Property Tax FAQs
Not sure how property tax disputes work? Look through our FAQs, and if you still have questions, feel free to reach out!
Our residential property tax fee is 40% of the tax savings we secure or a $149 service fee, whichever is greater.
If we do not achieve a reduction in your property taxes, you will only owe the minimum $149 service fee. There are no upfront costs, and you only pay based on the results we deliver.
Simply fill out the registration form by following this link. There’s no need to fax, mail, or email any files.
We serve Residential properties in Travis, Hays, Williamson, Burnet, Bell, Tarrant, and Denton counties.
For Commercial properties, we serve clients across all Texas counties.
- Makes it harder for the government to increase the value in the following year, per the law
- Helps future protests so that the government can’t argue you agreed with this year’s number
- Decreases the banked amount (cap) of tax increases in the out years (think liability)
- Helps neighbors, in that successful protests gain momentum and equity arguments strengthen
- Other issues are reviewed, such as characteristics, which will adversely affect the long term if not fixed now
- Having us as your agent and protesting keeps the government honest, as they know we’re watching and scrutinizing their work
Exemption Monitoring is a service to educate and equip clients of potential exemptions that your property(s) may be eligible for. With this service, Five Stone will notify you in the event that the appraisal district removes an exemption from your property.
To help you maximize your tax savings, we will assist you with the exemption application process by answering any exemption related questions you have and providing guidance on the exemption process.
After your formal hearing is complete, Five Stone will analyze the outcome and contact you if it would be beneficial to proceed with arbitration. Arbitration Review includes a thorough cost-benefit analysis, as filing for arbitration comes with a significant fee to the client. We only recommend proceeding with arbitration if we feel you have a very strong case of winning.
Yes, we represent commercial properties all across Texas. Our commercial fee structure is very competitive.
Email your property information (County, Address, etc.) to [email protected] for details.
Yes! We file business personal property renditions as well as business personal property tax protests.
It depends, and the results typically aren’t as good when we don’t handle the entire process. We strongly encourage you to allow us to handle everything, including the filing of the protest. How the protest form is completed matters and can significantly affect the outcome of the case. If you already filed your own protest and want to hire us, please contact our Property Tax team prior to completing the online registration.
Notices are typically issued by the appraisal district in early to mid April. Follow the steps in this blog post to find your Notice of Appraised Value.
The fee structure for commercial property tax representation varies based on the value of the property. See our Commercial Property Tax page for more information.
Each year, the protest schedule allows for cases to be heard starting in late-March, and hearings go through October. Depending on when your case is worked and a number of other factors, you can expect to hear from us anytime from late June to early November.
Appraised values can increase without limit as long as the Central Appraisal District feels that the increase is justified. If your property has a homestead exemption in place, then the amount you can be taxed on is limited to a 10% increase each year. This amount is known as your assessed value.
Exemption application support is included in your service fee. We’re happy to answer any questions you have about the process to ensure you pay the least amount of tax possible.
The deadline to file a property tax protest is 30 days after your Notice of Appraised Value date or May 15th, whichever is later.
“Location, Location, Location!!!” The real estate market in Austin is booming, to say the least. More and more people are moving to the city and the surrounding area, which has resulted in an increase in property values.
Reducing your appraised value will not affect your sale or list price. Think of your appraisal from the Central Appraisal District as an estimation of “taxable value” and not as what your property should be listed for. Remember, in Travis and Williamson County the Central Appraisal Districts use a mass appraisal system. This means they are unaware of the details about your property that may point to a higher or a lower value. In reality, many homebuyers will see a lower appraised value as a benefit since it means lower taxes for them.
- January 31st – Deadline to pay your tax bill and the deadline to file for Homestead and Over 65 exemptions to be applied to the previous year
- April 15th – Deadline to file business personal property rendition (or an extension)
- April 30th – Deadline to file annual exemption applications
- May 15th – Deadline to file a property tax protest
In the rare event that your property taxes are not reduced, you will be charged the Service Fee as outlined in your signed Representation Agreement. The Service Fee includes: filing a protest, obtaining and reviewing the governments evidence, preparing and presenting a case, advocating on behalf of the client, and unlimited customer support.
Our agreement contains a continuous representation clause. This means your contract will remain in effect until you cancel it. We will continue to protest every year on your behalf and send you a bill for our services. You may cancel the agreement in writing any time prior to your filing your protest.
Check out this blog post for FAQs about Five Stone’s invoicing process.
Check out this blog post for detailed information regarding tax savings with an escrow account.
No. The Appraisal District and Appraisal Review Board cannot increase your appraised value at a hearing.
A consultant from Five Stone may contact you to ask specific questions about your property; however, only in extremely rare circumstances will a consultant inspect your property in person.
Not likely. The Central Appraisal Districts use mass appraisal techniques to instead of appraising properties individually, although they do occasionally conduct “field checks” in which they look into the characteristics of certain properties in person. If you do have an appraiser request to come on your property and do a field check, KINDLY request they leave and contact us. NEVER allow an appraiser to enter your home without Five Stone by your side.
How It Works
Sign up at Save.FiveStoneTax.com to get started.
From there, Five Stone handles the entire protest process for you. Our team conducts a data-driven review of your valuation, identifies stronger reduction opportunities, and files and represents your protest through the appeal so the work is handled professionally and responsibly.
Once the protest is finalized, we notify you of the results.
Your account remains active year after year so we can continue protecting your property from inflated valuations, building on previous reductions and limiting your tax burden as values change.
The result is simple: lower property tax, handled the right way.