PROPERTY TAXES: SCHEDULE OF ASSESSED VALUES AND TAX RATES
Property owners deal with and worry about a lot of things. After all, there’s a lot of complicated factors involved in the upkeep of property. Property taxes especially can be a pain—but they don’t have to be.
Keep reading for more information about Texas property taxes and how FuseGIS makes it easy for users to identify tax parcels.
TEXAS PROPERTY TAX FAQS
For a comprehensive look at all dates and information related to property taxes in Texas, check out the Texas Comptroller’s website here.
Below, we dive into easy to understand explanations and answers for five of the most common questions about property taxes in Texas.
1. What date is value based on?
All property tax values are based on the state of the property as of January 1st.
This date is determined by the state, and indicates that each appraisal district is responsible for determining the market value of a home or property on that date. After this, a tax lien is assigned to your property to secure tax payments, late penalties and interest.
2. When do I get a preliminary release of values?
The Comptroller’s office is responsible for publishing preliminary Property Value Study (PVS) findings. They are also responsible for certifying findings to the Texas Education Commissioner and delivering findings to each school district.
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The preliminary findings must be released by January 31 of each year.
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In 2021, the deadline for the release of preliminary estimates will be February 1.
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April 1 is the last day for the chief appraiser to mail notices of appraised value for single‐family residence homestead properties.
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May 1 is the last day for the chief appraiser to mail notices of appraised value to any other property owner (not single‐family).
Tax Code Section 1.06, however, states that if any of these dates occurs on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal state or national holiday, the deadline becomes the next business day.
3. When am I able to protest taxes?
After the preliminary study, a property owner can protest their property’s appraised value with the Appraisal Review Board. Usually, this must be done within 30 days of the release of the findings, regardless of when that happens, or by May 15 (whichever is later).
Because the dates listed above are the last possible dates for appraisal value notifications to go out, they could be released sooner. If that happens, the 30‐day window to protest these taxes begins on that day. If the 30 day mark would occur before May 15, the property owner has until May 15 instead.
4. How do I protest my taxes?
If you are unhappy with your set tax rate or believe it was calculated incorrectly, you can fill out this form to submit to the Appraisal Review Board (ARB).
Eventually, you will receive written notice of a formal hearing with the ARB including the time, date, place, and subject matter. Both the taxpayer and the chief appraiser will address the ARB at the hearing.
Generally, though, the Central Appraisal District will try to settle disputes informally before the formal hearing is scheduled to occur. They will review your protest and consider options without resorting to a hearing. This is more common in some tax districts than others.
Once the ARB has reviewed a protest and made a ruling, they will inform the taxpayer via physical mail. If the taxpayer has requested electronic notification, they will receive an email.
The ARB’s decision is only valid for one tax year. Even if a taxpayer wins a protest, they may need to file a protest again the following year if the appraiser files it with no changes.
If a taxpayer is not satisfied with the ARB’s decision, they can appeal the matter with a county district court or the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Some also have the option to protest by binding arbitration.
5. When is my tax rate set?
The Comptroller’s Property Tax Assistance Division (PTAD) publishes a list annually that includes the total tax rate imposed by each taxing unit in the state. The tax rates are only applicable in the year in which they’re published.
Each taxing district must report their adopted rates by September 29, or before the 60th day after the date the certified appraisal roll is received by a taxing unit, whichever is later.
The new rates for 2020 have already been adopted by the various taxing districts as of October 2020 and will be published by PTAD no later than January 1 and are available here.
The following list of 2020 tax rates show all the counties, the largest city in each county, and select ISDs in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA followed by their percent increase from 2019 rates:
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Travis: 0.374359 1.4% increase ⇧
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Williamson: 0.418719 0.1% decrease ⇩
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Hays: 0.4212 0.6% decrease ⇩
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Bastrop: 0.4583 1.8% decrease ⇩
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Caldwell: 0.7053 5.1% decrease ⇩
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City of Austin: 0.5335 20.4% increase ⇧
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City of Round Rock: 0.439 4.5% increase ⇧
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City of San Marcos: 0.6139 No change
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City of Bastrop: 0.5794 2.7% increase ⇧
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City of Lockhart: 0.6354 7.1% decrease ⇩
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Austin ISD: 1.1027 1.7% decrease ⇩
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Round Rock ISD: 1.2212 6.4% decrease ⇩
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San Marcos CISD: 1.189 9.5% decrease ⇩
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Bastrop ISD: 1.321 3.6% decrease ⇩
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Lockhart ISD: 1.1671 7.5% decrease ⇩
HOW FUSEGIS CAN HELP
Data platforms like FuseGIS can help appraisers, brokers, and others in the real estate industry make quick work of finding out which tax parcels belong in areas with different tax rates. FuseGIS also provides links directly to appraisal district tax and valuation information.
Adding this layer to maps means having a more comprehensive financial view of the property before making decisions. This allows users to be more knowledgeable and more valuable to their clients.
Interested in seeing how simple it can be to identify tax parcels and tax rates for properties in the Austin, Texas area? Request a demo.
