🏡 Coming to the Protest Open House? Pre-Register Now

We’re hosting a Neighbors-Only Peek + Property Tax Protest Tips session followed by a Public Open House at

2309 Micarta Drive, Plano (see listing page here)

 This Saturday May 17th
12:30–1:30 PM (Neighbors)
• 2:00–4:00 PM (Public)

🎁 Pre-register today and be entered to win a $50 gift card at the event!
🛑 Reminder: The deadline to e-file your protest is May 15!
📺 Watch the step-by-step video below to get it done before you come.

 

---

 

❗️Missed the Deadline?

If you missed the May 15 protest deadline, you may still request a late hearingby showing “good cause.” While there’s no updated application form provided by the CADs in 2025, many property owners have successfully used the prior year’s form.

📝 You can download that here:
Collin CAD Good Cause Late Protest Request Form (2023)

👉 Tip: Be specific and detailed about why you missed the deadline — health, family emergency, CAD mailing delays, etc.

⚠️ Note: Approval is not guaranteed, and each ARB reviews these on a case-by-case basis.

 

 

---

Help me in helping your neighbors by going to the Facebook Group I created solely for neighbors to discuss helpful information about property taxes or protesting. A place to share your stories and tips. Even a "today I went in and line was around the corner or took 5 minutes" etc.  Hopefully, it can be an ongoing resource to also checkback next year to remind ourselves of the process.


 or scan code
 

---

 

 

2025

2024

2023

2023 Workshops

Collin County ARB 2022 Protest

If you missed the other ways to lower your property tax bill click BACK to go to my Property Taxes Page- What, Why, How

---

                                                                                                 UPDATES  

2025
📍 DFW County Comparison – Protest Process: 

County	New Portal/System?	Informal Meetings?	Evidence Rules	Affidavit Required?
Collin	✅ Yes – New portal at onlineportal.collincad.org	✅ Yes — Must schedule in advance (QR code on notice)	Upload to portal, bring USB or paper; no smartphones; max 20MB per upload	✅ Yes, if not attending or attending remotely
Denton	➡️ Portal same, design updated (dentoncad.com)	❌ Ended May 9 for residential; auto informal if scheduled hearing	Upload in Step 5, bring USB/print, no phones	✅ Yes, if not attending or joining by phone/video
Dallas	✅ Online protest via dcad.org	✅ Yes — system encourages early resolution	Upload via portal or mail; evidence strongly encouraged before hearing	✅ Yes, if not attending
Tarrant	✅ tad.org with self-serve protest tools	✅ Yes — No appointment needed; just walk in	Upload online or bring printed or USB evidence	✅ Yes, if not attending

New portal to efile is https://onlineportal.collincad.org you have to create a new account this year so have your 2025 Notice of Appraised Value sheet infront of you that has your Property ID and your EFile PIN

📞🎥 Attending Your ARB Hearing by Phone or Video? Here’s What You Do (and Don’t) Need in 2025:

✅ Good news — if you're attending your Appraisal Review Board (ARB) hearing in person, by phone, or via video:

• You do NOT need a notary.

• You do NOT need to fill out an affidavit if you're uploading your evidence through the CAD’s online protest portal (efile system).

• If you're submitting evidence by email, fax, or dropping it off in person, you'll just need to include the simple Declaration of Evidence form (no notary required).

📝 Download the Declaration of Evidence form here


🛑 Not planning to attend your hearing at all?

Then you must submit the Affidavit of Evidence — and it does need to be notarized.
The ARB legally cannot consider your documents without it.

📝 Download the Affidavit of Evidence form here

See the 2025 Collin County Procedures here

 DENTON COUNTY
Informal HEARINGS ARE OUT per their website that states:

Due to scheduling constraints, informal meetings are only available for Agricultural, Business Personal Property, and Commercial accounts at this time.

If you submitted a residential property protest and requested an informal meeting but were unable to schedule one before May 9th, an informal conference will still take place on the same day as your scheduled protest hearing, prior to the hearing.

Even though it still shows the link to schedule one at waitwhile.com/locations/dcad/welcome

If you don’t receive a Notice of Appraised Value, you can still view your property’s values using the public portal or the property search tool on their website. This links ot Denton Counties.

