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

Property tax protest companies in Houston, compared for Harris County (2026)

Harris County reassesses every home every year, and on a typical $50,000 over-assessment at Houston's roughly 2.31% effective rate, that is about $1,155 a year on the line. Six companies actively serve Houston homeowners for the HCAD protest. Here is how they compare on fee, who files, and whether the comparable sales they use come from the real HCAD appraisal roll or a generic estimate. (Five Stone Tax is left out because it does not handle Harris County residential protests.)

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
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

$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

For a Houston homeowner, the contingency firms (Ownwell, O'Connor, Home Tax Shield, Texas Protax) will handle everything and take 25% to 50% of your savings to do it. TaxLasso files for you for a flat $199. The lowest-cost option that keeps you in control is a $49 flat packet built from your actual HCAD record: every comp is a real Harris County parcel you can look up yourself, it is HCAD iFile-ready, and you keep 100% of the reduction. Check your exact Harris County over-assessment free first, then decide.

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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