How to Read Your Texas Appraisal Notice

Most springs, your county appraisal district mails you a letter called the Notice of Appraised Value. It looks a little like a bill. It isn't one. It's the district's opinion of what your home was worth on January 1, and it's the only official heads-up you get before that opinion turns into a tax bill in the fall.

Most of it is boilerplate. A few lines aren't, and one comes with a deadline.

When does the appraisal notice arrive, and why didn't I get one?

For a home with a homestead exemption, Texas Tax Code §25.19 tells the appraisal district to deliver the notice by April 1 or as soon after that as practicable. Other property has a May 1 target.

You won't necessarily get one every year. The district has to send it in certain situations, such as when your appraised value goes up, your property is new to the tax rolls, an exemption you had was reduced or removed, or the home changed hands last year. You can also ask for one in writing. A district can even skip it when the increase is $1,000 or less. So no letter doesn't mean no change. If April comes and goes, look your home up on the district's website. And if you were owed a notice and never got one, Tax Code §41.411 lets you protest that, too.

What's the difference between market value and appraised value on my notice?

Market value is what the district thinks your home would have sold for on January 1. Appraised value is the starting point for your taxes, before exemptions come off. For a lot of homes they're the same number. For a homestead they can split apart, because Texas limits how fast a homestead's appraised value can rise each year.

The notice also breaks market value into two pieces: land and improvements. "Improvements" is appraisal-speak for the house and anything else built on the lot. If the land number jumped while the house number barely moved, that tells you something about how the district valued your whole neighborhood this year.

On a homestead, an appraised value below market value usually means the homestead cap is doing its job. That cap gets its own post.

Which exemptions should I check on my appraisal notice?

Check whether your homestead exemption is listed, before anything else. The notice shows your exemptions for this year and last year, often as abbreviations like HS for homestead and OV65 for over-65. If you live in the home and there's no homestead exemption on it, fix that first. The school district homestead exemption alone takes $140,000 off your home's taxable value for school taxes. That's worth more than most protests will ever win you.

If you're 65 or older or have a disability, look for that exemption too. The notice is required to show an exemption that was canceled or reduced, and it's easy to skim right past. Our Homestead Exemption Guide walks through how to apply if something's missing.

Taxable value is what's left after exemptions come off. It's often different for each taxing unit (school district, county, city) because each offers different exemptions.

Where is the protest deadline on a Texas appraisal notice?

It's printed on the notice itself, usually near the top or in the section with protest instructions. The rule behind it is Texas Tax Code §41.44: May 15, or 30 days after your notice was mailed, whichever is later. If that day lands on a weekend or holiday, Tax Code §1.06 moves it to the next business day.

Circle it. Miss it, and you generally wait until next year.

Nearby you'll usually find the date the Appraisal Review Board (the local panel that hears protests) starts hearings, and a note that you can ask for an informal meeting with a district appraiser first. Many districts also print an account number and PIN for filing online, so hang on to the letter.

What's missing from the notice that people expect to see?

An estimate of your tax bill. A 2019 change to state law (Senate Bill 2) took it out. Today's notices point you to your county's property tax database instead, reachable through Texas.gov/PropertyTaxes. Once local governments propose tax rates in late summer, it shows estimated taxes at each taxing unit's proposed rate.

You'll also see a sentence in italics saying the Texas Legislature doesn't set the amount of your local taxes, along with a note that the appraisal district only determines your property's value. Both are true, and the second one matters. Neither the appraisal district nor the Appraisal Review Board can touch your tax rate. What you can challenge is the value.

A bigger number isn't proof of a mistake, and sometimes the district gets it right. The notice tells you what they think. Comparing your home to similar homes nearby tells you whether they're being fair, and that's what our free tool does: it compares your appraisal to similar nearby homes using the district's own public records.

Quick answers

When do Texas appraisal notices come out? When a notice is required, appraisal districts have to deliver it by April 1 for homesteads and May 1 for other property, or as soon as practicable after those dates. Many homeowners get theirs in late March or April.

Is my appraisal notice a tax bill? No. The Notice of Appraised Value tells you what the appraisal district thinks your property was worth on January 1. Tax bills come later, usually in October, after tax rates are set.

What if I never got an appraisal notice? Look up your property on your county appraisal district's website, since districts don't have to send a notice every year. If you were entitled to a notice and never got one, Texas Tax Code §41.411 lets you protest that failure, as long as you file before your taxes become delinquent.

Why doesn't my appraisal notice show an estimated tax bill anymore? A 2019 state law removed it. Notices now point you to your county's property tax database, linked from Texas.gov/PropertyTaxes, which shows estimated taxes once local governments propose rates.