Homestead Exemption Audits Are Coming in Denton County
Starting in 2025, Denton CAD will begin verifying 20% of homestead exemptions annually under Senate Bill 1801. If you get a verification letter, don’t ignore it — you’ll need to re-submit documents to avoid losing your exemption.

---

🏠 Upcoming Change to the Texas Homestead Exemption

Heads up! Texas lawmakers have passed legislation to increase the school district homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000for most homeowners — and $150,000 for those age 65+.

✅ The increase was approved by the Texas Senate in early 2025.
🗳 It still requires voter approval in the November 2025 electionto go into effect.
📆 If approved, the new exemption amounts will apply to 2025 property tax bills (not retroactive to 2024).

You can read the official release from the Lt. Governor’s Office here.

---

PREVIOUS YEARS IMPORTANT CHANGES


PROPERTY TAX RELIEF BILL see our youtube playlist for local news snippets regarding.

The $18 billion tax cut will include: passed senate, house bill 2 and 3 then 8/9/23 abbot signed off on for it to go on november ballot to pass 

 

• Over $12 billion to be spent on reducing the school property tax rate for all homeowners and business properties by 10.7 cents
• Increase homestead exemption for homeowners from $40,000 to $100,000
• A 20% circuit breaker on appraised values as a three-year pilot project for non-homesteaded properties, valued at $5 million and under, including residential and commercial properties
• Savings on the franchise tax for small businesses and the creation of newly elected positions on local appraisal boards. It would increase the franchise tax exemption from $1 million to $2.47 million
• The resolution would create a three-year pilot program for all other property valued at $5 million or less, to cap increases on appraisal values

New Home Owner as of 2022 you do not need to wait to file for your homestead exemption.

Should you file right when you get in and possibly lose the previous owners exemption and cap? Checkout our workshop video #2.

The Texas Tax Code, Section 33.06, allows taxpayers 65 years of age or older to defer their property taxes until their estates are settled after death.

Read more here.

If you have a complaint against the ethics or professional conduct of a chief appraiser, appraiser or tax assessor-collector, you can file a written complaint with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

---

Help Change the System

   
MORE DETAILS ON TAX RATES CLICK HERE 

---

 Deadline 2025 (for most of us) is

🛑May 15th 🛑

Deadline will be on notice and is 30 days after they mail it. Typically you'll receive mid April with deadline in May. ARB hearings start the end of May and go till July.September hearings for tax rates and budgets to be set. October tax bills mailed. January tax bills due.

 💡 Pro Tip :

Missed the protest deadline? Texas law gives you a second chance — if you can show ‘good cause,’ you can still request a hearing. There’s no special form, but we can help you submit a request the appraisal review board may accept.

---

 

COLLIN COUNTY

1. To file protest the new portal to efile in 2025 is https://onlineportal.collincad.org you have to create a new account this year so have your 2025 Notice of Appraised Value sheet infront of you that has your Property ID and your EFile PIN portal https://www.dentoncad.com/public-portal/sign-in
2. More information on their site  
3. Help Desk Traning from Collin County with Links Videos https://ba.bisconsultants.com/end-user-training/
4. Collin County Texas Property Taxes - (tax-rates.org)

 

 Collin CAD:
Collin Central Appraisal District
250 Eldorado Pkwy
McKinney, TX 75069

 

---

 

DENTON COUNTY

1. To file protest which they now call an "appeal" go to their eFile portal https://www.dentoncad.com/public-portal/sign-in
2. Informal Hearings waitwhile.com/locations/dcad/welcome
3. More information on their site dentoncad.com

 

Denton CAD:
Denton Central Appraisal District
3911 Morse St
Denton, TX 76208

 

---

 

TARRANT COUNTY

 

1. Automated online protest through the Tarrant Appraisal District website
2. Informal in-person protest (no appointment needed, just walk into TAD's office)
3. Formal Appraisal Review Board (ARB) hearing (file a protest on the back of your blue value notice)

 

Links and Resources in Video

• Checklist to find and fix property condition issues
• Use this property tax calculator to see exactly how much the change in value affects your wallet

---

What to do?
  Protest Protest Protest

The two important numbers are the market value (which is an appraiser’s guess at a sale price) and the appraised value, which is what is multiplied by the various taxing governments to get your tax bill. Read the full Tax Code Section 23.01 here. see pdf here 

There’s a 10 percent cap on the annual increase of your house’s taxable appraised (not market) value, but only for those homeowners with a homestead exemption. Make sure you've filed (see my property taxes page for the links) it's free and as of 2022 you can file anytime after you've purchased the property.Read more on caps here.

