Complete guide to protesting your Travis County property taxes in 2026. Austin homeowners: beat TCAD with comparable sales evidence. Covers Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, and all TCAD cities.
The Travis Central Appraisal District is responsible for valuing all real property in Travis County as of January 1st each year. Like all Texas appraisal districts, TCAD uses computer-assisted mass appraisal (CAMA) âÃÂàa system that applies statistical regression models to broad neighborhood data rather than individually inspecting each home. Austin's real estate market is unusually volatile by Texas standards, driven by tech sector employment, migration patterns, and interest rate sensitivity. This volatility makes TCAD's mass-appraisal models particularly prone to error. When the market turns, the models are slow to follow. The result: assessments that reflected 2022 peak prices are still appearing on 2025 and 2026 notices for many homeowners.
Travis Central Appraisal District mails Notices of Appraised Value in April each year. Your protest deadline is the later of May 15, 2026, or 30 days from the date printed on your notice. TCAD handles one of the highest volumes of protests in Texas âÃÂàfiling early gives you better informal hearing scheduling options and more time to gather evidence.
Austin home values peaked in spring 2022 when the median sale price reached approximately $667,000. By early 2024, the median had fallen to roughly $525,000 âÃÂàa correction of more than 20%. TCAD's assessed values for 2025 and 2026 have partially reflected this correction, but many properties remain over-assessed relative to their actual current market value. If your TCAD assessment is within 5âÃÂÃÂ15% of peak 2022 values but current comparable sales in your neighborhood are significantly lower, you have strong grounds to protest. The correction has been uneven across Austin âÃÂàsome neighborhoods corrected sharply, others held value. TaxAppeal's comparable sales analysis identifies exactly where your property stands.
Texas law gives you two paths to a reduction, and the strongest protests use both simultaneously.
TCAD informal hearings are short meetings âÃÂàtypically 15âÃÂÃÂ30 minutes âÃÂàwith a staff appraiser who reviews your evidence and has authority to reduce your value on the spot. The single most persuasive evidence is a well-curated set of comparable sales showing homes similar to yours sold for less than your assessed value in the 12 months prior to January 1, 2026. TCAD appraisers see hundreds of protests and respond most readily to clean, specific comparable sales data. Supplement with any property defect documentation or TCAD record errors for the strongest possible case.
The Travis Central Appraisal District covers all property in Travis County âÃÂàincluding Austin, Round Rock (Travis County portions), Cedar Park (Travis County portions), Georgetown (Travis County portions), Pflugerville, Manor, Lakeway, West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Sunset Valley, and all unincorporated Travis County areas. Note that Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Georgetown also extend into Williamson County, which falls under the Williamson Central Appraisal District (WCAD). Check your notice to confirm your appraisal district.
Austin property tax protest companies routinely charge 25âÃÂÃÂ40% of savings. On a $2,600 annual reduction âÃÂàroughly the Travis County average for successful protests âÃÂàthat's $650âÃÂÃÂ$1,040 in fees per year. TaxAppeal charges $79 flat. On the same $2,600 savings, you keep $2,521 instead of $1,560âÃÂÃÂ$1,950. Over five years, that's a difference of $2,855âÃÂÃÂ$4,800 that stays in your pocket.
$79 flat fee. We handle everything. You keep 100% of your savings.