Appeal your Michigan property taxes yourself.
A guided workbook for homeowners preparing their own appeal. Turn your notice, property records and supporting documents into an organized filing plan.
Have a notice or a property-record question? Start with a plan.
The $29 kit helps you check what needs investigating, organize the evidence you collect, and work through the filing steps. Use it if you want a structure for doing the preparation yourself.
Need property-specific evidence first? Check available records for your address free. The kit does not determine whether you are overassessed or supply comparable properties. You verify your local requirements and file yourself.
- State-specific process guidance with official-source links
- Evidence organizer and filing checklist
- Ready-to-edit appeal-letter template
Need property evidence? Check before you pay.
See which property and comparison records our free analysis can return. This check does not research recorded sales or verify a hearing-ready case. The $29 kit organizes evidence you obtain; it does not include researched comparable sales.
Open official property-record resources
Already have your evidence? Continue with the preparation kit or view the completed kit sample. No record check or email is required to buy.
No setup required to buy. Add optional details below for a personalized PDF, or complete the editable fields yourself after download. See a completed preparation example.
Turn your question into an organized preparation draft
Get a preparation plan, the Michigan process guide, three fillable worksheets and an editable letter. Optional setup below carries your question and document list into the paid PDF.
Personalize your included letter and evidence organizer
Text-based PDF, up to 8 MB / 10 pages. Your file stays in this browser. Only details you confirm are included in your order. Photos and scanned notices currently need manual entry.
Copy details from your assessment notice. We use these to prepare your letter draft, worksheets and evidence list. These are your entries, not a verified property analysis. You can also buy now and fill them in later.
Start by checking the property facts and valuation basis. Record a specific question before choosing supporting evidence. Preparation does not reopen an expired filing window.
Optional notes are included in your purchase record and PDF. Do not include sensitive documents, account credentials or other people’s personal information.
your local city or township Board of Review (not the state)
Form 618 (L-4035)
This is the Michigan statewide route. Your county may use its own office, deadline or fee, so confirm those against your assessment notice or the official directory before you file. The jurisdiction exceptions in this guide list the ones we hold.
Open official filing instructionsAdd evidence you have already found (optional)
We organize your entries in the paid PDF; we do not verify them or generate comparable sales in the $29 kit. For each record include the address, sale price or assessment, date, official source and why it is relevant. Use the correct valuation date and local evidence rules.
Your Michigan purchase preview
Add your property above to preview your preparation package
Buyer-supplied details · not a verified property match or finding of overassessment
- Letter draft: editable owner-name field.
- Preparation plan: i am preparing or am not sure yet.
- Evidence organizer: 0 of your records supplied; editable worksheets included.
- Filing instructions: your local city or township Board of Review (not the state); confirm your local form and deadline.
- Official form autofill is not included for this location. Your kit links to the official filing resources.
Unlocked after purchase: complete state guide, personalized letter draft, preparation plan and editable evidence worksheets.
Still yours to do: verify the facts and deadline, obtain supporting evidence, finish required forms, sign and file. The $29 kit does not establish overassessment or include researched comparable sales. Government forms are free; you pay for the preparation package.
PARTIAL SAMPLE · Michigan DIY kit
See an organized preparation draft
Fictional teaching example: a property record lists 2,400 square feet; the owner’s floor plan lists 2,000. This is a question to investigate, not proof of overassessment or a savings estimate.
See the completed example and what you receive
What we prepare — and where it comes from
- State guide and filing checklist: official-source links and verification steps.
- Editable letter and preparation plan: your optional confirmed entries, with editable fields for missing details.
- Evidence organizer: the records you supply, with space for source, date and relevance. We do not research or verify comparable properties in this kit.
You finish: verify your facts and deadline, collect and attach actual records, complete required official forms, sign and file. Government forms are free.
Need researched property evidence? Preview the separate $49 Audit where supporting records are available.
1. Define the question. Compare the area definitions, dates and source documents before assuming either number is correct.
Notice worksheet: property-record errors to verify
“The two area figures differ. Check whether they measure the same space, and verify the current property record before requesting a correction.”
2. Make an evidence list. Use the filing tracker to separate documents you have from documents you still need.
Filing tracker: evidence index
“To collect and label: current property record, dated floor plan and any measurements needed to resolve the difference. Record each source, date and page number.”
