Texas · you still have off-season moves
Missed the deadline? Your home is still over-assessed. Here's what you can do.
Your overassessment didn't expire on May 15, and you have real options. If your home is severely over-assessed(a homestead more than one-fourth above its value, 25 percent, or non-homestead more than one-third), Texas Tax Code §25.25(d) lets you file a late correction even now (a 10 percent late penalty applies, and only if you did not already protest this year). And the same overpayment carries straight into 2027, so getting your pre-filled protest kit ready today means you sign and file the moment new values publish, before next year's deadline.
We won't pretend you can file a standard 2026 protest after May 15 (Tax Code §41.44 is a hard deadline), be skeptical of anyone who says otherwise. But the homes that were 15-40% over-appraised in 2026 will be in 2027, only worse, because it compounds. Acting now is how you stop the bleed.
Not too late in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's appeal window is open right now.
If you own in Pennsylvania you have not missed anything yet, but check your county's own date rather than the statewide one. Under 53 Pa.C.S. §8844(c)(1) the default is September 1, and §8844(c)(3) lets a county move it earlier. Two of the biggest have:
- Montgomery County — August 1, 2026, a month before the statewide default
- Bucks County — August 3, 2026
- Allegheny County — September 1, 2026 (moved from March 31, so older guides are stale)
- Philadelphia — October 5, 2026, under the city's own separate law
Full process, common level ratio explainer, and county contacts on the Pennsylvania property tax appeal guide. Check your address free, and the protest kit is $49 flat if you want it pre-filled.
The cost of waiting until next year
$356M in projected 2026 overpayments across 221,107 overassessed Houston-area homes.
Pulled live from HCAD public records across 133 Harris County ZIPs. If your house is on the leaderboard, every month you delay action costs you money you can't recover.
Get your protest kit
Your pre-filled protest kit · $49 flat
See your exact over-assessment free in 30 seconds, then get your full pre-filled protest kit with comparable-sales evidence for $49, one time, and keep 100% of your savings. We fill it out, you sign and submit. Severely over-assessed? File a §25.25 correction now. Otherwise your kit is built and ready the day May 15, 2027 values publish.
Check my address free →$49 flat, one time · 30-day money-back guarantee · No contingency, no subscription
What you get for $49
- ✓ Pre-filled Notice of Protest letter citing Tax Code §41.41 (excessive value) and §41.43(b)(3) (unequal appraisal) for both grounds
- ✓ Comparable-sales evidence sheet, 3-5 comps pulled from current HCAD records, formatted for iFile upload
- ✓ County-specific filing instructions, step-by-step for HCAD iFile
- ✓ Informal hearing prep, most cases settle informally if you bring strong comp data
- ✓ ARB hearing checklist, for the <15% that go to formal hearings
- ✓ Severely over-assessed? A §25.25 correction path you can file now, even though May 15 passed
- ✓ $49 flat, one time, no contingency, no subscription, you keep 100% of your savings
Why not Ownwell instead?
Ownwell charges 25-35% of your savings every year. If they get your value reduced by $50,000 and your tax rate is 2.31%, you save ~$1,155/yr, and pay Ownwell $289-$404 of that. Every year. Forever.
At $49 flat, we cost less than Ownwell's first-year cut on even modest reductions, and unlike them, our fee doesn't scale with how successful your appeal is. Bigger reduction = same $49.
The most-overassessed Harris County ZIPs right now
If your house is in one of these, the case for locking in 2027 prep is overwhelming.
Common questions
Can I still appeal my Texas property taxes after May 15?
In almost all cases, no. Texas Tax Code §41.44 sets a hard deadline of May 15 (or 30 days after the appraisal notice was mailed). The narrow exceptions, Tax Code §41.411 (failure to mail notice), §41.412 (substantial error), §25.25(c)/(d) (clerical errors, joint motions), apply to very specific situations and are not a general “late filing” option. Be skeptical of any service claiming they can file your 2026 protest after May 15.
What's the smartest thing to do if I missed the 2026 deadline?
If your homestead is more than one-fourth (25%) over its value, or non-homestead more than a third, file a §25.25 correction now, even though May 15 passed. Otherwise get your $49 protest kit today: HCAD publishes new 2027 values in March-April 2027, the same overassessment will still be there, and your comp-backed kit comes pre-filled and emailed ready to sign and file the moment new values publish, before the next deadline.
What is the §25.25 late correction and who qualifies?
Texas Tax Code §25.25(d) lets you correct an over-appraisal after the May 15 deadline if your homestead is more than one-fourth (25%) over its market value, or one-third for non-homestead property. You file a Motion to Correct (Form 50-869 or 50-230) with the Appraisal Review Board before taxes go delinquent at the end of January. Under §25.25(d-1) a 10% late-correction penalty applies with no homestead exception, and the route is barred if you already had an ARB hearing on the merits this year or settled your value in a written agreement with the district.
Does your $49 kit prove a §25.25(d) motion? (Honest answer: not by itself.)
No, and we would rather tell you that than sell you the wrong tool. Our kit's core evidence is comparable assessments, the equal-and-uniform argument under §41.43(b)(3), which is the winning evidence in a regular Chapter 41 protest. A §25.25(d) motion is different: it turns on whether your appraised value exceeds the correct appraised value, which §23.01 defines as market value. For the motion itself, the strongest evidence is market data: closed sales of similar homes, a fee appraisal, or documentation of a purchase price. What our kit does for a (d) filer: flags whether you plausibly clear the one-fourth threshold, pre-fills the motion form with your parcel data, gives you the filing steps, and provides supporting context. What it does not do is substitute for market-value evidence, and we say so here because the standing rule of this site is to tell you what the data proves and what it does not.
Don't miss May 15, 2027 too.
Check your address free in 30 seconds. We build your pre-filled protest kit with comparable-sales evidence for $49 flat, ready the day May 15, 2027 values publish. You sign and submit, and keep 100% of your savings.
Check my address free →$49 flat, one time · 30-day money-back guarantee · No contingency, no subscription