. Photos are private to your order and are removed if a refund is issued.

A privacy note: photos may incidentally include faces visible through windows, license plates in driveways, or mail with names. Crop or blur before upload if you want to remove them; we will not edit submitted photos for you.

Not directly. Our evidence package works at the overall property value level, comparing your home against similar properties and recent sales nearby. It doesn't change HCAD's inventory of what's physically on your parcel.

If HCAD has a factual error on your record, that's a separate HCAD process called a Motion for Correction of Appraisal Roll under Texas Tax Code §25.25. Our product covers five common error types:

• Phantom structure: HCAD has a building, shed, pool, or greenhouse listed that isn't there. §25.25(c)(3).
• Wrong year built: HCAD's year of construction is off because of a transcription error. §25.25(c)(1).
• Wrong address or property description: HCAD has the street name, subdivision, or legal description recorded incorrectly. §25.25(c)(1).
• Property appraised twice: HCAD has the same parcel under two account numbers and is billing on both. §25.25(c)(2).
• §23.23 homestead 10% cap not applied: your homestead-exempt property's appraised value rose more than 10% year-over-year. We auto-check this for you. §25.25(c)(1).

It's not tied to the May 15 protest deadline. Under Tex. Tax Code §25.25(e), a motion under §25.25(c) may be filed at any time prior to the date the property taxes for the year being corrected become delinquent (February 1 of the year following the tax year), with §25.25(c) authorizing corrections that reach back up to five preceding tax years. Under §25.25(l), the motion is available even if you already protested the same year under Chapter 41.

About square footage and room counts. HCAD's own Form 25.25RP says measurement errors like wrong square footage or wrong bedroom counts are not clerical errors under §25.25(c)(1) unless they result from a math mistake. Those go through a different motion under §25.25(d) which carries a 10% late-correction penalty and is out of scope for our v1 product (and for the DIY steps below). If you have one of those, email us and we'll guide you through it manually.

Here's the DIY path for phantom structures and transcription-error year-built cases:

1. Get HCAD's form.

Download HCAD Form 25.25RP (Real Property Correction Request/Motion) from hcad.org's forms page. This is HCAD's residential-specific correction form. The Texas Comptroller's Form 50-771 is also accepted statewide, but HCAD's clerks prefer their own form for Harris County filings.

2. Gather your supporting documents.

HCAD's form (Part II, item 5) explicitly asks whether supporting documentation is attached. What you include depends on the error:

• Phantom structure: photographs from multiple angles showing the structure is gone, your closing statement showing the property condition at purchase, and any demolition permit you have.
• Wrong year built (transcription/clerical): the original building permit from the city, the Certificate of Occupancy, or deed records that show the correct year. The error has to look like a typo or transcription mistake, not an opinion about when the home was built.
• Wrong address or property description: deed records showing the correct address or legal description, the plat map for your subdivision, or the re-plat filing if your street was renumbered or your subdivision phase was changed.
• Property appraised twice: both Notices of Appraised Value (the duplicates) so HCAD can see they describe the same physical property. If you've already paid both tax bills, attach the paid receipts.

3. Confirm you're current on property taxes.

HCAD's form (Part II, item 6) requires you to certify that your property taxes for the years being corrected are not delinquent (per Tex. Tax Code §25.26). If you owe back taxes on those years, get current before filing.

4. Submit it.

HCAD's form prints these instructions on the front page:

• By mail: Harris Central Appraisal District, Information and Assistance Division, P.O. Box 922004, Houston, TX 77292-2004.
• In person: 13013 Northwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77040. Call (713) 957-7800 first to confirm hours and intake procedure.

Keep a dated copy of everything you send.

5. Wait for response.

HCAD's form doesn't promise a specific processing window. If HCAD approves the changes you requested, that approval is binding and not subject to ARB appeal (per Part III of the form). If HCAD denies the motion or adjusts by less than you asked, you can request a hearing before the Appraisal Review Board.

The five-year window. Under §25.25(c), you can ask for corrections going back up to five years. The current HCAD form covers tax years 2021-2025. HCAD typically issues the next edition after the certified appraisal roll closes in July or August, so the 2026 edition will roll out mid-summer 2026 and will cover 2022-2026. If HCAD approves a back-year correction, refunds for overpaid tax are issued by the Harris County Tax Office (hctax.net), a separate agency from HCAD.

Run it in parallel with your protest:

• If the correction goes through before your hearing, your noticed value drops on its own and our evidence argues against the cleaner number.
• If it doesn't go through in time, bring the paperwork to the hearing and the ARB panel can address both items together.

One thing to skip: don't put this kind of record error in the Property Condition section on your order page. That section is for issues with structures that still exist (foundation cracks, roof problems), not for inventory corrections.

Twelve months from the date of purchase. During that window you can download the motion PDF, edit any of the typed details, add or remove photo exhibits, re-confirm the accuracy attestation, and regenerate the PDF as many times as you need.

