Total Value Reduction, Informal HearingsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Millions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| $ Total Value Reduction | 37,520.51 | 41,608.14 | 47,444.59 | 47,406.98 | 56,672.13 | 62,825.39 | 66,655.55 | 73,263.02 | 111,066.65 | 146,804.84 | 128,152.66 |
| Single Family Residential Reduction | 7,099.48 | 8,664.64 | 11,806.96 | 12,044.13 | 13,775.96 | 14,487.23 | 18,026.45 | 15,164.87 | 23,305.72 | 33,741.09 | 35,523.87 |
| Commercial / Other | 30,421.02 | 32,943.50 | 35,637.63 | 35,362.85 | 42,896.16 | 48,338.16 | 48,629.10 | 58,098.16 | 87,760.93 | 113,063.75 | 92,628.79 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since The value cannot be raised during the protest, based on 2019 legislation.
Texas Property Tax Savings from Administrative Appeals s
The only sure way to lower your property taxes in Texas is to appeal them through administrative means. This can be a confusing process for anyone, but O’Connor is here to help. As one of the biggest property tax consultingfirms in America, O’Connor is equipped to get you the best possible reduction. With over 50 years in business, we have seen and done it all.
As home values skyrocket, so do your property taxes for your home or business. This means that it is crucial to reduce your tax burden using an appeal, as it can add up to substantial savings. In 2024, informal appeals reduced property value assessments by $128.15 billion.
Texas Informal Hearings
Informal appeals for property taxes are currently highly effective in Texas. These relatively simple appeals allow even laypeople to take their fight to their county appraisal district (CAD). In many working-class and rural counties, informal appeals are the primary way to lower taxes. $128.15 billion in assessed value was reduced in 2024, the second highest ever seen in the state.
Total Value Reduction, Formal ARB HearingsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Billions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| $ Total Value Reduction | 21.547 | 35.533 | 33.610 | 50.651 | 47.873 | 62.381 | 60.523 | 58.131 | 98.175 | 131.641 | 127.365 |
| Single Family Residential Reduction | 3.319 | 4.451 | 3.665 | 5.161 | 4.191 | 8.542 | 7.328 | 9.606 | 27.273 | 28.482 | 24.675 |
| Commercial / Other | 18.228 | 31.082 | 29.945 | 45.490 | 43.682 | 53.839 | 53.194 | 48.525 | 70.902 | 103.159 | 102.691 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since You can’t evaluate the strength of your appeal until you obtain the hearing evidence file. You have to protest to obtain the hearing evidence file (available free upon request via U.S. mail).
Texas Formal ARB Hearings
Texas appraisal review board (ARB) hearings are another popular form of appeal and can produce significant cuts to property taxes as well. These see taxpayers take their evidence before a three-person board, which decides between them and the CAD. These are often more popular in high-dollar and urban counties and counties like Travis, Galveston, and Fort Bend rely on them far more than informal appeals. ARB hearings in 2024 resulted in a reduction of $127.37 billion in assessed value, only around $1 billion from informal appeals. This is the closest the two protest types have ever been, showing just how important ARB hearings are becoming. .
Tax Savings, Informal HearingsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Millions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| $ Total Value Reduction | 787.93 | 873.77 | 996.34 | 995.55 | 1,190.11 | 1,319.33 | 1,399.77 | 1,538.52 | 2,332.40 | 3,082.90 | 2,691.21 |
| Single Family Residential Reduction | 149.09 | 181.96 | 247.95 | 252.93 | 289.30 | 304.23 | 378.56 | 318.46 | 489.42 | 708.56 | 746.00 |
| Commercial / Other | 638.84 | 691.81 | 748.39 | 742.62 | 900.82 | 1,015.10 | 1,021.21 | 1,220.06 | 1,842.98 | 2,374.34 | 1,945.20 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Not appealing is used against property owners in the subsequent years since “you agreed to the value” (by not protesting).
Estimated Total Property Tax Informal Savings.
Once taxable value is reduced, taxpayers then start seeing actual cash savings. While the exact percentage can vary between counties, the return on the appeal effort is always worth it. Informal appeals have seen a solid rate of success as well, and as there is no cost to appeal, every taxpayer that is able should be protesting each year. Informal appeals managed to claw back $2.67 billion in 2024, just under the 2023 record of $2.76 billion.
Commercial properties led the way, landing $2.16 billion in returned taxes. This was almost identical to the 2023 total. Single family homes managed to get an impressive windfall of $598. 12 million in the same timeframe. While there were certainly many more home protests than those for businesses, commercial property is worth much more individually. Both homes and businesses saw a massive spike between 2021 and 2022 and have been around record highs ever since.
Tax Savings, Formal ARB HearingsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Millions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| $ Total Value Reduction | 452.49 | 746.20 | 705.80 | 1,063.67 | 1,005.33 | 1,310.00 | 1,270.98 | 1,220.76 | 2,061.68 | 2,764.45 | 2,674.67 |
| Single Family Residential Reduction | 69.71 | 93.47 | 76.96 | 108.39 | 88.01 | 179.38 | 153.89 | 201.73 | 572.74 | 598.12 | 518.17 |
| Commercial / Other | 382.78 | 652.73 | 628.84 | 955.28 | 917.32 | 1,130.62 | 1,117.08 | 1,019.03 | 1,488.94 | 2,166.34 | 2,156.50 |
Formal ARB Hearing Tax Savings
For the first time in the history of Texas, ARB hearings saved more money than informal appeals. Reaching $2.67 billion in 2024, formal protests are truly coming into their own. As businesses, expensive homes, and high-dollar counties typically focus on these hearings, it is only natural that they have begun to surpass informal protests. $2.16 billion in taxes were cut by businesses, while single family homes managed to get back $518.17 million. While lower than the record savings of 2023, the 2024 number is still the second highest in the history of the Lone Star State.
Total Property Tax Savings (Informal & Formal)Source: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Millions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| $ Total Value Reduction | 1,240.42 | 1,619.97 | 1,702.14 | 2,059.22 | 2,195.44 | 2,629.33 | 2,670.75 | 2,759.28 | 4,394.08 | 5,847.35 | 5,365.88 |
| Single Family Residential Reduction | 218.80 | 275.43 | 324.91 | 361.32 | 377.31 | 483.61 | 532.45 | 520.19 | 1,062.16 | 1,306.68 | 1,264.17 |
| Commercial / Other | 1,021.62 | 1,344.54 | 1,377.23 | 1,697.90 | 1,818.14 | 2,145.72 | 2,138.29 | 2,239.09 | 3,331.92 | 4,540.68 | 4,101.70 |
Total Property Tax Savings
When all appeal results are put together, the taxpayers of Texas managed to save an astounding $5.37 million. Once again, this was down from the record year of 2023, which saw $5.85 billion saved, but 2024 was in second place historically. Single family homes managed a reduction of $1.26 billion, while businesses saved $4.10 billion. The slight decline in business savings is why the overall fell, though it was still an impressive number. Texans are embracing appeals like never before, and 2025 could be the largest seen to date.