Tarrant Property Tax Appeals Save $839+ Million Per Year
Administrative appeals reaped a bounty for Tarrant County taxpayers in 2024, netting $839 million in total tax cuts. Utilizing their constitutional right to dispute taxes, the people of Tarrant County were able to push back the over-aggressive taxation of the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD). Reducing record high cuts to taxes and property valuations in 2024, it seems that even more taxpayers will be jumping on the protest bandwagon in the future. Reserve your seat when you enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™. Join forces with O’Connor and take back every penny you have coming to you. No hidden fees, upfront costs, or surprise expenses, and you only pay if your property taxes are reduced. Enroll, relax, and save.
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 | 1,449.18 | 2,523.71 | 2,937.13 | 3,350.56 | 4,719.11 | 5,570.78 | 7,503.02 | 9,435.27 | 15,939.76 | 22,486.45 | 27,161.87 |
| Single Family Residential Reduction | 1,132.38 | 1,694.45 | 1,428.76 | 1,163.07 | 3,051.72 | 3,449.53 | 2,710.43 | 1,971.33 | 1,836.12 | 4,761.57 | 9,467.23 |
| Commercial / Other | 316.80 | 829.26 | 1,508.37 | 2,187.48 | 1,667.39 | 2,121.24 | 4,792.59 | 7,463.94 | 14,103.64 | 17,724.88 | 17,694.64 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since The value cannot be raised during the protest, based on 2019 legislation.
Tarrant County Property Tax Savings from Administrative Appeals
Whether you want to protest in Tarrant County or anywhere in Texas, the first action has to be an administrative appeal. These disputes with the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) can lower taxable value, which in turn lowers property taxes. Informal protests are launched first, and usually to good results. If informal means fail, or do not produce the desired results, then a formal hearing before the appraisal review board (ARB) is required to continue the protest journey.
Property tax protests in Texas are not just good for your wallet, but they are a constitutional right. O’Connor was founded in 1974 with the idea of helping all Texans practice this right. Texas-based and one of the largest firms dedicated to property tax relief in America, O’Connor is the perfect champion you need to escort you on the road to property tax savings.
TAD Informal Hearings
Like much of Texas, Tarrant County reduces most of its property tax through informal appeals. Informal protests are both free and easy, which makes it strange that most taxpayers never use them. $27.12 billion in property value was reduced in 2024 thanks to informal hearings alone. $17.69 billion of the total, was for commercial and related properties, while $9.47 billion was for single family homes. This valuation is typical for Texas, as commercial properties are worth more individually.
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 | 1.845 | 6.184 | 5.814 | 5.444 | 7.154 | 6.560 | 5.967 | 3.375 | 4.328 | 5.282 | 5.545 |
| Single Family Residential Reduction | 0.236 | 0.190 | 0.432 | 0.674 | 0.471 | 0.409 | 0.347 | 0.340 | 0.379 | 0.417 | 0.397 |
| Commercial / Other | 1.609 | 5.994 | 5.382 | 4.770 | 6.683 | 6.151 | 5.620 | 3.035 | 3.950 | 4.864 | 5.148 |
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).
TAD Formal ARB Hearings
If an informal appeal fails to meet expectations, or is rejected entirely, then the next step is to appeal to the appraisal review board (ARB) in a formal hearing. In many counties, this can be the main way to cut property values and taxes, though it is a much lower priority in Tarrant County. $5.55 billion in total was cut from property values in 2024 through formal means. Like informal appeals, the largest value cut was for commercial properties, at $5.15 billion. $397 million in family homes were also challenged at the ARB.
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 | 30.43 | 53.00 | 61.68 | 70.36 | 99.10 | 116.99 | 157.56 | 198.14 | 334.73 | 472.22 | 570.40 |
| Single Family Residential Reduction | 23.78 | 35.58 | 30.00 | 24.42 | 64.09 | 72.44 | 56.92 | 41.40 | 38.56 | 99.99 | 198.81 |
| Commercial / Other | 6.65 | 17.41 | 31.68 | 45.94 | 35.02 | 44.55 | 100.64 | 156.74 | 296.18 | 372.22 | 371.59 |
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
Massive property value cuts are great, but the real reason to dispute is to get a reduction in taxes. Tarrant County formal appeals in 2024 proved to be a bonanza for taxpayers in that regard, bringing home $570.40 million in savings. To save such a stellar amount using a low-effort, no-cost appeal is truly staggering, and illustrates why more Texas taxpayers should explore their right to protest taxes.
Commercial and related properties saved $371.59 million in taxes, while single family homes were able to recoup $198.92 million. This was a huge jump in savings for homeowners from 2023, with them getting back more than double the figure from 2023. Total tax savings from informal appeals have improved an astronomical 1774.47% since 2014, reflecting both aggressive taxation and steadfast appeals throughout Tarrant County.
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 | 38.75 | 129.87 | 122.10 | 114.32 | 150.22 | 137.76 | 125.30 | 70.88 | 90.90 | 110.92 | 116.45 |
| Single Family Residential Reduction | 4.95 | 3.99 | 9.07 | 14.16 | 9.89 | 8.59 | 7.28 | 7.15 | 7.96 | 8.77 | 8.34 |
| Commercial / Other | 33.80 | 125.88 | 113.02 | 100.17 | 140.34 | 129.18 | 118.02 | 63.73 | 82.94 | 102.15 | 108.11 |
Tax Savings, Formal ARB Hearings
Total tax savings via formal appeals were also up in 2024, scoring $116.45 million in returned money. This was the highest total since 2020. Single family homes only made up $8.34 million of the ARB hearing savings, with the rest going to commercial and other properties. This is not an unusual data array, as commercial properties typically do better than single family homes in ARB appeals. Unlike informal appeals, where they sometimes overtake commercial properties, single family homes have always been a minority in informal appeals.
Total 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 | 69.18 | 182.87 | 183.78 | 184.68 | 249.32 | 254.75 | 282.86 | 269.02 | 425.63 | 583.14 | 686.85 |
| Single Family Residential Reduction | 28.73 | 39.57 | 39.07 | 38.58 | 73.98 | 81.03 | 64.20 | 48.55 | 46.52 | 108.76 | 207.15 |
| Commercial / Other | 40.45 | 143.29 | 144.70 | 146.11 | 175.36 | 173.73 | 218.66 | 220.47 | 379.12 | 474.37 | 479.70 |
Total Tax Savings
Administrative appeals combined were very effective at lowering taxes in 2024. When put together, the total was a solid $686.85 million. $479.70 million went to commercial properties, along with industrial and utilities, with $207.15 million going to single family homes. 2024 saw a significant jump in savings over 2023, continuing a growth trend that has gone on for a decade.