Texas property tax answers · Updated June 2026
How much does it cost to protest property taxes in Texas?
The short answer
Filing yourself is free in every Texas county. Paid help comes in two models. Contingency firms take a cut of your savings: Ownwell from 25 percent a year, Home Tax Shield $30 plus 30 percent a year, Texas Protax and Five Stone around 40 percent, O'Connor roughly half of year one. Flat-fee packets run $49 to $99, once, and you keep everything.
The fee landscape, verified June 2026
Every fee below comes from the company's own published pricing. The last column assumes a $1,500 annual tax saving, a realistic outcome for a meaningfully over-assessed Texas home.
| Service | Fee model | Of $1,500 saved, you keep |
|---|---|---|
| File it yourself | Free in every Texas county | $1,500, minus your time building evidence |
| AppealMyTax | $99 flat, one time | $1,401 in year one, then 100% every year |
| AppealDesk | $49 flat (AI-generated estimates, no disclosed data source) | $1,451, if the generated comps hold up |
| Ownwell | Contingency from 25% of savings per year (TX) | About $1,125 per year |
| Home Tax Shield | $30 upfront + 30% of savings every year | About $1,020 in year one |
| Texas Protax | 40% of savings, $50 minimum per parcel | About $900 per winning year |
| Five Stone Tax | 40% of savings or a flat minimum, whichever is greater | About $900 per winning year |
| O'Connor & Associates | Roughly 50% of first-year savings | About $750 in year one |
How to read this table
Three things matter more than the headline numbers. First, the contingency fees recur: Texas reassesses every year, and the recurring services charge their percentage every year they win, so the lifetime cost of 25 to 40 percent dwarfs any flat fee. Second, no-win-no-fee sounds free but isn't: Comptroller data shows homeowners who protest informally win at rates like 94.66% (Hays County, 2024), so the firm's contingency almost always triggers. Third, flat-fee products differ on data: ours pulls comps from your county's actual appraisal roll, AppealDesk's are AI-generated estimates with no disclosed source, which matters in a non-disclosure state.
If you're deciding between models, the question isn't really cost, it's whether to hire anyone at all. And if you want every firm's fee dissected side by side, the full fee comparison page goes deeper.
The $99 flat answer
Our packet costs $99 once. You get real comparable parcels from your county's roll, the Section 41.43(b)(3) unequal-appraisal argument written with your numbers, and filing steps for your county. You file it yourself in about 10 minutes and keep 100% of the savings, this year and every year you hold the lower value. The free check shows your exact over-assessment before you spend a dollar.
See your over-assessment free, in 30 seconds
Search your address and see your exact over-assessment plus a real comparable from your county's appraisal roll. Free, no signup, no email. If the record shows a case, the $99 packet gives you the full comp table, the Section 41.43(b)(3) unequal-appraisal argument, and step-by-step filing instructions for your county. You file it yourself and keep 100% of the savings.
Check my address · FreeFlat $99, one time, no contingency. Every comp is a real, verifiable parcel from your county's public appraisal roll.