Texas Property Tax Protest Deadline 2026: Every Date You Need to Know

The Two Deadlines Every Texas Homeowner Should Understand

Texas property tax law actually gives you two possible deadlines, and you get the benefit of whichever one falls later. This is important because it protects you if your county appraisal district is slow getting notices out.

Deadline #1: May 15, 2026. This is the standard, statutory deadline. It applies to everyone, regardless of when you received your notice. If your notice arrived in March, your deadline is still May 15.

Deadline #2: 30 days after the appraisal district mails your notice. This is the safety net. If HCAD or your local appraisal district doesn't mail your Notice of Appraised Value until April 25, your personal deadline extends to May 25. You get the full 30 days no matter what.

The rule is simple: take whichever date is later. That is your deadline.

One critical detail that trips people up: the 30-day clock starts when the appraisal district mails the notice, not when you receive it. If they mailed it April 20 but it didn't arrive in your mailbox until April 27, your deadline is still May 20 (30 days from the mailing date). Check the postmark if you are cutting it close.

2026 Property Tax Calendar: County by County

Every Texas county follows the same state law, but the timing of when notices go out varies significantly. Here is what to expect from the major counties:

*Travis and Williamson counties occasionally mail notices in late April, which can push individual deadlines past May 15 under the 30-day rule.

What Happens If You Miss the Deadline

Nothing good. And nothing you can fix.

If you miss the protest deadline, your assessed value for 2026 is locked in. You will pay taxes on whatever number the appraisal district assigned, even if it is wildly inaccurate. There is no appeal process after the deadline passes. There is no hardship exception. There is no "I didn't know" workaround.

You simply wait until next year, receive a new notice, and try again.

For perspective: if your home is overassessed by $50,000 and you miss the deadline, at a typical Texas tax rate of 2.5%, you just lost $1,250. Not "lost" as in a theoretical number on a spreadsheet. Lost as in that money comes out of your bank account and does not come back.

That is why we built our system to give you results in under 60 seconds. Because the longer the process takes, the more likely you are to put it off until it is too late.

The One Exception: Late Notices

There is exactly one scenario where you get more time than May 15, and it requires no action on your part.

If your appraisal district mails your Notice of Appraised Value after April 15, your deadline automatically extends to 30 days from the mailing date. This happens more often than you might expect. Travis County (Austin) and some smaller rural counties frequently send notices in late April, giving homeowners until late May to file.

How do you know when your notice was mailed? Check the date printed on the notice itself. Most Texas appraisal districts print the mailing date in the upper right corner or in the body of the letter. If you can't find it, call your county appraisal district and ask for the mailing date for your property.

How to File Before the Deadline (3 Methods)

Method 1: File Online (Fastest)

Most Texas counties now offer online protest filing. Here are the direct links for the major counties:

• Harris County (HCAD): iFile system at hcad.org
• Dallas County (DCAD): Online protest at dallascad.org
• Tarrant County (TAD): Online filing at tad.org
• Travis County (TCAD): Online protest at traviscad.org
• Bexar County (BCAD): Online filing at bcad.org
• Collin County (Collin CAD): Online protest at collincad.org

When filing online, select "Unequal Appraisal" as your reason for protest. This is the equity strategy that gives you the strongest legal footing under Section 41.41(a)(2).

Method 2: Mail Form 50-132 (Paper Filing)

Download the Texas Comptroller's Form 50-132 (Notice of Protest), fill it out, and mail it to your county appraisal district. The form is straightforward. The critical part is checking the right protest box and getting it postmarked before the deadline.

Pro tip: if you are mailing close to the deadline, use certified mail with a return receipt. The postmark date is what counts, not the delivery date. Certified mail gives you proof of when it was sent.

Method 3: Walk In (Same Day Confirmation)

You can file your protest in person at your county appraisal district office. This guarantees same day receipt and can be helpful if you are filing on or very close to the deadline. Bring a copy of your Notice of Appraised Value and a photo ID.

Your 2026 Property Tax Protest Timeline

Here is the ideal timeline for a Texas homeowner who wants to be fully prepared:

Why Filing Early Gives You an Advantage

Here is something the appraisal districts don't advertise: filing early can actually improve your chances of a favorable outcome.

When you file in March or early April, your informal hearing typically gets scheduled in May or June. At that point, the appraisal district is still early in the hearing cycle. Appraisers have more time, more patience, and more flexibility to negotiate. They are not yet buried under the avalanche of protests that hits in the summer months.

By contrast, if you file on May 14, your hearing probably won't be scheduled until July or August. By then, appraisers are exhausted, running behind schedule, and less inclined to make generous settlements. The math is the math, and strong evidence wins regardless of timing. But human nature is real, and a well prepared protest presented to a fresh appraiser in June will often get a warmer reception than the same protest presented in a packed August hearing room.

Don't Let the Deadline Pass You By

Every year, millions of dollars in potential tax savings go unclaimed by Texas homeowners who simply ran out of time. They meant to file. They planned to look into it. They told themselves they'd get to it next week.

And then May 16 arrived.

The entire process of checking your eligibility takes less than 60 seconds. You enter your address, we pull your county records, and you see immediately whether your home is overassessed relative to comparable properties. If it is, you have the evidence you need to file a protest. If it isn't, you have peace of mind that your assessment is fair.

Either way, you have your answer before you finish your morning coffee.