Example preparation summary · fictional, not filed
Question: Do the two area figures use the same measurement definition?
Document index: A — current property record; B — dated floor plan. Add source dates and page numbers before relying on either.
Unresolved: measurement basis, current facts and the appropriate local correction or appeal route.
Next action: verify those points with the official local source before making a correction request.
The useful result: one defined issue and a document checklist. You still verify the facts and the correct local filing route. No correction or tax reduction has been established in this example.
These illustrative entries show how to use two fields in the paid worksheets. The paid PDF carries your optional question and document list into editable worksheets and adds a preparation plan for your selected starting point. It does not contain this fictional property or a verified case for your home.
Your starting details
The notice worksheet also helps you record:
- Property address and parcel identifier
- State, county, township and reviewing body
- Assessment year and valuation date
Make this preparation package your own
Add your name, property details and question before buying. Your entries become a personalized letter draft and preparation plan in the paid PDF. You can edit them later; no need to start with an empty letter.
See setup and purchase options · $29Preview your setup before checkout. You gather and verify evidence, complete required local forms, and file yourself.
After purchase: your preparation plan, the complete state guide, three fillable worksheets, official-source links and editable appeal letter. The full evidence organizer and letter are not included in this excerpt. You gather evidence and file yourself.
Prepare your Michigan property tax appeal
Have a current notice? Check its deadline and reviewing office, verify the property details, then organize evidence that supports the correction you are requesting. Confirm official forms and fees before filing.
Preparing for a future window? Use the worksheets to review property records, list errors to investigate and plan your evidence. Buying now does not reopen a closed deadline or guarantee lower taxes.
The kit organizes those steps into a reusable guide and worksheets. It does not find comparable properties for you, file an appeal or replace your local authority’s instructions.
See what comes in the $29 DIY kit
See the Illinois worksheets and evidence organizer. This September 12 walkthrough shows an earlier kit version; today’s kit also personalizes your preparation plan and editable letter from the details you provide. State requirements differ.
42 seconds · Narrated and captioned · Plays when you choose
See the current kit sample for this state →
Read the video transcript
Want to appeal your property assessment without starting from a blank page? Here is what AppealMyTax's $29 DIY kit includes: a guide to the process, a worksheet to check your notice and deadline, fillable fields to organize comparable-property research and supporting evidence, a filing and hearing tracker, and an appeal letter you can copy and customize. Choose your state and pay once. Your kit is delivered by email. You gather the evidence, confirm your local requirements, and file yourself. See what is included at AppealMyTax.
On screen: pages from the Illinois kit, including its notice/deadline worksheet, evidence organizer and filing/hearing tracker. You complete required forms and file yourself.
How a Michigan appeal works
The short version, free. The paid kit adds the evidence workbook, filing controls, and editable letter.
- Your assessor mails a Notice of Assessment in late February showing your Assessed Value, State Equalized Value, and Taxable Value. It must go out at least 14 days before your local Board of Review meets.
- You protest to your LOCAL MARCH BOARD OF REVIEW using Form 618 (L-4035). For residential property this step is mandatory, and skipping it permanently blocks the state appeal for that year.
- The Board mails its written decision by the first Monday in June, along with your Tax Tribunal appeal rights.
- If still over-assessed, file a Small Claims petition with the Michigan Tax Tribunal by July 31, free if you have a Principal Residence Exemption of 50% or more. And under MCL 211.30c, any reduction you win becomes the basis for next year's assessment too.
What to check on your assessment notice
- The Board of Review date, time, and location, and whether letter protests are allowed. This varies by city and township and the notice is the only reliable source.
- Is your Assessed Value more than 50% of what your home would actually sell for as of December 31 of the prior year? Double the Assessed Value. If that number is higher than market, you have a case.
- Is your SEV above your Taxable Value, and by how much? If the gap is large, a valuation win may not reduce this year's bill at all. Check this before you spend a day on evidence.
- Is your Principal Residence Exemption percentage right (it should be 100% for an owner-occupied home), and is the classification "residential"? A 0% PRE means you are paying roughly 18 extra school operating mills.
Official lookup: Michigan Tax Tribunal: Small Claims filing, forms, and fees →
What’s inside
How it works
- Buy the kit — the PDF lands in your inbox instantly.
