How to file a late property tax protest in Texas (2026)

Sometimes, yes. Texas Tax Code §41.44(b) allows a late protest for good cause if the Appraisal Review Board finds you had a valid reason and you file before the board approves the appraisal records (usually around mid-July). Separately, §41.411 lets you protest if the appraisal district failed to deliver a required notice, and §25.25(d) allows a homestead owner to move to correct a value that is more than 25% too high, later in the year. These are exceptions, not a general extension — the ordinary deadline is still May 15 (or 30 days after your notice, if later).

Good cause under §41.44(b) is a genuine reason that prevented timely filing — serious illness or hospitalization, a death in the family, military deployment, being out of the country, a natural disaster, or a documented mail failure. Simply forgetting or being busy generally does not qualify. The ARB decides good cause case by case, so bring dates and documentation.

Section 41.44(b) is the general good-cause late protest: you had a valid reason for missing the deadline and file before the ARB approves the records. Section 41.411 is different — it lets you protest the appraisal district's failure to deliver a notice the law required it to send (for example, your notice of appraised value). If you never got your notice, §41.411 is usually the right path and can extend your window considerably.

Section 25.25(d) is a late-correction motion. Even if the protest deadline has passed, a homestead owner can ask the ARB to correct an appraised value that exceeds the property's correct value by more than one-fourth (more than 25%). You can file it any time before the taxes become delinquent, though the district may add a late-correction penalty of 10% of the tax attributable to the corrected amount. It is the safety valve for a severely over-assessed home.

Every Texas county's Appraisal Review Board is governed by the same statewide Tax Code, so the §41.44(b) good-cause, §41.411 failure-to-notice, and §25.25(d) correction paths exist in all of them, including Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Travis, and Fort Bend. What varies is the local process and portal — for example HCAD's iFile in Harris County or DCAD's uFile in Dallas. Acceptance of a good-cause late protest is still up to that county's ARB.

AppealMyTax is a $49 flat fee for a pre-filled, sign-ready protest kit with real comparable-sales evidence from your county's appraisal roll — no contingency fee and no cut of your savings. You file it yourself with your county ARB, which keeps you in control and lets you keep 100% of any reduction. Checking whether you are over-assessed is always free.