Confused by your Texas appraisal notice? This guide explains every section of your Notice of Appraised Value, what numbers to check, errors to look for, and exactly what to do next.
The Notice of Appraised Value is an annual document sent by your county appraisal district (CAD) informing you of the estimated market value of your property as of January 1st of the current tax year. It is NOT your tax bill — the actual tax bill comes later in the year from your taxing units (county, city, school district, etc.) once tax rates are set. The notice is your first look at what the appraisal district thinks your home is worth. If that number is too high, this notice is also your signal to protest. Your protest deadline is triggered by the mailing date on this notice.
The top section of your notice identifies the property being valued. This seems basic, but errors here are more common than you'd think — and they can cause your assessment to be inflated significantly.
The heart of your notice is the appraised value section, which shows last year's value and this year's new value. In Texas, the appraisal district is required to value your property at 100% of its fair market value as of January 1st. This means the appraised value on your notice should reflect what your home would sell for on the open market on that date — not what it sold for when you bought it, not what you think it's worth, and not what your neighbor thinks it's worth. The question to ask is simple: would my home actually sell for this amount today?
Your notice will show any exemptions the appraisal district has on file for your property. Exemptions reduce your taxable value — not your market value assessment — and are critical for calculating your actual tax bill. The most important exemption is the homestead exemption, which Texas homeowners can apply for on their primary residence.
Somewhere on your notice — often in a box or highlighted section — is the protest deadline. This is the date by which you must file your protest to challenge the assessed value. Under Texas Tax Code § 41.44, your deadline is May 15 or 30 days from the mailing date on this notice, whichever is later. The mailing date is the key date — it's printed on the notice. Do not miss this deadline. Once it passes, you cannot protest your 2027 assessment regardless of how inflated the value is.
One of the most valuable things you can do after receiving your notice is pull your property's official record from your county appraisal district's website. Your account number from the notice is all you need. Search the CAD's public database and compare the official record to what you know about your property. Common errors that inflate assessments include wrong square footage, a pool listed that doesn't exist or was removed, extra bathrooms not present, an incorrect year built, finished basement counted when it's unfinished, and wrong lot size. Any discrepancy is grounds for protest.
Once you've reviewed your notice and your property record, you have a clear picture of whether a protest makes sense. If your appraised value is higher than what comparable homes in your neighborhood have sold for recently, or if you found errors in your property record, file a protest. The risk of filing is zero — Texas law prevents your value from being raised as a result of your protest. TaxAppeal can take it from here: we check whether a protest will actually lower your bill after your exemptions and the homestead cap, and if it won't, we tell you and don't sell you one. If it will, we mail you a ready-to-sign kit — Form 50-132 filled in, an equal-and-uniform comparison from the district's own roll and a return envelope addressed to the appraisal district. You sign it and mail it before your deadline.
We check first. If an appeal will lower your bill, we mail you a ready-to-sign kit for $89 flat. You sign it and mail it, and you keep 100% of your savings.
TaxAppeal USA is a self-service document-preparation service. We prepare a ready-to-sign appeal kit and mail it to you; you sign it and mail it to the county yourself. In every state we serve, including Florida, we are not property tax consultants, agents, or representatives, we do not provide tax or legal advice, and we do not file appeals or represent customers before any appraisal district, board of assessors, board of equalization, value adjustment board, or review board. Every appeal, protest and petition is prepared for the property owner, signed by the owner, and mailed by the owner in the owner’s name. In Florida your petition is signed by you as the property owner under section 194.011(3), Florida Statutes, and the county’s Value Adjustment Board filing fee is paid by you directly to the county. TaxAppeal USA does not sign as your representative, does not appear before the Board, and does not present evidence or argument at a hearing.