Thirty days before your window closes we send a reminder email so the date doesn't sneak up on you. On the day your window closes, our system removes the motion PDF, your saved motion details, and any photo exhibits you uploaded. Your order record itself stays on file (receipt, order number, audit log of edits) so you can still reference the purchase later.

If you printed and mailed the motion to HCAD before the window closed, that filing stands on its own. Closing your access here doesn't affect anything you've already submitted to HCAD. The motion you sent is in HCAD's hands and follows their process from there.

The reason for a fixed window: HCAD reissues their Form 25.25RP roughly once a year, and we update our pre-fill engine to match. Keeping last year's filled-out motion available indefinitely could put a stale form in front of you. After twelve months, if HCAD's record is still wrong, you can start a fresh motion at /record-correction using the current form edition; it's a separate $19 purchase.

This 12-month window applies to the §25.25 motion product only. The annual protest evidence package has a separate retention rule (3 years, with regeneration gated by your plan).

Yes, with the cutoff dictated by your plan:

• Auto-renewal subscribers can regenerate any time the subscription is active. HCAD updates preliminary values throughout the spring and summer as protests settle, and each renewal cycle generates a fresh package on May 1 (after HCAD publishes the new tax year's appraisal data; the renewal charge itself fires on March 1).
• One-time customers can regenerate through December 31 of their tax year. After December 31, the protest season has ended, so a fresh analysis would be for the next tax year, purchase a new package then. Your already-downloaded PDF remains yours forever.

Either way, the frozen PDF on file stays available to download through the 3-year retention window. Only the ability to re-run the analysis against current HCAD data is plan-gated.

Yes, in about 30 seconds, from your order page.

Open the order page (the link is in your receipt email, or use the Help dropdown on the main site to enter your order number and email). Scroll to the section titled "Edit name, mailing address, or hearing preferences" and click it open. Your current values are pre-filled.

You can correct any of these fields:

• Owner name (the name printed on your Form 50-132)
• Mailing street, city, state, ZIP
• Phone number
• Exemption checkboxes (over-65, disability, active-duty military, military veteran, military spouse)
• Hearing preferences (in-person, phone, video, or affidavit; informal-conference request; single-member ARB request; hearing-notice delivery method; reminder channel; final-order-by-email)

Click Save and regenerate PDF and the page reloads with your evidence PDF rebuilt to match the corrected info, on the cover letter and on the Form 50-132.

Two things to know:

• This doesn't count against your regeneration limit. It's an automatic refresh, not a manual regen.
• Every edit is logged on our side with a timestamp and the field-level change, so we can reconstruct what changed if a question ever comes up.

Edits apply to this tax year's package only. Next year's renewal package starts fresh from your latest values, so the correction follows you forward.

Filing is more straightforward than most homeowners expect. We've put together a step-by-step guide that covers all five filing methods Harris County offers, iSettle (HCAD's online settlement tool), informal hearing with an appraiser, formal Appraisal Review Board hearing, sworn affidavit, and mail-in Form 50-132, with the trade-offs of each so you can pick what fits your situation.

Read the step-by-step guide →

The questions below cover the supporting details (deadlines, what to bring, what to expect at each hearing type, and more).

May 15, 2026, or 30 days after HCAD mails your appraisal notice, whichever date is later. This deadline is set by Tex. Tax Code § 41.44. If you received your notice after April 15, your deadline may be later than May 15, check the notice itself. Missing the deadline forfeits your right to protest for that tax year.

No. Texas law gives every property owner the right to represent themselves in a protest proceeding. A licensed Property Tax Consultant (regulated by TDLR) is required only if you are representing someone else's property.

Property Tax Rebel^™ is a DIY tool: you file Form 50-132 yourself, you attend your own hearing, and you present your own evidence. The package gives you everything you need to make that presentation confidently.

Bring printed copies, one for yourself and one for the appraiser at the informal hearing, or one for each ARB panel member at a formal hearing (typically three members). The package walks you through your argument step by step.

Present your suggested value, walk through the adjusted comparables, and reference the statutory citations included in the package. You do not need to memorize anything. The package is designed to be handed to the appraiser and speak for itself.

An informal hearing is a one-on-one meeting with an HCAD appraiser before the formal Appraisal Review Board hearing. Most reductions happen here. The appraiser reviews your evidence, and if the numbers support a reduction, they will typically offer a settlement. If you agree, the protest is closed.

If you do not agree, the case escalates to the ARB, a three-citizen panel that hears your full protest formally. The ARB has authority to reduce your value below what the informal appraiser offered. Property Tax Rebel's evidence package is designed to work at both stages.

You can request one postponement from HCAD. If you miss both the original and the rescheduled hearing without appearing, HCAD will dismiss the protest and your assessed value stays as-is for the tax year.

If attending in person is genuinely impossible, contact HCAD about submitting evidence by affidavit, some districts accept written submissions for smaller residential cases.

For certain types of protests, yes. HCAD has procedures for affidavit-based protests and remote hearings. Ask HCAD directly when you file Form 50-132 whether a remote or written submission is available for your case.

