Property Taxes Cut in 94% of Travis County Informal Hearings
Informal hearings may take a backseat to ARB formal appeals in Travis County, but they are still an important step in the process. Informal protests can either be escalated to formal hearings or settled as they are. $1.87 billion in value reductions occurred in 2023, saving taxpayers $39.21 million. 97.67% of single family home protests resulted in a reduction, making even this simple step invaluable to homeowners across Travis County. If you need help with your informal appeal or beyond, reach out to O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today. You pay no hidden fees, no upfront costs, and only pay if your taxes are reduced. Enroll, relax, and save.
Resolved Informally Travis CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 75.811 | 78.049 | 81.360 | 88.307 | 95.922 | 48.573 | 39.315 | 30.057 | 23.202 | 25.101 | 23.844 | |
| Single Family | 47.099 | 49.854 | 54.572 | 63.890 | 72.889 | 32.303 | 24.751 | 17.199 | 15.617 | 16.275 | 18.217 | |
| Commercial / Other | 28.712 | 28.195 | 26.788 | 24.417 | 23.033 | 16.270 | 14.564 | 12.858 | 7.585 | 8.826 | 5.627 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Most appeals are resolved with a reduction at the informal level.
Travis County Property Tax Protests Resolved Informally
While these appeals are typically the backbone of Texas tax protests , they are a small factor in Travis County. Still, they function as a vital role and can produce massive savings. You can only save if you protest, and the best way to protest is with experienced professionals at your side. O’Connor is one of the biggest property tax consulting firms in the USA, and are specialists in getting you the best deal. Based in Texas, O’Connor understands what it takes to take on the appraisal district s and come out on top.
TCAD Informal Settlements
Informal settlements with the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) have been on the decline since 2019. After 95,922 appeals in 2018, 2019 only saw 48,573. These protests have lingered much lower ever since, with 23,844 occurring in 2024. The Austin area prefers to focus on appraisal review board (ARB) appeals, an outlier for most of Texas.
As with the rest of Texas, informal appeals in Travis County focus on single family homes. 18,217 of appraiser appeals in 2024 were for single family homes. While Travis County decides most property tax disputes at later portions of the journey, these appeals certainly have value. Not only do they start the ball rolling, but they can also achieve an early settlement.
Resulted in Reduction Through Informal Process Travis CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 58.797 | 61.940 | 64.920 | 71.509 | 84.222 | 32.845 | 26.145 | 19.443 | 19.322 | 20.738 | 20.636 | |
| Single Family | 39.303 | 43.507 | 47.687 | 56.161 | 67.474 | 27.352 | 21.123 | 14.893 | 14.736 | 15.373 | 17.784 | |
| Commercial / Other | 19.494 | 18.433 | 17.233 | 15.348 | 16.748 | 5.493 | 5.022 | 4.550 | 4.586 | 5.365 | 2.852 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is the world’s safest wager. No cost and a 60% chance of savings annually.
TCAD Informal Hearing Reductions
Appraiser hearings either act as a gateway to formal appeals or are where a taxpayer decides to take a settlement. If a settlement is accepted, then the process ends and no more appeals for that year can be filed. Either way, significant savings can be achieved. In 2024, 20,636 informal appeals resulted in a reduction in taxable value, the most since 2020.17,784 homeowners saw a reduction in their Travis County property taxes, making up 86.18% of the total.
Percent That Resulted in A ReductionSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Percent | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 77.560% | 79.360% | 79.790% | 80.980% | 87.800% | 67.620% | 66.500% | 64.690% | 83.280% | 82.620% | 86.550% | |
| Single Family | 83.450% | 87.270% | 87.380% | 87.900% | 92.570% | 84.670% | 85.340% | 86.590% | 94.360% | 94.460% | 97.620% | |
| Commercial / Other | 67.890% | 65.380% | 64.330% | 62.860% | 72.710% | 33.760% | 34.480% | 35.390% | 60.460% | 60.790% | 50.680% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Errors in the appraisal districts records for your property often artificially inflate YOUR property taxes.
Percent of Informal Hearings with a Reduction
97.62% of single family homes in and around Austin that were appealed informally received a reduction in taxable value. This is 10% higher than the Texas average of 87.05%. Commercial properties came in significantly lower at 50.68%, but that is common due to their size and focus on being lowered through formal means.
For homeowners in Travis County, this shows that simple appeals are a no-brainer. With minimal effort, almost all taxpayers got some reduction in property taxes. Even if they just take the initial settlement, they are ahead in the long run. Property taxes can never be raised by a failed appeal, meaning there is no risk for the taxpayer to roll the dice.
$ Value Reduction From Informal ProcessSource: 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 | ||
| $ Reduction Total | 4.0393 | 3.8664 | 4.3599 | 4.2865 | 5.0777 | 1.0604 | 1.0672 | 1.3000 | 2.4508 | 2.0222 | 1.8672 | |
| $ Reduction Single Family | 1.4120 | 1.8350 | 1.9645 | 2.4775 | 3.0198 | 0.6134 | 0.1507 | 0.4769 | 0.9221 | 0.8707 | 0.9632 | |
| $ Value Commercial / Other | 2.6273 | 2.0314 | 2.3954 | 1.8090 | 2.0579 | 0.4470 | 0.9164 | 0.8232 | 1.5287 | 1.1515 | 0.9040 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Property taxes are the only type that can be negotiated based on subjective factors and judgment.
TCAD Informal Process Reduction in Dollars
Informal appeals may be the smallest source of tax protests in Travis County, but they still brought a total of $1.87 billion in value reductions in 2024. $963.20 million for homeowners alone, with commercial properties taking home $904 million. Residential real estate passed commercial value for the first time since 2019 and boasted the largest reduction since 2019. With so many homeowners appealing, many are still finding these simple settlements to be adequate.