See more rolling live statistics here.

---

 

 
For more tips click below for our step by step

 Protest Cheat Sheet & Presentation Excel Outline Updated frequently

 

 

 

---

Here are the best calculator I have found that figures in those exemptions:

https://taxpublic.collincountytx.gov/TaxEstimator
https://www.dentoncounty.gov/839/Property-Tax-Estimator
https://www.dallascad.org/TaxRateCalculator.aspx

---

Propertytax.io

I use this company everyyear to do a quick check to see what their algorithm says my chances are and sometimes as part of my evidence (see last years below) but have not as of yet used them to protest but there fees seem pretty straight forward and you don’t pay unless they lower. Here’s discount code they gave me to lower the fee if they win Promo Code: P42561

 

---

 Directly from the ARB:  TEXAS IS A NON DISCLOSURE STATE. You are not required to tell them how much you paid for the house.            

 
 

---

 

Key Annual Cycles  Appraisal & Informal Review Cycle Data Collection Valuation Appraisal Notification & Informal Review Exemption & Rendition Cycle Exemption Edits & Audits Exemptions & Renditions Notice to File Exemption & Rendition Processing ARB Protest & Roll Certification Cycle ARB Protest and ARB Hearing Certification of the Appraisal Roll Post-certification Remedies

 

 

 

                Basics on How to Protest in Collin County

Online Collin CAD https://onlineportal.collincad.org/

For more tips, comps, detailed how to our Protest Cheat Sheet.

INFORMAL HEARINGS ARE BACK SO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS ONE ON ONE WITH APPRAISER!

File a protest well before the  deadline in case of computer glitches. One popular method is to get comparable sales numbers from a Realtor or from the appraisal district (some will give if you ask). Then show their numbers are out of whack. See below options from Alicia.

Another more time consuming method is to find someone in your neighborhood with the exact same house plan. Check their numbers on the appraisal district’s website. If their numbers are lower, show that in a protest. Bring photos and copies of their tax records (available for free on an appraisal district’s website). You win.

 

Or if you have house problems like a hail-damaged roof or foundation cracks that need fixing, get estimates and show those to prove your home’s value should be lower. 
Did Your Property Sustain Damage During Winter Storm? Click here for Collin CAD Press Release

 

You can even hire an outside company to protest. More information about those on my Protest Cheat Sheet.

Filing the protest

Texans have a legal right to equal and uniform taxes. But the system is set up so the property owner must appeal to protest an assessed value.
A request for an informal hearing then if not satisfied start process online. If you have a eFile number in the top right hand side of your notice then you can file electronically!
See cheat sheet below for detailed steps and examples.
A property owner should present a simple and well-organized protest.

                                                   

TIP: DON'T FORGET TO CHECK BOTH

  
 

Denton County 

 

Alicia's How To Video

Evidence Tips-

Pictures are worth a thousand words – Take pictures of any disrepair on your property and of any “negative influences” surrounding your property. Qualified negative influences could be busy streets, water tower looming over your house, sewer plant nearby, commercial property bordering your residential, etc. Your noisy neighbor’s junked out car and overgrown grass probably will not qualify! Get estimates on everything!

Google Earth is a wonderful thing. I would recommend printing a satellite view of your property and the surrounding area. Probably 85% of the time you can find something negative to talk about on the image! It could be anything. Get creative and add support to the rest of your presentation.

Comparables-
3 ways to get a list of your properties sold comparables:

1. Look up tax values by the appropriate county link below.
2. Get our cheat sheet  here with links to comparables.  AND
3. Enroll Free for my Your Neighborhood Market Alerts (below) to get monthly or quarterly reports of your areas activity including sold information. Make sure you go back on the days to Jan 1 of the previous year (so 450ish days). Good to keep quarterly so you can save homes that look like yours.
4. Go to your counties appraisal district site or if efiled download their equity evidence to view your neighbors values for the comparables to print showing your home is not equal in value to your neighbors.