- Read your Notice of Assessment for YOUR local Board of Review dates and whether letter protests are allowed. The statutory default is the second Monday in March, but townships may shift it and home-rule cities set their own by charter. The notice is the only reliable source.
- Gather the evidence on the checklist and edit the appeal-letter template.
- File the current instrument required by your local city or township Board of Review (not the state) before your deadline.
Different process where you live?
Michigan is not one system. These jurisdictions have local filing routes, forms or deadlines that can differ from the statewide overview. The kit covers each one in its own section.
- Deadline
- In 2026 the Assessor Review ran February 1 to February 22 by 4:30 p.m., with mailed appeals postmarked by February 22; the March Board convened March 3 with APPEALS DUE by 4:30 p.m. on March 9, sitting as needed through no later than April 6. Re-confirm the current year's dates on the city's assessor page before relying on them.
- Filed with
- The February Assessor Review (Office of the Assessor), then the Detroit Property Assessment Board of Review, then the Michigan Tax Tribunal.
- Form
- Detroit's own appeal form, filed online, in person at the Detroit Tax Service Center, or by letter to the Office of the Assessor.
- Deadline
- The Assessor's Review runs the first two full weeks of February: in 2026, February 2 to 13, with letter appeals postmarked by February 13 and forms received by 5:00 p.m. that day. The Board of Review then sat March 3 to 20 by appointment only, with appointments scheduled no later than March 16. The February window shifts each year, so confirm it.
- Filed with
- The Assessor's Review (a mandatory first step under the City Charter), then the City Board of Review, then the Michigan Tax Tribunal.
- Form
- The city's Assessor's Review form, then a Board of Review appeal by letter or appointment.
- Deadline
- The Board meets starting the Monday of the THIRD week of March, for four days. Notices of Assessment mail around the first week of March, and appearances are by appointment. The city posts a Board of Review Public Notice with the year's exact dates.
- Filed with
- The Ann Arbor City Board of Review, members appointed by the Mayor with Council approval, then the Michigan Tax Tribunal.
- Form
- Appeal forms are provided by the Assessor's Office on request; Form 618 (L-4035) is the STC-prescribed alternative.
- Deadline
- Four sessions a year: an early-March organizational session that receives the certified roll and hears NO appeals; a mid-to-late March session for valuation, classification, and hardship appeals, typically beginning the third Monday in March; then mid-July and mid-December for qualified errors and hardship exemptions. The city publishes exact dates annually. The published date controls, not "third Monday."
- Filed with
- A six-member Board of Review appointed by City Council, sitting as two three-member committees, then the Michigan Tax Tribunal.
- Form
- Form 618 (L-4035) or the city's equivalent petition, by appointment.
What Michigan charges to file
These are your county or state’s fees, not ours. Listed so there are no surprises.
- Board of Review: FREE. No filing fee is prescribed or charged for Form 618 (L-4035), anywhere in Michigan.
- Michigan Tax Tribunal, Small Claims: NO FEE for a petition disputing State Equalized Value, Taxable Value, or an ad valorem exemption if the property has a Principal Residence Exemption of at least 50% for all tax years at issue at the time of filing. For the typical owner-occupied Michigan home, the Tribunal appeal costs nothing.
- No fee either for petitions disputing denial of a poverty exemption or a disabled veterans exemption.
- $25 to contest denial of a Principal Residence or Qualified Agricultural exemption; $75 to contest classification; $100 for a special assessment or non-property tax appeal.
- Residential WITHOUT a qualifying PRE pays half the Entire Tribunal schedule, tiered by the amount in dispute: $125 where the amount in dispute is $100,000 or less, $200 from $100,000 to $500,000, and $300 above $500,000.
- Add $25 for each additional contiguous parcel owned by the same person in one assessing unit, capped at $1,000 total in Small Claims. (The $2,000 cap that circulates online is the Entire Tribunal cap, not Small Claims.)
- Motions: $50 for immediate consideration or summary disposition, $25 for other motions, and nothing to withdraw a petition or to request a telephonic, video, or in-person hearing. A fee waiver request form exists.
- Fees change by rule amendment. Confirm current amounts at michigan.gov/taxtrib/fees before filing, and note the Tribunal states that where its fee calculator and the Rules disagree, the Rules control.