What is a property tax appeal?

A property tax appeal (also called a protest in Texas) is a formal process where you challenge your county appraiser's assessed value of your home. You file with the county Appraisal Review Board (ARB), present comparable-sales evidence that your home is overvalued, and the board issues a ruling.

When is the Texas property tax appeal deadline?

In Texas, the deadline to file a property tax protest is May 15 each year (or 30 days after your appraisal notice is mailed, whichever is later). The 2026 deadline has passed; the next protest window is April-May 2027.

How much can I save by appealing my property taxes?

Homeowners who appeal save an average of $774 per year in Texas, and you can protest again every year. Success rates range from 80-91% when you bring 3-5 comparable sales as evidence.

What's the difference between AppealMyTax and Ownwell?

AppealMyTax charges a flat $49, one time, for a complete personalized appeal packet you file yourself. You keep 100% of your savings every year. Ownwell keeps a 25-35% contingency on whatever you save and O'Connor keeps about half, meaning a $2,461 reduction costs you roughly $615-$1,230 every year forever. We charge $49 once and keep nothing.

Honest comparison · 2026

Best property tax appeal services in Texas, all 8 compared (2026)

There are eight property tax appeal services a Texas homeowner can realistically choose from in 2026. We analyzed 4.6 million homes across 13 Texas counties for our over-assessment study, so we built this on the two numbers that actually decide whether a service is worth it: how much of your savings you keep after their fee, and whether the comparable sales in your evidence are real, checkable parcels or AI-generated estimates. No affiliate rankings, no sponsored slots, just the published fees and the math on a typical reduction.

Service	Fee	You keep on a $3,000 saving	Comp data
AppealMyTax Filing-ready packet (you file) · 13 Texas counties	$49 flat, one time	$2,951	Real comparable parcels from your county's own appraisal roll, each one verifiable
Ownwell Done for you · About 7-8 states	25% of savings (35% in FL/CA/NY), every year	$2,250/yr	Their analysts assemble the evidence and file on your behalf
O'Connor & Associates Done for you · Texas + many states	50% of first-year savings	$1,500	Full-service firm; files and represents you (subject of a Texas AG lawsuit, allegations unproven)
TaxLasso Done for you · Texas only	$199 flat	$2,801	AI analysis, then they file and negotiate for you
AppealDesk Filing-ready packet (you file) · Claims all 50 states / 3,100 counties	$49 flat	$2,951	AI-generated estimates; no county data source disclosed
Home Tax Shield Done for you · Texas only	$30 + 30% of savings, every year	$2,070/yr	Licensed local pros file and negotiate for you each season
Texas Protax Done for you · Austin metro + Harris County	40% of savings, $50 minimum	$1,800/yr	Full-service firm since 1988; agents attend ARB hearings for you
Five Stone Tax Done for you · About 7 Austin-area + DFW counties (no Houston residential)	40% of savings (flat minimum applies)	$1,800/yr	Established Austin firm; files and represents you (40% or flat minimum, whichever is greater)

$3,000is an illustrative annual saving. Fees are each provider's publicly listed pricing as of June 2026; verify on their sites.

The honest verdict

Six of the eight are contingency or done-for-you firms that take 25% to 50% of your savings, every year in most cases. Two are flat-fee: AppealDesk at $49 and AppealMyTax at $49. Between the flat-fee pair the only question that matters is the evidence, because a wrong comparable can lose your hearing: AppealDesk generates AI estimates for counties it does not appear to have loaded, while AppealMyTax pulls real, verifiable comps from your county's own appraisal roll across 13 Texas counties. If you can spend ten minutes filing online, the flat-fee packet with real county data keeps the most money in your pocket.

More on why we are flat-fee and how to vet any appeal service on our honest comparison page, or run your own numbers in the fee calculator.

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