The evidence package we produce is formatted to work in any of these channels, it is a self-contained PDF with all supporting data.

iSettle is HCAD's online settlement tool. You check the "iSettle" box when you file your protest through iFile at owners.hcad.org, upload your evidence within five days, and an HCAD appraiser emails you back a single settlement offer a few days later.

iSettle is optional within iFile. If you want the traditional informal hearing instead (a one-on-one meeting with an appraiser, in person, by phone, or by video), uncheck the iSettle box when you submit through iFile, or file your protest by paper using Form 50-132.

So which path is right?

• iSettle is the convenience path. Fast, remote, no scheduling. Best when the evidence is overwhelming and you'd accept a fair reduction without negotiating.
• iFile without iSettle (or paper filing) preserves the traditional informal hearing where you can present your case, negotiate face-to-face, and still escalate to the ARB if the appraiser's offer falls short. Most reductions happen at this stage when the homeowner shows up prepared.

Our evidence package works on either path. The Online Protest packet is sized for iSettle uploads; the Hearing Evidence packet is built for an informal or formal hearing.

Your property tax bill equals your taxable value multiplied by the combined tax rate for all the jurisdictions that tax your property (school district, city, county, MUD, etc.). Harris County homeowners with a homestead exemption typically see combined rates between 2.0% and 3.0%. Lower the assessed value by $10,000 and you save $200 to $300 per year at those rates.

The effect compounds: a lower base value this year becomes the starting point for next year's appraisal.

Three reasons. First, the savings accumulate over time, a recurring $250 annual reduction is $2,500 over ten years. Second, your assessed value this year is the floor from which HCAD starts next year. A lower floor means next year's increase starts from a lower number.

Third, the 10% homestead cap only limits increases from the prior year's appraised value. If HCAD appraises your home at $600,000 but the cap holds your taxable value at $500,000, that gap eventually closes as values rise each year. Protesting aggressively limits the appraisal HCAD can start from.

They can, and they often do. But the reduction you earn this year is real money back in your pocket now, and your lower value becomes next year's baseline. Even if HCAD raises you back by the maximum allowed under the homestead cap, you are still ahead of where you would have been without the protest.

There is no penalty for protesting, and a successful protest never hurts you the following year.

Yes. HCAD often argues that your purchase price is the best evidence of market value, especially in the first year of ownership. This is where the Uniform and Equal argument is most powerful: even if your market value equals the purchase price, your assessed value may still be higher than comparable properties in your neighborhood when adjusted by HCAD's own CAMA factors.

Tex. Tax Code § 41.43(b)(3) entitles you to the median of adjusted comparable values regardless of your purchase price. The U&E method in the evidence package addresses this directly.

No. A lower HCAD assessment makes your home more attractive to buyers, not less. Buyers care about future tax bills, and a lower assessed value means lower ongoing taxes. Nothing about a successful protest attaches to the deed or creates a disclosure obligation. Protest every year without hesitation.

• Texas Constitution, Article 8, Section 1, requires taxation to be equal and uniform; the constitutional foundation of the Uniform & Equal remedy.
• Tex. Tax Code § 41.44, sets the protest deadline (May 15 or 30 days after notice).
• Tex. Tax Code § 41.43(a), authorizes market value protests (the CMA method).
• Tex. Tax Code § 41.43(b)(3), authorizes Uniform and Equal protests based on the median appraised value of a reasonable number of comparable properties appropriately adjusted.
• Tex. Tax Code § 41.45, authorizes the property owner to appear at the Appraisal Review Board hearing in person (the self-representation right).
• Tex. Tax Code § 42.26, governs judicial review of ARB determinations in district court.
• Tex. Tax Code § 23.01(c)(1), permits foreclosure sales as comparables when comparable at time of sale.
• Form 50-221, Texas Comptroller form for protesting on multiple grounds simultaneously and adopting the lower result.
• IAAO Standard on Sales Verification § 7.2, professional appraisal standard supporting seller contribution adjustments.

When a seller pays closing costs on behalf of the buyer as part of a deal, the nominal sale price is inflated above the true arm's-length price, the buyer effectively paid less than the recorded price. IAAO Standard on Sales Verification § 7.2 directs appraisers to adjust comparable sale prices downward by the amount of seller-paid closing costs before using them in a valuation analysis.

We apply this adjustment to any comparable sale where seller contributions are reported. The result is a cleaner, more defensible market value estimate.

HCAD applies monthly time adjustments to comparable sales to account for market appreciation between the sale date and the appraisal date (December 31 of the prior year). Their published rate is approximately 1% to 2% per month. This adjustment inflates the adjusted comparable sale prices, which raises HCAD's market value estimate.

The methodology is contested: professional appraisal standards typically rely on paired-sales analysis to derive time adjustments rather than applying a fixed rate. Our engine accounts for HCAD's time adjustments where applied and flags them in the evidence package so you can understand how they affect your analysis.