by Julie GreenNovember 22, 2019 PROPERTY TAX, TAX FILING0 comments

When is the deadline to file a protest?

Deadline to File a Protest

Short answer: May 15th

The deadline to file a protest each year is May 15th or 30 days after you receive your Notice of Appraised Value – whichever is LATER. That means if you received your Notice of Appraised Value by April 15th, you have until May 15th to file. The deadline to file for a notice received on May 15th is June 14th, etc. If may 15th falls on a weekend or holiday, then the deadline is moved to the next business day.

Be aware

Some Appraisal Districts print misleading deadlines in order to get people to file protests earlier and to discourage people from filing after a certain date. However, State law requires that those districts accept all protests filed by the actual May 15th deadline.

Other important deadlines are:

January 1^st

Date of appraisal of the property for that tax year

January 31^st

Deadline to pay your tax bill (for tax bills received prior to January 10^th)

Deadline to file for Homestead & Over 65 exemptions for the previous tax year

April 15th

Last day to file Business Personal Property Renditions and property information reports

April 30th

Deadline to file annual exemption applications

Deadline to file for 1-d and 1-d-1 agricultural land special appraisal

Call or email with questions
AUSTIN (512) 339-6671 info@texasprotax.com HOUSTON (713) 635-9100 houstoninfo@texasprotax.com

For more information:
Texas Protax FAQ

TEXAS.GOV – Comptroller Resources for Taxpayers PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM BASICS

by Julie GreenNovember 22, 2019 PROPERTY TAX, TEXAS PROTAX0 comments

What should I expect after I sign up with Texas Protax?

Once You Sign Up with Us, We Make the Rest Easy .

Your property research is done by us and so is the filing of the protest. We also attend the hearing on your behalf.

A Great Starting Place

To begin, pay $150 Advance Administration Fee to Texas Protax. Then tell us any information about your property that helps your case. After you sign up, use the “Request for Information Form” given to you by your agent. After that, start gathering supporting documentation. Note: This form will be sent each year. It is like a friendly check-in to give you an opportunity make updates. That way we can try to save you money on your property taxes year after year. The Advance Administration Fee is a requirement each year.

To get you started, here is a list of the types of documents to gather. You can always email information, documents, photographs, or questions to info@texasprotax.com.

The questionnaire is helpful but not required. If there is no information to add, that is okay, because your agent will prepare their research for the hearing. Agents will only reach out when they have a specific question for you. It is the Texas Protax full-service way!

What to Expect Next

Hearings begin in April and continue through August each year. Your agent is in the hearings during the days. Be patient if you are trying to contact them during this time. Be sure to leave a message. You may speak with others in our office who can help you when your agent is not available.

What to Expect After the Hearing

You receive the results of your hearing by email. This is usually sent the next business day after your case has been complete.

What to Expect Along the Way

Checking the status of your protest is easy. Just log into your client portal account. It allows you to upload photos and documents. You can use it to update your contact information, or pay your bill online.

Call or email with questions
AUSTIN (512) 339-6671 info@texasprotax.com HOUSTON (713) 635-9100 houstoninfo@texasprotax.com

For more information:
Texas Protax FAQ

TEXAS.GOV – Comptroller Resources for Taxpayers PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM BASICS

by Julie GreenNovember 12, 2019 PROPERTY TAX, REGIONAL, TAX FILING, TEXAS PROTAX0 comments

Storm Damage Information

Storm Damage Information After Hurricane Harvey

Update: As of September 18, 2017

Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties each unanimously voted to reappraise property.

Warm regards

We hope this message finds you safe. As we all know, the impacts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey are many. Even if the storm did not directly affect your property, most have friends and family members who are dealing with the devastation. Our thoughts go out to each of you as you work to replace, rebuild and come out of this disaster.

During this difficult time of transition, we are here to answer your questions about your property value. Some of our clients are already asking us a few questions. This email answers questions already received, as well as, a few additional questions you may have.

Storm Damage Information and Concerns About Property Values

One question that has been raised concerns how the storm affects your value for the current tax year (2017). Specifically if your value for 2017 can be lowered due to the flooding and damage caused by the storm? The answer at this point is – maybe!

Since the Governor declared Harris and most of the surrounding counties a disaster area, it opens the door for a reappraisal of your property. However, neither the taxpayer, Texas Protax, nor the Appraisal District on their own have the authority to request or conduct a reappraisal after a disaster. The authority to request a reappraisal is in the hands of the local taxing jurisdictions. If a taxing jurisdictions within their boundary requests for properties to be reappraised, then the appraisal district must comply.

Furthermore, some of the taxing jurisdictions could request a reappraisal, while others may not. For example, the Houston Independent School District calls for the reappraisal of all properties within their boundary, but the new value is limited to only the Houston ISD’s taxing authority. It does not extend to Harris County, the City of Houston or any other jurisdiction. Also, if the property value is lowered based on the reappraisal request, then the taxes based on the lower value would be prorated from the date of the reappraisal through the end of the year. Therefore, you would be taxed from January 1^st to August 24^th at the full market value. Then from August 25^th to December 31^st on the new reappraised value. If more than one jurisdiction requests the reappraisal, then the new value would apply to all the jurisdictions that make the request.

Our Opinion

We don’t think the value based on a reappraisal is one that can be protested. State law doesn’t require the appraisal district to send a notice of the new property value if the appraisal district lowers it. And the appraisal district may not send notices of the new valuations. If the appraisal district is ordered to reappraise property, then after the reappraisals, it will submit the new property values directly to the taxing jurisdiction.

Storm Damage Information and Another Concern About Evidence of the Flooding and Loss

The second question we are hearing a lot, is whether or not evidence of the flooding loss is used as evidence for this year’s (2017) taxes. The short answer is no. If the taxing jurisdictions do not request a reappraisal, then the value of your property is based on the condition as of January 1, 2017. Any damage or change that occurs after January 1 of the current tax year is not considered relevant as evidence at a hearing for 2017.

Although any evidence of damage may not be able to affect the value for 2017, we can definitely use your information for 2018! A few things to remember for 2018:

Take pictures. Keep all receipts for repairs or insurance claims. This information helps at the hearings. We send you a Request for Information email in March 2018. Our annual questionnaire is an excellent time to share information.
Tell us when your repairs are complete. We need to know which repairs were made before or after January 1.
If you make all the repairs to your property prior to January 1, 2018, send us the information. Your repair information could be helpful in differentiating between a repair and a remodel.

Storm Damage Information and Special Rules for Homesteads

For property that is your homestead, please know there are special rules concerning them. The cap and reappraisal is in the year after a disaster. If you replace your home, be aware that when the new structure doesn’t exceed the original square footage and the exterior of the replacement is of similar quality as the original, then the appraisal district cannot change your homestead qualifications. They also can not increase your cap value by more than 10%. When you replace your home with a bigger or higher quality home, then the appraisal district can declare new value and add additional value to your previous cap value. We are happy to answer your questions concerning your homestead eligibility. Please do not hesitate to contact us!

We Care

We understand the stress and urgency during this time of disaster. Our promise is to continue to be available to help in any way we can with the appraisal and assessment of your property. Understand the reappraisal process is entirely out of our hands, and we will strive to keep you informed in a timely matter. As government agencies are coming back on line, we will look for announcements and information to keep you up to date on any changes that may come. We include bulletins from the Comptroller’s office with some additional information about disaster reappraisals. The letter from the Comptroller also includes a link to the Comptroller’s website with more information.

Our Gratitude for You

Thank you! You are a valued Texas Protax client. We commit to working with you during this difficult time of repair and rebuilding. Questions or concerns? Please let us know and we will gladly address them.